YouTube Channel Profile Series: quasarwaves, These Magnificent Tentacles - Topic, and steelsour7319's Channels

Here's this month's YouTube Channel Profiles, continuing our monthly feature spotlights of YouTube channels whose content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists and/or concerts! As the first channel that we randomly selected only had one video, and the second only had four songs (one a re-recording) primarily from one EP, we're tripling up this month, but there's an interesting array of performances to take in, so here's what you should know! 

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Lee T Maines (http://youtube.com/quasarwaves)  

Owner: Former Gates of Winter frontman and Woods of Ypres guitarist Lee Maines

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 8th, 2010; Only surviving video posted on December 2nd, 2011

Channel Summary: As fans should remember, local progressive death metal band Gates of Winter slowly worked on a third album named "Perihelion" from their 2010 return from hiatus as a studio project through their last public activity in 2016, with most teaser clips from the sessions being taken down as the guys worked on perfecting the material. Alas, the album never came out, but one of the few surviving clips is Lee's only remaining video on his YouTube channel, where he played 51 seconds of the riff from a song tentatively named "Wormhole Mechanics" to test track mirroring. It's a shame that "Perihelion" was never finished, as Gates of Winter's pure technicality was excellent on their 2010s sample media, and Lee's in fine form here, but hopefully we'll hear completed songs in some form down the line!

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These Magnificent Tenatcles - Topic (http://youtube.com/channel/UCJIHHa1lrPJwMyCeErf9k8g)

Owner: An original member of local alternative/punk band These Magnificent Tentacles, identity unclear, though the uploaded music was from their run as a duo

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 23rd, 2022; All videos uploaded that same day

Channel Summary: This is an auto-generated YouTube channel made to host songs submitted by Brent & Steve to YouTube Music, thusly featuring their debut EP "Surfacing..." from the previous month and the original (but very similar) studio version of its opening song "The Abyss", which is actually the most viewed upload there. These Magnificent Tentacles have since expanded to a full five-piece band, but have been publically dormant for four months now, so it remains to be seen how fast they could put out new material for streaming services. Still, these are entertaining and varied songs that point to a promising future, and hopefully that will be realized in 2023!

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Steel Sour (http://youtube.com/steelsour7319)  

Owner: A member of 2018-2019 local hard rock band Steel Sour, identity unclear

Channel Timeline: Launched on May 9th, 2019; Only video uploaded that same day

Channel Summary: The official YouTube channel for this short lived group, their jam session video cover of The Tragically Hip's "New Orleans Is Sinking" was their final public act before dissolving later that year. Steel Sour featured a massive seven piece lineup (at least for this jam), including Robert Nevitt on vocals, backing vocalist Nicole Ambeault, guitarists Rick Atkins, Randy Russell, and Fred Dunn, bassist Steve Bentley (with impressive wig), and drummer James White, notably featuring multiple members of Re:Born, Lockdown, Big Mistake, and Dealing Without. Despite the manpower in this basement, the cover is lively, energetic, and doesn't feel rushed, and it's a shame that Steel Sour didn't keep going!

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! To end 2022 in this series, we're doing multiple channels again, as the first randomly selected channel only has one video, and the second only has a handful of similar uploads. As such, we'll be looking at the channels of YouTube users AtYourC3rvix (featuring a live Uncanny Valley video) and mikemccleary3123 (featuring five original songs of his, some with accompanying videos or lyric tracks). Look for them on or around Boxing Day, nd stay tuned for more news & notes (and this month's CD review) in the coming days! Thanks everyone! 

AlgomA/Chronobot Split Pre-Release Promotion, A New Song, And Much More!!

In possibly our last news post before we post this month's CD review, today's post will lead off with details on what will likely be next month's CD review topic, as it's getting a lot of online press coverage and promotion this month! Alongside, we have a new-to-us song from a recent addition to our band links, and some assorted recent notes, so here's what you should know!

