YouTube Channel Profile Series: SykTheMan & paulmichaelbastards's Channels

It's now time for our last monthly feature post of September 2016, as we have this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! This regular series looks at 1-3 randomly selected YouTube channels whose posted content at least has a 50% count of local metal, hard rock, or punk videos, relevant to artists from or shows held here, in order to spotlight them and hopefully garner some attention for the channels! This month's choices cover some familiar faces from concerts around the turn of the 2010s, and while they're not frequently seen nowadays, still have solid followings! Here's what you should know!
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SykTheMan's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/syktheman)

Owner: Former State of Misery singer Steve Errington-Rhodes, also known from his past work with bands like The Valentine's Day Massacre, D3athcharg3r, Bring the Misery, and Saints & Serpents, and currently with the London metal band Skylines

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 2nd, 2012; Videos posted that November and in December 2013

Channel Summary: A personal use channel launched late in his run as a local metal singer, Steve posted two videos there from his last two local bands, including a live performance and a studio demo.

Why You Should Watch: Fans of Steve's local music run should check out this channel to hear some of his latter material before focusing on London-based bands! Though he still uses this channel occasionally for personal use (notably liking videos of his current band Skylines earlier this year), Steve hasn't posted anything there in over 2 years, and the channel never included archival videos of either his pre-2012 bands or D3athcharg3r, though other channels will have you covered for specific footage of them.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out

The Valentines Day Massacre - Lovecraft Cthulhu (jam demo): Steve's first and most popular video is a jam session demo of his former local metal band The Valentine's Day Massacre's late original "Lovecraft Cthulhu", shortly after the band relocated to London in mid-2012. Represented here by Steve alongside ex-Sativa Rose bandmates Andrew Angelic (now of London's Rattlesnake Hotel) and Adam Veale on bass & drums, and ex-Chillum drummer Kyle Umgeher, the demo showcases their death /hardcore hybrid sound nicely, as fans of the former View to a Kill will recall! However, vocals can be a little high in the mix.



Saints and Serpents- Vampiric- Live Clip: In 2013, The V.D.M. quietly dissolved and were succeeded by the similar Saints & Serpents, just with Ian Timmermans (now of the London punk/metal band LandSwimmer) on drums in place of Kyle Umgeher, who had moved back to the Soo. Their first of just two announced concerts (both in London) was on Friday, December 13th at The Richmond Tavern, with an attendee filming the new band playing The V.D.M.'s old original "Vampiric". Solid sound quality on this live video, whose dark shadowy lighting actually accentuates the performance, so fans will want to check this out, especially if you've missed the guys since the big move, but follow D3athcharg3r, Skylines, and Rattlesnake Hotel for Steve & Andrew's work in London since!


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paulmichaelbastard's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/paulmichaelbastard)

Owner: Billy Bastards guitarist Paul Michael Stos, also well known from past local band work with groups like Proposition 86, Fallout, Source Code, and Deathoccasion

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 7th, 2012; Videos posted from that day until January 13th

Channel Summary: Paul's YouTube channel features just six videos, all from his local punk/country quintet The Billy Bastards' headlining concert at The Rockstar Bar on December 28th, 2011, including renditions of their songs "Back in the Bottle", "Bathe in Whiskey", "Mile 58" (popularly covered by Destroilet), "Liquor to Lick Her", "No Roads Here", and featured below, "Lonesome, On'ry, and Mean", which is the channel's most popular video. Featuring Paul alongside frontman Aaron Gibbs (ex-Harsh Heads), guitarist Greg Beharriel, bassist John Conway (Destroilet), and drummer Charlie Yanni, these are quality videos of The Billys' hybrid sound with a great turnout, though some songs are definitely more country-flavoured than others, and the stationary camera's side-stage angle isn't optimal. Given how infrequently The Billys play live (let alone with Paul taking part), don't take these for granted, as they're some of their best currently available videos!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, our latest random selection will take us to Project 906 guitarist Joe Jenkins' YouTube channel, which has lots of guitar performance videos, gear demonstrations, and more to more than sustain a solo profile! Look for that on or around October 26th, and stay tuned for more news and previews tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Metal Massacre II Videos, Mike Vincent Updates, And Much More!!

Before we get this month's Defunct Local Band Profile up on the site, let's clear out some recent news and notes, including some assorted quick stories, updates from a local metal musician, and to lead off, some new videos from this past weekend's Metal Massacre II house party concert! Filmed by Party Island Productions head Mike Gingras, and uploaded to his YouTube channel on Sunday, he filmed videos of two of the night's bands, including our first live concert footage of new local death metal quintet Kaepora Gaebora, so what should you know about it? The video features the former Debt to the Heirless playing an original song named "Evolution By Force", and while the view isn't great (thanks to dark purple lighting and attendee heads in the way), this is definitely our best audio sample of Kaepra Gaebora yet! Everyne sounds solid and brutal musically, and Joey Graham's vocals fit the material and have a bit of the deathcore intensity, so give this one a look below!



Mike's other Metal Massacre II video is of local death/thrash metal trio Pillory playing their new original song "Angst of Existence", presumably at the start of their set like it was for Metal Massacre I. Mike focused the entire video on drummer Bret Shuttleworth (possibly on purpose?), but the singular focus actually helps the view, as you get a closer direct angle to counteract the lighting, so it works, and Pillory sound good here as fans have came to expect since their reunion! Give their video a look below!