The forthcoming split EP from local doom metal trio AlgomA and Saskatchewan doom metal band Chronobot (which comes out THIS FRIDAY) is the subject of some advance media coverage, so what should you know on it? Parker Folse from the metal website No Clean Singing previewed the split for this article from March 20th where they officially unveiled one track from each band's half of the release, so if you want to hear the studio version of AlgomA's "Phthtisis" or Chronobot's "Red Nails", see the above links, or visit the featured Soundcloud page! Without giving too much away (as this split is very likely for next month's CD review), Parker reviewed "Phthisis" as a "raw, vicious onslaught" for those "in the mood to be trampled", among other graphic depictions. Given the genre, this should be taken as a compliment! Then on Thursday, the metal blog Doomed To Darkness Zine gave the split an 8/10 score in this review, positively reflecting on AlgomA as "a very great sounding mixture" of their subgenres.

Also featuring in-depth thoughts on both bands' talents and sounds, it's a solid review for the lead-up to the formal release on Friday, so give it a look at this link and more above! Most recently, AlgomA bassist Kevin Campbell and Chronobot keyboardist Darius Simonot were separately interviewed by Jill Girardi for this article from their label Dead Beat Media (who are releasing this split), so what should you know from that? In the interview, Kevin is asked about how the two bands hooked up for the release, the recording process for AlgomA's half of the split, the meanings of their contributed songs, the concept of the album art, why they opted for a vinyl release, future plans for their next split with Hooded Menace, touring plans, how the band formed, and much more, while Darius got basically the exact same questions concerning Chronobot. These interviews are solid reads for fans of both bands, so be sure to check out the full interviews above or at this location!

In terms of scoops, Kevin did note that Pixo Control/Id Iota bassist Dustin Goodall helped mix and master AlgomA's songs, "exciting news" regarding their second full length CD will apparently come later this year, and he revealed that "The Electric Fence" is apparently their first original where a character in the lyrics survives the story within. This is a big week for fans of AlgomA and Chronobot, so see above for more promotion of this split disc, stay tuned for details on it's release on Friday! Lastly, AlgomA posted their debut CD "Reclaimed By The Forest" in full on their YouTube channel yesterday, so stream it free above & below as we await the split's release!



Next up, here's a new/old original song from new local experimental hard rock solo project The Coyote Speedfreaks! It's new to us via a share on their Facebook page last week, but Chase actually uploaded this to his personal YouTube channel in July 2014, so that's at least how long this project has been in the works before their public reveal a few months back. Entitled "One of Many", this techno-influenced number isn't as heavy as the Speedfreaks' later material, but it's well composed and creative, so give it a listen below!



Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

• Local classic/hard rock veterans Havadder have quietly parted ways with guitarist Jamie July, as per his recent removal from their Facebook page's lineup. A reason for his departure hasn't been announced, but Jamie (who joined Havadder upon their late 2013 reunion) increasingly only played with them during summer gigs, so it hasn't been uncommon to see them play as a trio. Hopefully the split was amicable in any case, so best of luck to Jamie in the future, and stay tuned for more on Havadder's show this weekend when our next concert preview post goes up!
• In another musician search from ex-Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent, he's now looking for a bassist for what appears to be his band Troubled Mind (alongside fellow Skull After Betrayl alum Adam Brett), which he describes as "weird metal and fucked up rock". Mike has jam space, the band only plays originals, and both guys provide vocals, but they aren't opposed to having a new bassist sing as well. If you're interested in trying out, message Mike at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Thursday!
• SooToday's coverage of last week's VM Radio Battle of the Bands final round was posted online on Friday, where Donna Hopper mostly covers indie rockers K.I.C.K.'s victory, and includes remarks from K.I.C.K.'s Simon Shearsby & Kevin D'Orazio, where they talk about the experience, Kevin's addition to the band, and their plans to use their winnings to record a debut EP. Sadly, only one photo is included with the article, and Donna was unable to cover the semifinal rounds live, but it's a good write-up of the event, so give it a look at this link, and stay tuned for her Tuned episode on the battle!

That's likely all for today, but stay tuned for this month's CD review and weekend concert previews in our next two posts, if all goes according to plan! Thanks everyone!

New Sault Michigan-Area Videos, Plus Lots Of Assorted News & Notes!!

Today's post is half devoted to assorted short items, but we'll kick things off with some new videos from Sault Michigan-area artists, starting with our first live concert footage from new local blues/hard rock quartet Project 906, courtesy of their St. Patrick's Day concert at Pickles Bar & Grill in Brimley on Thursday! Filmed by drummer Will Storey's mother Cherie Rosing-Rye and shared by the band onto their Facebook page earlier today, this is of their cover of Metallica's "Fuel", and while it only captures under 2 minutes of it, you get a good sense of their talent, though Will is mainly the focus during Joe Jenkins' guitar solo, the vertical camera angle doesn't help, and the audio's very staticy. Not a bad rendition though, and I like the St. Patrick's Day hats! Check it out below, and don't miss Project 906's next shows at The Dondee!



Next up, here's the latest solo videos from 415E guitarist Chris Hubbard, courtesy of his YouTube channel last week! One is of him covering Van Halen's "Top of the World" on drums, and solidly handling himself in the well angled & edited clip, but the other (embedded below) is of Chris "messing around", which basically translates to him shredding some solid Van Halen solos, riffs, and licks for 11 minutes that, if the comments are any indication, would leave Eddie himself very proud! Chris is a huge talent, so check out his newest cover videos a look above & below!




Finally for today, here's six assorted shorter news items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist or event name:

• Destroilet bassist Adam Larocque is looking to start a grunge cover band, with the aim being to cover bands like Nirvana, The Foo Fighters, and Alice In Chains, and he does have a jam space available. This might be fun, so message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Sunday if you want more details!
• Local post punk/garage rock quartet Gnaeus have changed the name of their upcoming debut CD from "Loomings" to "Meditations", as per their newest post on their Facebook page. A reason for the name change wasn't publically announced, but they had teased the new title as far back as January. The new name works, so stay tuned for more on Gnaeus (including on their drummer position) when publically announced!
• After previously looking to form a local Slayer tribute band, local guitarist Lee Catling is aiming to jam thrash or "fast punk" with other musicians. He hopes to play rhythm guitar over lead guitar, and is willing to learn anything. If you're interested in jamming with Lee, message him at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Tuesday!
• Sault Michigan concert festival LemmaFest is reportedly coming back this June after a year's hiatus! The Mike Lemma tribute outside of Dondee Lanes did not take place last summer due to legal concerns for one of the promoters, but their Facebook page confirms that planning is underway, and a meeting to flesh out organization, performers, and other ideas will take place at The Merchant's Bar tomorrow at 2:00 PM. It's great to see LemmaFest back for it's fifth go-around, so check the above links or attend tomorrow's meeting for more details!
• After 9 months of public inactivity (unless they did indeed play at last fall's Jason Michaud benefit), local punk trio Redundant have confirmed on their Facebook page that they are back, are writing new songs, planning new studio work, and booking new shows, with a few light photos of the guys also being shared afterwards. 2015 was a very quiet year for Justin, James, and Rick, so hopefully we hear a lot more from Redundant in the coming months, as they are a fun band who have been missed lately!
• Courtesy of a Jack Daniels-influenced poster on Thursday, local grind/thrash quartet Them have announced a few new singles that they're working on for their planned debut EP via their Facebook page, including "Slaughter House Blues" and "March Into Regression", the latter being an apparent re-purposing of the name of frontman Tyler St. Amour's old death metal/hardcore band from the early 2010s (who were also known as Bring the Misery, among other names.) Nice to hear more from Them, and stay tuned for updates on their next originals!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes in the coming days! Thanks everyone!

Project 421 & Bon Soo Updates, Plus More Updates & Notes!!

We're back with a new news post to kick off this last full week of January, so what's on tap? Some updates to one of our battle of the bands profiles, some assorted recent notes, and the latest from a new local arts podcast, but let's start with some new concert videos!