Also today, here's the latest from Troubled Mind drummer/ex-Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent's local music projects, starting with his latest Musicians Wanted Facebook group search for a musician, this time looking for a bassist (possibly with vocal ability) for his current band project, who are apparently going to sound like everything from Avenged Sevenfold to Trivium. Mike didn't elaborate on if this search is to round out the lineup of Troubled Mind (who haven't posted an online update since November) or if this is for a new project, but hopefully Mike can get a new band project off the ground! However, Mike quietly resurrected his solo project (which had previously been active in 2011) yesterday with the launch of a new Bandcamp page, and according to personal Facebook postings, he is working on a debut solo EP with him on all instruments. One instrumental is up on Bandcamp, which is a re-recording of his old band Skull After Betrayl's self-titled song, now entitled "Shoah" (a French & Hebrew term for the Holocaust.)

The audio quality has a hissing static quality to it, but Mike has multi-instrumental talent, and fans of Skull After Betrayl should appreciate the work he put into this revision! Mike also noted on his personal Facebook page that he is working on more music, and plans to have a new song every weekend to put up. Will further material return to using food as titles? Might we see more remakes of songs from his old bands? Either way, check out "Shoah" and more from Mike above, check out his recent drum covers on his personal page, and Mike's solo project is back in our active band links!

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

• In their first Facebook page posting in almost two months, local death metal favourites The Bear Hunters revealed on Wednesday that they were starting work on lead guitar & solos for their forthcoming sophomore CD "The Dead Testament", with vocal recording starting this week. Great to hear, so stay tuned for more as sessions continue! For reference sake, recent live video footage floating around on personal Facebook pages is from a recent private event, hence why The Bear Hunters were in dress clothes.
• Local musician Liam Tallon is looking for a drummer and bassist to join a new hard rock/metal band that he's forming. The band in question (presumably with Liam on guitar) would have musicians aged between 15 & 20 years old, would cover bands like Metallica & Alter Bridge, and eventually write originals. If you're interested in trying out, message Liam at this link or via his Musicians Wanted Facebook group post from Wednesday!
• In a rare local music article on Sault Online that isn't from Mike Caruso, correspondent Tammy Haman was in attendance for one of local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood's recent Esquire Club concerts, positively and concisely reviewing it for this article last week, complete with some photos (but no videos.) Former Cherry Crush singer Holly Melissa Bourdage is credited as having made a guest appearance at the show too, and given her singing ability, that should have been a solid feature! Give the full article a look above!

That's all for now, but stay tuned for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile next! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Metal Massacre II), New Pillory Footage, And Much More Updates!!

With the last full week of April in full swing, let's tackle most of our remaining backlogged stories today, including some assorted recent updates, new videos from the Blood Shed Weekly YouTube channel, and first, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for a house party sequel, so here's what you should know!

After the success of April 14th's Metal Massacre house party show, promoter/Twistory frontman Josh Amendola is bringing it back for an encore on Saturday, May 7th (next weekend, in other words!) Yes, Metal Massacre II will return to the residence at 124 Anna Street three weeks later with an expanded lineup, so who can you expect? Largely the same lineup, but with Rotopsy out and local doom metal trio AlgomA in for their first local set since the Black Tremor/punk rock bingo event, and they should melt many faces next Saturday! The remaining performers include local thrash/death metal trio Pillory, new local death metal duo Twistory (who still lack an online page), and new local death metal quintet Kaepora Gaebora, so if you liked them 11 days ago, or missed out entirely, keep this house show in mind! Josh also noted on the Facebook event page that more guests and a daytime acoustic set of some kind may also be added to the lineup, but neither has been formally elaborated on since.

As well, Metal Massacre II may be moved a day earlier to Friday, May 6th pending AlgomA's availability, which is definitely a sign of their value as headliners: Why replace them if they can't make the original date when you can change the date instead? If the date is moved, we will let you know. Either way, this is another "pay what you can" show with no announced age limits, and presumably to accommodate the potential acoustic daytime set, a 4:00 PM start time is listed. Check the above links for more details, and stay tuned for more on Metal Massacre 2 at 124 Anna Street!

Next up, here's a new video of the aforementioned Pillory from April 14th's inaugural Metal Massacre show, courtesy of the Blood Shed Weekly YouTube channel on Friday! Arguably our best and longest look yet at Pillory with any lineup, the video (filmed by Brutally Fatal's Austin McCrae) features Pillory playing their new songs "Angst of Existence" & "Sculptor of Cadavers", a new song whose name wasn't announced, and then songs that appear to be called "The Passing", "Aboard Apprehension", and "Affairs of Eternal Sickness" to seemingly cap their set, though the names may be incorrect. Afterwards, an encore is started where Robert, Jordan, and Bret jam some very familiar sounding instrumentals, so click the above links to go to each song! It's worth noting that Pillory didn't play any songs from their 2013 debut EP "Cringe at the Cross" that night, though whether this is a casualty of their death metal transition, lineup changes & reunion, unhappiness with the disc, or just how the night's set shaped up isn't clear.

In any event, Pillory sound nice and brutal on this video, with Robert Sartini's growling definitely improved with time, and Bret Shuttleworth's drumming is on point, but the post-effects on the video (including colour changes, spinning and wave effects, and captions) don't add anything practical to the video. Still, this is a great look at the new and heavier Pillory lineup, so check out the full set below!



Also today, here's an update video from Blood Shed Productions co-founder/Brutally Fatal frontman Austin McCrae on the aforementioned Blood Shed Weekly channel from April 15th, where he updates fans on events with the local grindcore/rap label, so what should you know? Hyped as "another update" (referencing a video that isn't listed on the channel anymore), Austin starts by referencing the success of the aforementioned Metal Massacre house show and his Pillory & Rotopsy videos from it (complete with explaining why he didn't film the other bands.) He next noted that the label is planning to start using forms and agreements regarding music releases and rights for label departures and commitments to Blood Shed, and among other assorted notes, he referenced looking into buying newspaper advertising, and establishing permanent staff roles for the label. Austin also referenced a couple of planned summer concerts that the label is hosting, but neither has a confirmed venue yet.

The shows in question will be headlined by Winnipeg punk band Grave Party on June 20th and Victoria death metal band Iskra (in their second local show of the year) on August 2nd, and while The New American was teased on the event pages linked above,we'll hold on adding them to our concert listings until everything is finalized. Austin closed by noting a new webseries called "BreakingSh!tWithBloodShed" which is exactly what it says on the tin, and we may note that on the site soon as well. Informative, if geared to Blood Shed's official staff and crew, so check the above links and watch below for more!



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 series name:

• The aforementioned Kaepora Gaebora have been added as the fifth and final local opening band for THIS SATURDAY'S Motherfuckers-headlined concert at The Oddfellows Hall, as per promoter J.D. Pearce on the official Facebook event page on Saturday, in what will be their second concert and first ever show outside of a house party. They'll be opening at 7:00 PM, so if you're curious in seeing how Joey, Dan, Daeson, Jeph, and Kevin sound, be at The Oddfellows Hall on SATURDAY NIGHT, and stay tuned for updates!
• Though it's tough to gauge their active status given their minimal online presence, we've moved local/Toronto indie punk veterans Treble Charger to our inactive band links, as the Juno nominees haven't made a visible public statement since their Mill Square concert last February. With that said, Greig & Bill may very well have new material and shows in the works, so if anything is publically announced through news media or official sites, we'll be sure to let you know!
• The newest episode of SooToday's (migrated from the outgoing Local2's) music webseries Tuned with Donna Hopper spotlights the recent Record Store Day festivities at The Rad Zone, and within, you'll see interview clips with the likes of Rad Zone owner Paul Muncaster and staffer/Garden of Bedlam bassist Evan Belleau on the day's importance, sales, and finds. Local doom metal trio AlgomA's recent split vinyl EP with Chronobot is given a heavy feature by Evan, heavily praising it for being a new local contribution to Record Store Day. Solid episode with lots of deserving vinyl love, so check out the full episode at the above links!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: The Valentine's Day Massacre

On this Sunday morning, let's post this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! Yes, our monthly look at a defunct or inactive local metal, hard rock, or punk band returns for another go around, as we have another randomly selected band to spotlight, profile, and look back on! This group didn't last too long on the local stage, but they have a bunch of familiar faces and made a lot of fans, so read on below for this month's Defunct Profile!
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The Valentine's Day Massacre

Genre: Death Metal/Hardcore

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie/London, Ontario

Members: 

Steve Rhodes (D3athcharg3r, State of Misery, Saints & Serpents), vocals
Andrew Angelic (Rattlesnake Hotel, D3athcharg3r, Sativa Rose), guitar
Adam Veale (Sativa Rose, Saints & Serpents), bass
Kyle Umgeher (Chillum), electric drums
 
Audio/Video: Though not active for an especially long time, there are a fair number of surviving videos on YouTube to check out from The Valentine's Day Massacre's run. Plans for a debut EP were never fully realized before the band dissolved, but frontman Steve Rhodes did share one demo named "Lovecraft Cthulhu" on his YouTube channel, while two cover videos can be seen from The V.D.M.'s debut show on bassist Adam Veale's dad John's YouTube channel, and a handful of others can be seen on our YouTube channel as well. Here's The Valentine's Day Massacre playing their song "Make Death Wait" at April 2012's Humane Society Battle of the Bands!



Info/Analysis: Formerly known as View To A Kill, The Valentine's Day Massacre were a deathcore band that basically succeeded members Andrew Angelic & Adam Veale's earlier classic metal outfit Sativa Rose. Debuting at what's now Coch's Corner (then called Feedback) in December 2011, The Valentine's Day Massacre became a steady sight at local metal concerts through the next summer, which saw them kick off the Ypres Metal Fest in April 2012, play at the last original Roosevelt Hotel metal night that July, and finish in the top four of both of that year's battles of the bands. Following a house show in Laird that August, The Valentine's Day Massacre moved en masse to London for college, though only a homecoming show that December and a cancer fundraiser in London in April 2013 followed before the band (sans Kyle Umgeher) was succeeded by Saints & Serpents that fall, who only played one London show themselves before dissolving in 2014.