Local classic metal quintet Project 421 are the subject of some new videos that were uploaded to their Facebook page yesterday, all courtesy of their Rednecks Saloon concert on Friday! Attendee Chris Weber shot three videos at the show (and got lots of photos, albeit made black & white after the fact), and they include renditions of Black Sabbath's "N.I.B.", Kiss' "Cold Gin", and as embedded below, their first original "No One Rides For Free". Shot on a cell phone camera, the audio is scratchy, and the camera angle can be jittery, but these videos are our best look yet at the current Project 421 lineup, and you can definitely sense that they have a good grasp on these songs! The lighting isn't great though, only drummer Chris Thompson is well lit on stage. Give these a look above and below, and don't miss Project 421 at The Rockstar Bar next month!



Next up, the newest episode of the new local music/arts podcast 7L is now online via their Soundcloud page, so what should you know from it? The episode features host Teddy Syrette interviewing Bon Soo general manager Kerrie De Poli about next month's installment of our annual winter carnival, where Kerrie talks about the inception of Bon Soo, the extended 12-day lineup for this year, events to look for, how long Kerrie's been working with the festival, her background before joining Bon Soo, the merger with Passport To Unity, where to get Bon Soo buttons, and more. The episode closes with Kerrie reading a poem about Bon Soo, and Teddy singing likewise, which is a fun way to close the episode! It's good and fun promotion for this year's festival, but what do we learn about Bon Soo's concerts for this year? Only bare basics, with no visible lineup information confirmed for either The Marquee or Passport to Unity, but The Marquee will apparently be a one-night outdoor event again on Friday, February 5th at Mill Market.

The Passport To Unity multicultural festival will be at The Essar Center as usual, but now on Sunday, February 14th rather than May to fit the Bon Soo schedule. We have yet to find lineup information for either event, but when updates come out on both/either, we'll let you know! Give the new 7L episode a listen above, it's informative and worth checking out, but note that the teased acoustic punk segment is not featured, no word on if it's coming for episode #4. Stay tuned though!

Also today, here's three assorted shorter items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphbetical order by artist name:

• If you've seen recent personal Facebook pictures of Havadder playing a recent gig without bassist Travis Sharpe, we can confirm that the show was a private event at The Rankin Arena, and with Travis unable to make the gig, local musician Brett Gottwald filled in for him. There are some videos from the event on Facebook, but unless the band shares them publically, we won't post them here. Brett filled in well though from what I saw, and give them a watch if they pop up on your news feed!
• Local musician Lee Catling is looking for a drummer for a Slayer tribute band that he's working on. He didn't offer any more details, but Slayer fans should be intrigued by this, so message Lee at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from yesterday if you're interested! 
• Honest Job bassist Drew Armstrong has been added as a performer with Like a Pisces during the Nirvana tribute concert at The Gore Street Cafe on February 20th during The Fishbowl Festival's opening night, as per the Facebook event page last week. However, it should be noted that the current wording of the performers lumps The Pixo Control in as one of the main acts, rather than as defined openers, so is this going to be a collaborative show with guests coming & going between songs? We'll let you know if there's clarification!

Finally for today, here's some big updates to one of our past Battle of the Bands Rewind Profiles (which return in March!) In our profile of December 2009's Algoma University Battle of the Bands, we noted The Fury's brief 2014 reunion and RedD Monkey's hiatus & posthumous activity in the section on competitors' later work, while we replaced Keep It Lit and Giwakwa with The Apocalypse Afterparty, Infinity Grinder, and Kaepora Gaebora in the section on performers' later bands to keep that more current. Finally, the trivia section now features notes on planned judges Anthony Fabiano & Dustin Jones' later work in battles of the bands (as Griphook's drummer in Spanish and as a VM Radio Battle judge/sponsor respectively), info on how The Apocalypse Afterparty & Infinity Grinder did at the battles in March 2015, and a note on Fury frontman Paul Stanghetta's debuting band Keep It Lit, who never played after dropping out of 2013's Viva La Battle. Hopefully that's up to date now, and stay tuned for updates of battles from the early 2010s soon!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes this week! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Lee Thomas Maines & When They Fall