The V.D.M. weren't even active for a year before moving & slowly descending to inactivity, but they burned bright when they were together, with Steve's brutal growling serving as a nice compliment to the others' pre-made chemistry and more diverse metal background!  They were live fan favourites, and have been missed, but be sure to check out Steve & Andrew's later London band work in D3athcharg3r & Rattlesnake Hotel to see what they've been up to since! However, note that The Valentine's Day Massacre's Facebook page was taken down after their breakup.
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! After three months of single band profiles in this series, our random selections have given us two bands for May in this series, as the first random choice doesn't have enough material or activity to fill a single post, so we've added a second band with minimal surviving info. With that said, we're looking at inactive Sault Ontario industrial metal duo Riverin (featuring Dirty Virgin alumni) and death metal quartet Skull After Betrayl (featuring Troubled Mind and Borderline Divine members), so look for that on or around May 10th, and stay tuned for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Pillory & Mourning Wood), Plus Project 421 & Kaepora Gaebora Updates!!

With SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS for this weekend to touch on, let's get a second news post on the site today! Alongside, we have the latest from two local metal bands, and a new show announcement for next week, so here's what you should know, but check out more news and previews in this morning's post as well!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Mourning Wood will return to Reggie's West for a pair of concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Profuse apologies for the short notice, drummer Glen Thomas only announced the shows on his personal Facebook page within the hour, and the band hasn't publically plugged them on their Facebook page at all. Fresh off of their Park Grille debut last week, Mourning Wood will play their first shows at the former Roosevelt Hotel (or "The Reggievelt") in over two months this weekend. Despite the late notice, Mourning Wood are a talented band who know a ton of songs, and they should entertain at this west end venue this weekend, so keep TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows in mind if you're craving live music! Both shows have 19+ age limits, no announced cover charges, and 9:30 PM start times. Don't miss Mourning Wood TONIGHT & TOMORROW at Reggie's West this weekend, and here they are at The New A!



Next up, a house party concert entitled "Metal Massacre!" will take place on April 14th (this coming Thursday) that should pique the interest of local metalheads! To be held at a residence at 124 Anna Street (the site of last year's Shit Liver and The Man & His Machine house shows), three local metal bands will take the stage on Thursday, including local thrash metal trio Pillory in their second gig and first headlining concert set since their reunion! It's great to see the guys ramping up their bookings now that they're back, so keep their return in mind next week! The show will also see debuting appearances from new bands, including death metal quartet Kaepora Gaebora (more on them in a second) and a new two-man band named Twistory. They have no online pages or public material yet, but the band will unite Pillory frontman Robert Sartini (reprising his Shadowthrone drum role) with former bandmate Josh Amendola on vocals & guitar. Interesting, we'll have to see how Twistory do!

Promoted by Josh Amendola himself, this east end house show will have admission on a "pay what you can model", it will start at 9:00 PM on Thursday, and there's no announced age limits. This should be a solid concert for fans of newer and not-recently-seen metal artists, so visit the official Facebook event page for more, and thanks to Josh for the info on Twistory!

Also, here's the latest from the aforementioned Kaepora Gaebora, so what's new on this new local metal band? Well, the former Debt to the Heirless have quietly added ex-RedD Monkey/Gates of Winter drummer Kevin Overton to their lineup, replacing Anthony Boudreau. A reason for Anthony's departure wasn't announced, but hopefully things are amicable, and fans can still see him with Them! It's great to see Kevin back in a local band, but how do Kaepora Gaebora sound? Their first video on their new YouTube channel (from a recent jam session) confirms that they're a death metal band, and in terms of lineup roles, Joey Graham is their lead singer (rather than his better known drumming position), with Dan Souliere & Daeson Lesage on guitar. The video also appears to feature the aforementioned Josh Amendola on bass, seemingly implying that he's also a new addition to Kaepora Gaebora, but the band's Facebook page doesn't (yet?) list him with their lineup.

The video proper is just 43 seconds long, and the audio quality isn't very high (which renders Joey almost inaudible during it), but given members past work with bands like Bring the Fallen, I'd assume that Kaepora Gaebora will be a must-see band for death metal fans locally! Give their video a look below, and get more info on them and their debut above!



Finally, here's the latest from local classic metal quartet Project 421, so what's new in their camp? As you may remember, the band has been put on hold for the past couple of months while guitarist Frank McGillivray tended to medical needs for his daughter Casey, but fellow guitarist Blair Burch confirmed on their Facebook page last month that Casey is fit, healthy, and doing well, which is awesome to hear! Blair also elaborated on a torn deltoid in his arm that he suffered in January prior to their most recent concert, and it's been healing since, but he did say that it was better "for the most part" and he was working to get back into playing shape. With Blair & Frank's bandmates finished their third place battle runs with their side project Eclipse, the band has apparently returned to the jam room to work on new covers & originals, with a tentative return to the stage planned for May. Also, the band acknowledged that, had life not taken the turns that it did, they had planned to record an EP for release on April 21st (or, on 4/21, like their name.)

This confirms the plans from earlier teases of that date, but with original plans now thrown out, the band is debating whether to release an EP later in the year, or work towards a full debut CD for April 21st, 2017. The band hopes to be recording this year in any case, so stay tuned for full updates when more is announced! Lastly for today, the band posted this short video making use of Facebook's new "My Business Story" video creator on Thursday, and it's amusing given that they're not the sort of business that these videos are geared towards, so what are they in the business of? Give it a look below, and stay tuned for more from Project 421 when announced!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news soon, and this month's Defunct Local Band Profile tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

Bear Hunters & Telephone And Address Updates, Plus Much More!!

Before our review of yesterday's Soo Zombie Walk music goes up, here's a post to clear out some recent news stories, including updates on an upcoming concert, news on an upcoming CD, and much more, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start today with some long awaited updates on The Bear Hunters rescheduled CD release concert (now on Saturday, November 29th), starting with confirmation that it indeed has been moved from The Algonquin Pub, and will now instead be held at The Canadian Nightclub, as per guitarist Mitch Sirie on the Facebook event page on Wednesday. A reason for the relocation wasn't announced, but the six week postponement and existing event schedule at The Algonquin may have played a part, and Mitch had hinted since the postponement that the venue may change. At least their debut CD "Eternal Hibernation" will still be launched at a quality venue, and it seems like too long since The Canadian hosted a metal show! For reference, this show doesn't displace Toystock, which was always on Sunday the 30th. As well, Mitch confirmed last week that local hardcore punk sextet Destroilet will be the local openers, marking rare appearances for them at The Canadian, and their intense originals and covers should be welcomed late next month!

Remember to join these bands (plus Brampton's Livid & The Bloodthirsty) on November 29th at 10:00 PM for a night of death and hardcore metal, wherein you can buy The Bear Hunters' new CD and enter prize draws as well! $5 in advance, $7 at the door, 19+, and stay tuned for updates when they roll in!

Next up, here's the latest from Red & Black frontman Chris Shoust's solo grunge/punk project Telephone & Address! Despite just releasing his new solo album "Need Not Apply" last month, Chris is already working on a new Telephone & Address CD that is to be named "Rust Orchid" , as revealed on the Telephone & Address Facebook page yesterday. Apparently, Chris has already laid down the tracks for it and is just waiting for money to press it physically, and it will be "much different than the last", so don't expect it to be a bass & programmed drums release. Might it return to his old acoustic guitar sound, or something else entirely? While we wait for more info and it's release, Chris has also posted digital copies of both of his recent Telephone & Address albums ("Need Not Apply" and "The Rotten EP" on the project's new Bandcamp page, so what should you know concerning their mp3 versions?

Featuring alternate (though similar) cover artwork that differs from the cardboard packaging of the CDs, "The Rotten EP" costs $6 on Bandcamp, while the longer "Need Not Apply" is $15, which is comparable with the physical copy costs. It's cool to see Chris post these digitally so fans can get copies still, especially as CDs were only pressed in limited quanitites, so pick them up above, and stay tuned for more on "Rust Orchid" when it comes in!

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

• I've deleted defunct local hard rock band 20 Pack of Marshamallows (featuring future Haggith members) from our defunct band links due to their Webs page (and only visibly surviving online page) being "frozen", and though there's no visible explanation why, continued disuse might be why, as the project has been defunct since the late 2000s. Disappointing, but maybe Curt will get it running again! We similarly switched the link on here for defunct local metal duo 2wo Man Baand to their MySpace page due to a Webs freezing.
• Local doom metal trio AlgomA have produced a bunch of official guitar picks featuring their logo and the crow icon that has appeared on recent marketing of theirs, as seen here, though a sale price (if any) hasn't been publicized. If you want yours, contact the band at this link (or be at their next show?), and for a limited time, copies of their new CD will come with a pick if bought on BigCartel!
• In another band link change for the site, I've swapped defunct local metal band ApocalyptiCDistroyeR's link on the site from their now-closed Wix website to their Facebook page. The project has been defunct (barring the occasional solo song posting by Jesse Middaugh) for a few years now, but hopefully everyone stays active!
• Local concert promoters Heavy North Entertainment are asking for thoughts on booking French grindcore band Benighted for a local concert, which is a big opportunity for owner Tyler St. Amour as they're one of his favourite bands. That'd be a cool show if it happened, and not just because of where Benighted are from, so check them out above and voice up at H.N.E.'s Facebook page to show your support!
• Local goregrind/rap label Blood Shed Productions will be putting on a private afterparty for after this coming Thursday's second Devil's Night show at The Oddfellows Hall, which will be called "The Apocalypse Afterparty". but ironically won't feature the band of the same name. This event will be held at Rotopsy frontman Dylan Taylor's house, so keep that in mind if you know the address or want to inquire further, and see above for the full schedule & timeslots for the Devil's Night show itself!
• In yet another link edit for the site, I've removed the short lived mid-2000s metal band Children of the Dawn (fronted by future Stillbroke mainman Jesse Frigault) from the site due to the closure of it's host site Piczo, whose domain name now redirects to a celebrity lifestyle website called Posh24. Given their activity level and lack of media, this won't be a major content removal, but I wanted to mention it!
• Another private concert event from Oh! Right Arm! Promotions (albeit one with public invites) goes down on Saturday, November 1st that will feature San Francisco metal band Castle, local alt-rockers The Pixo Control, and Toronto techno/rock solo act Boxes of Boom. The address is private unless you already know it/plan to ask, but keep it in mind for next weekend, and click here for more info!
• The newest episode of Local2's music spotlight video series Tuned with Donna Hopper went up on Tuesday, though surprisingly, it doesn't feature the Rad Zone anniversary concert that they were on hand for, instead featuring interviews and performance footage with out of town indie bands The Wooden Sky and Wax Mannequin from recent local concerts (though the concert calendar segment does plug next month's White Cowbell Oklahoma concert.) We'll let you know when the episode from The Rad Zone & Ripcordz's party comes online, and more!
• One final band link change for today, as defunct local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre's Facebook page was deleted at some point earlier this year for unannounced reasons. I wish bands wouldn't delete pages like this, but we can keep them in our links though via their Reverbnation page. Hopefully we see the guys back up here soon, possibly with D3athcharg3r or (if still alive) Saints & Serpents?