At last, here are this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles, but be sure to check out late notice concert previews and more assorted updates in this morning's post below! Like usual, this month's installment of this feature series looks at 1-2 defunct or inactive local bands, all randomly selected, in order to profile their work, run, and successes for current readers! This month's two choices include a holdover from last month after the first act then proved to have enough info to sustain a solo profile, but we have two concise looks at intriguing though short lived projects, so here's what you should know for these profiles!
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Lee Thomas Maines

Genre: Progressive Metal

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Lee Maines (Gates of Winter), all instruments/programming

Info/Analysis: After previously manning a short-lived solo project under the name Septicon in the late 2000s, Gates of Winter frontman Lee Maines accomplished more under under his own full name from 2008-2009, where he was working on a 5 track EP that was "loaded with crushing rhythms and futuristic themes" that he hoped would "reach a new level of diversity & technicality", as influenced by acts like Meshuggah, Ihsahn, and Samael. The solo project's main activity coincided with Gates of Winter's 2009 hiatus, but after their return at year's end, Lee's solo act has fallen inactive, and he's focused on new Gates material since. Only one full solo instrumental ("Sol") made it online, which gives fans a strong prog-metal attack that showcases his multiple talents and progressive dynamics well, but it does lack vocals and a guitar solo. Give it a listen below, but of course, give Gates of Winter's newer material a listen too to hear what Lee's been doing since!


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When They Fall

Genre: Metal/Screamo

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: (This information may be incorrect concerning members' full identities, as all but Devon were credited solely by their first names. If you can correct anything, let us know!

Devon Richards, vocals
Dan Linklater (The Dirty Few, The Vertically Impaired), lead guitar
Jaime Jacques (The Boatload Killers), rhythm guitar
Tyler St. Amour (Them, Fountain of Betrayal), bass
Travis St. Amour (Bring The Fallen, Fountain of Betrayal), drums  

Audio/Video: When They Fall posted no media on their MySpace (and only online) page, but said page formerly described them as influenced by "anything that gives you a kick in the pants & makes you fall to your knees while we blow your eardrums straight out of your head." Later bands from the St. Amour brothers would likely harbour influences with When They Fall's sound, particularly the early 2010s deathcore project March Into Regression. 

Info/Analysis: A short lived hardcore metal band that only used their MySpace page from August-November 2007, When They Fall formed between friends & musical acquaintances, then all in high school, for something fun to do. While their MySpace page once noted that they played "one small gig" with an unidentified singer before Devon joined, few updates of major activity otherwise survive there, aside from photos of all band members but Tyler. When They Fall dissolved by early 2008, and members have diverged in wildly different musical paths since. With no posted media, it's hard to say how When They Fall sounded, but most members have found notable success in other later bands, so be sure to follow them to see where they went!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Next month in this series, we'll stay in Sault Ontario, as our next random selection has given us... Ashes To Dust, a more recent local hard rock band who you may remember from the second Swampstravaganza and various Superior Heights gigs! Look for that on or around October 10th, and stay tuned for more news and notes this weekend! Thanks everyone!

Weekend Concert Previews, Hammerspace Lineup Changes, And More!!

One more post before I head to Detroit this weekend for some family stuff, so fair warning that posts may come slowly this weekend depending on my busyness. So today, we have previews of this weekend's known metal concerts, news on a local solo project and some lineup changes in an area band, plus a band deletion. So let's begin with your local concert previews for this weekend!

All of the metal/hard rock shows this weekend that I know of are in Sault Ontario, and we'll start with Turner Up, who return to the stage once again this weekend for a pair of shows at Foggy Notions! The local classic hard rock cover quintet return there tomorrow night and Saturday night for two more concert sets, both of which are taking place at 10:30 PM. Both shows will have a likely $3 cover, as is the typical Foggy's policy, and you must be 19 to enter. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! So if you wanna be taken "back to school" by Turner Up this weekend, Foggy's is the place to be tomorrow and Saturday! Should be fun, sucks that I can't make it this time around! Click the above links for more, and here for a video of Turner Up covering Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Wanna Be"!