That's all for now, but stay tuned for our review of yesterday's Soo Zombie Walk next! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Metal Band, Plus New Videos From The Bear Hunters & Blood Shed Productions!!

As we creep ever closer to the Halloween weekend, the news definitely isn't slowing, so what's in store for this Monday morning update? Mostly new videos, including new live clips from an upstart grind label, and a full set from The Big Loonie Bus Show, but first, here's a new band that you guys should be quite familiar with!

We have a new local band to add to our Sault Ontario band links, and they are a new melodic death/groove metal quartet named Saints & Serpents! Note however that they are primarily based out of London, Ontario, but they list the Soo and London equally as their hometown, and given that, plus their membership & local ties, they definitely count. You may recognize 3/4ths of their lineup as members of the early 2010s local deathcore band The Valentine's Day Massacre, and personal Facebook pages have alluded to Saints & Serpents as a resurrection of sorts, but as best as I can tell, this is generally considered a brand new band. Their lineup is mostly the same as their predecessors, with D3athcharg3r bandmates Steve "Syk Ace" Rhodes & Andrew Angelic on vocals & guitar respectively, along with Adam Veale on bass, though London-area drummer Ian Timmermans takes over for Kyle Umgeher (who moved back to the Sault this summer) in the new band. Saints and Serpents describe their sound on their new Facebook page as "a healthy matrimony of death and groove, thrash and melody, old but new", but song samples have yet to be posted online.

A live debut is forthcoming, but I'll note that after moving to London last fall, The V.D.M. only played one local date before falling inactive this spring, so hopefully we'll see Saints & Serpents here more often! I'll admit that the sound description does sound like an improvement, as the earlier deathcore stuff wasn't entirely my thing compared to heavier death metal subgenres (plus, the name was cumbersome compared to both View To A Kill and Saints & Serpents), so I'm very curious to see where this new project leads! Stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's a new live video from local death metal quartet The Bear Hunters, courtesy of last weekend's Big Loonie Bus Show at La Cucina in Echo Bay! Also uploaded to 62nd Chamber Productions' YouTube channel and posted online on Saturday, this follows in the same side-stage angle from the earlier videos from this concert, but luckily, the camera was lowered to catch more of the band than in the Crimson Crusade video. Their whole 45 minute set was filmed (perhaps excluding the "Teddy Bears Picnic" introduction?), and in order, the songs played include "Dominate", "Deception", "Bloodthirst", "I Fear No God" (which is a new track), "Servitude", "Transcend Judgement" (another new one), "Collapse the Sun", their cover of Amon Amarth's "Guardians of Asgaard", "Render This Void", and finally, a fan favourite cover of guitarist Mitch Sirie's solo track "Squirrel Buddy", so click each link to hear each song! I did miss a few songs like "Succumb to Eternity" and "Karma", but you've gotta make room for the new tracks, and what we did get was brutal!

Very solid all around in terms of video quality and performance, and the new songs sound very promising, but like their other recent gigs, the lack of a rhythm guitarist following Josh Stephney's move is noticeable a lot. Check out the full video below, and stay tuned in case anything of AlgomA or Destroilet's Echo Bay sets pop up!



We'll close today with some new videos from Blood Shed Productions grindcore artists, all as uploaded to the label's YouTube channel on Saturday! Two are from their newest heavier act Rotopsy (formerly Spitneck), which include an upload of a song named "Shitneck" from their recent three-way split demo, and it's a minute-long blend of good metal riffs and odd vocal noises that somewhat sound like Ringsnaps Gibson & Dylan Taylor are mimicing farm animals. Check it out if you want above, but embedded below is their first actual live video, of them playing an untitled original composition featuring backing drum recordings and only Dylan on vocals. His growling, if undistinguishable, sounds more like choking than the usual pig squeals in Ringsnaps' bands, but whether that's better or worse is up to you to decide. I will say it's slightly more accessible, but why not try to have some clearer words in there?) Not bad for what it is, so check out Rotopsy's first full live video below, and hear more above!



Lastly for this post, the aforementioned Ringsnaps Gibson's primary music project Crucify The Whore were the subject of another video uploaded on Saturday, this time a solo performance cover of Mortician's "Hacked Up For Barbecue". Only 49 seconds long, Ringsnaps shows solid guitar skills and control as a pig squealer, but the full song isn't featured for one reason or another, and I still think he'd gain a stronger local foothold if he had a full band around his C.T.W. work. Still, he's making good progress with no apologies, so check out Crucify The Whore's new cover video below!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profiles TOMORROW! Thanks everyone!

YouTube Channel Profile Series: MrJohnveale's channel

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, our monthly look at 1-3 YouTube channels featuring at least a 50% concentration of local metal/hard rock-relevant videos! After a packed look at David Gold's channel last month, we're keeping with another randomly selected channel with a good amount of videos this time, one that fans of classic metal and deathcore should appreciate if you regularly hit up local shows in 2010 & 2011. Read on below for videos, information, and recommendations from this month's profiled channel!

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MrJohnveale's channel (http://www.youtube.com/mrjohnveale)

Owner: John Veale, father of former Sativa Rose/Valentine's Day Massacre bassist Adam Veale

Channel Timeline: Launched on July 29th, 2010; Videos posted from then until March 2013

Channel Summary: John's channel largely focuses on videos that he shot of his son Adam's local music work in the early 2010s, including 14 live videos from Sativa Rose concerts in 2010 & 2011, two from a Valentine's Day Massacre show (when they were still known as View To A Kill) in December 2011, and two videos of Adam covering 1990s rock songs on vocals & acoustic guitar from the past year. The concert videos come from assorted local venues (including a Ratt cover at The Oddfellows Hall in January 2011), though 9 of the 16 came from shows at Foggy Notions/Feedback (now Coch's Corner.) Note that one of John's videos is of a February 2011 pre-game ceremony during a Brock University Badgers women's hockey game, and it has no direct musical connections.

Why Should You Watch: Mainly, you should watch because this is the best source for live Sativa Rose concert videos, including some of their only public footage with guest singers (like Tym Morrison and Rich Moreland), and videos of some of their earlier solo dates! John's video quality was always really good, and the View To A Kill videos maintain that trend, so fans of Adam Veale & longtime bandmate Andrew Angelic's local music work will want to check out this channel! Note however that John didn't upload any videos of Sativa Rose or View To A Kill's original songs, and there hasn't been a concert video uploaded there since since December 2011, so no videos of the renamed Valentine's Day Massacre are featured.

Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:

Sativa Rose Live Talk Dirty To Me: With over 4,600 views, this live video of Sativa Rose covering Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me" is easily the most viewed on John's channel! Filmed at their headlining concert at GLOW on Gore Street from September 18th, 2010 (notably the last metal show at this venue to date), it was uploaded along with clips of Sativa Rose covering Dokken's "Dream Warriors" and Pantera's "Cowboys From Hell" at this show. Featuring their original lineup of guitarist Andrew Angelic, bassist Adam Veale, and drummer Alex Palmer on all three, the Poison & Pantera covers also feature ex-Havadder frontman Jason Roy on guest vocals, who is a noticeable improvement given how much Sativa Rose needed a permanent singer (a'la Late & Loud.) The lighting is inconsistent, but the videos are a nice glimpse into Sativa Rose's peak months, especially at a missed local venue!



Bark At The Moon by Sativa Rose: John's last Sativa Rose videos came from their last show at The Roosevelt Hotel on November 29th, 2011, when they were among the openers for Toronto punk trio The Unbelievers. Now featuring The Hydra's Teeth's Anthony Orazietti on second guitar, this show marked their only live appearance with singer Marisa Valois & guest drummer Steven Flint (now of The Suicide Kings) in lieu of Alex Palmer, who was out of town. John's videos featured Sativa Rose covering Iron Maiden's "Aces High", Van Halen's "Panama", and (as embedded below) Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon", and while Marisa's vocals are also an improvement on Adam & Andrew's, she doesn't seem 100% comfortable on heavier material. I'd be curious to hear how they'd sound had she played with them longer, but this is the fullest Sativa Rose have ever sounded, so these videos are a good way to go out on!



View To A Kill covers Black Label: Prior to Sativa Rose's dissolution, Andrew Angelic & Adam Veale joined forces with State of Misery frontman Steve Rhodes and Andrew's ex-Chillum bandmate Kyle Umgeher in late 2011 as the new deathcore band View To A Kill, who John filmed at their headlining gig at Feedback (now the current Coch's Corner) on December 3rd, 2011. John's last concert videos to date, the clips are covers of Parkway Drive's "Carrion" and (as embedded below) Lamb of God's "Black Label", which are generally faithful to the originals, very brutal, and a nice precursor to their improved early-mid 2012 shows as The Valentine's Day Massacre, and Steve & Andrew's current work in the London death metal band D3athcharg3r!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Through completely random selection, we're sticking with a single Sault Ontario-area channel next month, as we're profiling former Durera guitarist A.J. Biron's YouTube channel next! This one's loaded with CASS Cafe hard rock performances and some solo performances, so look out for this profile on or around September 22nd, and for previews of this weekend's hard rock concerts later today! Thanks everyone!

Concert Updates, The End Of Crimson Crusade, And Two Other Likely Inactive Bands!!

Today's all-Sault Ontario post is mostly of the disappointing level, as we've recently moved three bands to our inactive band links (one for an explicit breakup, two for just likely not being active right now), but we're starting with big updates for an upcoming metal benefit concert, including quite the unlikely headliners, so here's what you need to know!