Meanwhile, Saturday night marks a notable return for a local band, as Caveman Morrison make their return to the live stage for just the second time since April! This time however, they'll be playing at a rather unique show, as they play support to... a hypnotist? Yes, they'll be directly supporting Tony Lee, XXX Hypnotist on Saturday night at The Outback at one of Sault College's Frosh week events! Click the above link for more on his work, which is entertaining but certainly not family friendly. The XXX was a giveaway, right? As for Caveman Morrison, this is also notable in that it's their debut concert featuring new drummer Johnny Belanger, who replaced Jeff Richards in the band last month. You'll also recognize Johnny from his work in The Bear Hunters, D.O.T.H., and other defunct local bands! By all accounts, the new Caveman lineup is bound to impress, so consider seeing them on Saturday! This show will be at 8:00 PM on Saturday night at The Outback, with Caveman Morrison playing from 8:30 PM until before 10:00 PM, when Tony Lee hits the stage. Tickets are $8 in advance on campus, or $10 at the door.

It is ALL AGES, but I believe that non-students have to come as a guest of a Sault College student and be signed in. If I'm wrong on that, let me know! For more details, visit this location! Sounds like a fun and unique show, and I can't wait to see Tym, Dutch, and Johnny in action! Sadly, it can't be this weekend, but I'll definitely be at Foggy's next weekend to see them when they play two dates then! For a video preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering Metallica's "Seek and Destroy" from a show late last year!



Now to some assorted news stories to cap off this post, and we'll start with significant lineup changes in a Sault Michigan metal band. It was announced on Monday that local progressive metal band Hammerspace have parted ways with singer Logan Reed and bassist Tim Padoba. According to a posting on the band's MySpace blog, Hammerspace let Logan go due to "style differences", and guitarist John Bergeron will be taking over on vocals full time for the band. It was added that Tim quit Hammerspace, apparently from thoughts about a less than ideal practice schedule. So the band is now comprised of John Bergeron on vocals and guitar, fellow guitarist Justin Smith, and former Bent Rollercoaster drummer Paul Burns, with a search now ongoing to find a new bassist. Shame to see Logan and Tim gone, but hey, hopefully this change is for the better! They're a solid band, and here's hoping they're back gigging real soon! For more information, and/or if you know of any available bassists interested in joining or trying out for Hammerspace, head to the above links!

Finally, here's a note from a local solo project that we've been following for a while now! Remember, I try to pay attention to local solo metal artists who treat their solo work as an actual musical project rather than just demos and fiddling around as such. That being said, remember April Eyes, the solo band from Bear Hunters/Lorax/Eyes Set Fire guitarist Mitch Sirie? Well, he's made some updates concerning his solo work, so here's what you should know! Firstly, he's changed the name of his solo stuff again, now calling it Animas. I still think By The Gods was the best name he had, but hey, to each their own! That being said, Animas have a new solo song on their MySpace page, named "Fall"! It's an acoustic instrumental, but it's well played, and shows that he can play other stuff effectively! Check it our at the above links and see what you think, but remember, if you want something heavy, the other two songs on his page bring it, so check them out too! Lots of potential here, fingers crossed that Mitch and Animas have more in the works!

And to cap today's post, just a housecleaning note concerning a removal from our band listings on the SMS. I deleted the MySpace page for Sault Michigan metal band Dillusional Greed earlier today, after the page quietly had all band information erased from it, or made private. The band was just a solo project to my knowledge, but had been around since at least June 2007, and had some bio info and possibly an audio track. I looked for a replacement page for Dillusional Greed but couldn't find one, so I opted to remove their page from the SMS, but if I find a new page for them, I'll surely re-add it!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for news as it comes in, and if I come across some notable news while in Detroit, I'll make sure you guys get it! Stay tuned, and I'll be back home on Sunday!

GarageBand Profile Mini-Series: Lee Thomas Maines

It's Saturday, and you know what that means: It's time for our second installment of our special GarageBand Profile Mini-Series! As we inch closer to the impending shutdown of GarageBand.com, I'm continuing my quest to make sure the local metal bands there don't have their material lost as a result, and today, our attention falls to a prominent local metal frontman's solo projects!

Aside from spelling/grammar edits, link/video updates, and some additional useful artist info and analysis, this is a closely transferred copy of the original GarageBand profile, with everything relevant still intact. Also note that, because this artist had two pages for basically the same project, parts of this profile are combined & others are separately labeled, depending on the content. Enjoy today's second GarageBand profile, and remember, we have four more to go over the next twelve days!
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Lee Thomas Maines (also previously under the project name Septicon)

Genre: Progressive/Melodic Death Metal
Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

Bio (Lee Maines): A year after his pioneering release with Canadian metal band Gates of Winter's "Lux Aeterna", Lee Thomas Maines is beginning work on a new progressive solo project. Loaded with crushing rhythms and futuristic themes, Lee hopes to reach a new level of diversity and technicality. Currently, Lee is laying the foundation of an untitled 5 track EP, working with new gear, a new vision, and a sea of new inspiration. For the meantime, go to www.myspace.com/leethomasmaines and check out the posted Gates of Winter tracks ‘From Nothingness (demo)’ and ‘Life Force Rapture’, or visit www.gatesofwinter.com! For questions or comments, please write to leethomasmaines@live.ca.

Bio (Septicon): Septicon is my solo project, which I would eventually like to expand to a full band, when all my songs are recorded and ready for the road.

Members: Lee Maines (Everything)

Artist URL: Lee Thomas Maines on MySpace

Influenced By: Mnemic, Soilwork, In Flames, Wintersun, Dimmu Borgir, Meshuggah, Ihsahn, Strapping Young Lad, Samael

Songs: None. (Lee didn't upload solo material onto either the Lee Thomas Maines or Septicon GarageBand pages. There IS one solo Lee Maines song to share though, which you can check out after the following paragraph.)

SMS Analysis: As the singer and rhythm guitarist of Gates of Winter, Lee Maines has a good level of notoriety in the local scene, and the fact that he was briefly in Woods of Ypres can't hurt either! I'm sure we've all been hoping for some exciting things from Lee's solo projects, no matter what name they've been under. However, we haven't heard much from Lee on his solo stuff since mid-2009, likely because of his work on Gates of Winter's new album. Under the name Septicon, I can't do much other than speculate on it due to lack of material, but it likely would have been similar to his latest solo work. From what little I've heard from his solo stuff, I'm very impressed, and Gates of Winter fans will no doubt enjoy it too! No major stylistic changes, just straightforward progressive metal with lots of dynamics and great instrumentation, but it could use guitar solos and vocals. Though the project's been dormant since 2009, my fingers are crossed that Lee will find his way back to his solo material some day, cause there's too much promise there to just let it go! Check out lots more from Lee Maines at his official MySpace page!

Videos: Your best bet to finding videos of Lee Maines is to search for Gates of Winter on YouTube, there's lots of audio and video recordings there! If you find Woods of Ypres videos from late 2008, Lee will be on guitar for those, but remember that he didn't write any of their material. As for his solo projects, I couldn't find anything, so I have uploaded his only publicly unveiled solo song to YouTube! Entitled "Sol", it was ripped from his MySpace page and uploaded onto the SMS channel with the BEST POSSIBLE INTENT to spread this song to world even further like it deserves! NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED!!! With that in mind, check out "Sol" below, see what you think!


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Two down, four to go in this special mini-series! Hope you guys enjoyed reading up on Lee's solo stuff! Our next entry in the GarageBand Profile Mini-Series will be posted on Tuesday, when we'll take a look at defunct local hard rock band T H E I D, formerly known as MY ID! Stay tuned for that, and much more news on The Sault Metal Scene, especially tomorrow, when I review tonight's Phatstick concert AND we celebrate the SMS' 3rd Anniversary! Big day tomorrow, hope you're here for it! Thanks everyone!