We'll start with some big news from the previously announced benefit concert for Frightlight bassist Mike "Eddie Fright" Gingras' upcoming short film "The Kid Who Made The Face" at The Algonquin Pub on July 27th, which was previously only advertised via this YouTube commercial. On the new Facebook event page, it has been confirmed that there will be an out of town headlining band, as Brazilian symphonic metal septet Sanitarium are now scheduled for this concert! How's that for a surprise headliner? Featuring an intriguing hybrid of classical instruments and modern heavy metal aggression, this is the first time I can recall a South American metal band playing in the Soo, and they have a lot of talent that should not go unrecognized, so definitely check them out above! They'll join the previously announced Frightlight, The Bear Hunters, and Redundant at this show, which will likely be the first time that Frightlight have played live with Eddie on bass in 9 months, and it'll be great to see him back with the guys! However, I do not know if departing Bear Hunters guitarist Josh Stephney (whose farewell show is the night before) will still be around for this gig, or if the band will play with(out) a replacement.

Admission is still $5 (with a guaranteed credit in the finished movie), it's still a 19+ event, and doors still open at 9:00 PM. Check the above links for more details! I have to say, Johnny Pints has done it again with his concert bookings, as now he's got three out-of-continent bands coming to the Soo this summer (joining Australian punk band The Resignators that same week, and of course, Airbourne), and he has even more big shows coming, so stay tuned to the SMS when word comes out on his next metal/hard rock featured events, as he's doing awesome work!

Next up, we have a very surprising band breakup to announce, as local/North Shore death metal quartet Crimson Crusade announced that they "will no longer be continuing" on their Facebook page yesterday. The band cited "circumstances" for the breakup, but didn't elaborate any further than that publically. In the statement, the guys did thank fans for supporting them and coming to their shows, and pleaded for fans to never stop supporting the local scene. The news is extra surprising given their recent prominence & plans, coming just over a month after the release of their EP "Upon The Eve Of War", and with at least two Oddfellows Hall concerts scheduled in the next month, but I have no idea what happened behind the scenes. Active since 2010, Crimson Crusade had a slow start dotted with Algoma District concerts (including a fall 2011 date in Bellevue Park), but they only fully launched into the Sault Ontario scene in late 2012 with a handful of successful Canadian Nightclub gigs (including opening for Skeletonwitch last month) and their EP release, last playing live at The Oddfellows Hall with Bad Back on June 27th.

This is really shocking news, as it seemed like Crimson Crusade were finally integrated in the scene & rising in both prominence & live regularity, but I can't speak for the reasons behind their breakup, and I just hope things are amicable. They were a talented & very brutal band, and their Death-inspired sound really set them apart from other regional metal bands, but I hope Pillory and The Dirty Few will help fill the void for fans. I'll of course keep you guys updated if/when they're replaced at the upcoming Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up & Swampstravaganza 3 concerts, and best of luck to Devon, the Roberts, and Riley in the future!

Also, I've chosen to list a pair of other local metal bands in our inactive local metal band links due to their likely inactivity, starting with classic metal quartet Late & Loud. There hasn't been any official announcements to confirm a cessation of activity, but with no shows since their Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands Finals appearances in April, singer/guitarist Jonathan Tiberi's move out of town following it (and departure from his other local bands), and members Brendan Christie & Benn Garside's formation of a similar new local band (The Hydra's Teeth), it's unlikely that they're active at present. One of the more popular local metal bands of the early 2010s, Late & Loud played numerous local shows of an increasing scale during their run, which saw them open for bands like Skull Fist, The Saigon Hookers, and Laugh At The Fakes, along with releasing two pressings of their "Heavy Rockin' Hard Metal" EP, and playing major shows like the first Sewer Swampstravaganza, the original Coch's Corner's last metal show, four Rosie metal nights, and of course, a first place performance at the Sault Humane Society Battle of the Bands last April!

Now, this doesn't mean they're 100% done, as Late & Loud have not closed the door on future reunions (Jon plays with his old Xanadu bandmates annually), but it's still disappointing to see Late & Loud fall dormant after all the successes they had. Aside from the lack of a full time singer, they had a total package and a lot of fun chemistry and musical talent, and I hope us Loudmouths will see them again down the road. For now, best of luck to Jon, Brendan, Benn, and Josh in the future!

Finally, I've reluctantly decided to list local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre as inactive too. Nothing official has been said to confirm this, but there have been no public updates on their Facebook page since February, and it looks like most of the band is occupied in new projects. Singer Steve Rhodes & guitarist Andrew Angelic are now focused on their popular London death metal band D3athcharg3r, and drummer Kyle Umgeher has moved back home to the Soo (and is searching for a new band here), hence why I don't think they're actively functioning at present. Originally known as View To A Kill, The V.D.M. debuted in November 2011 at the second Skull Fist concert at The Canadian, and they were among the most frequent sights in the local metal scene through the summer of 2012, including appearances at the Ypres Metal Fest, the second Sewer Swampstravaganza, and at both of last year's local battles of the bands, before relocating to London in September for college. Since then, activity has drastically slowed down, aside from shows at The Algonquin Pub in December and their only London gig in March, with no public updates following.

I liked The Valentine's Day Massacre and their hardcore/death metal hybrid sound, and they were a nice successor of sorts to Sativa Rose & State of Misery, but the London move arguably hurt their momentum as a band. I like what Steve and Andrew are doing and accomplishing with D3athcharg3r though, and though I've heard nothing to hint at a 2013 return as of right now, I hope I'm wrong to assume they're inactive. Best of luck to Steve, Andrew, Adam, and Kyle in the future, and hopefully they'll pop up again down the road!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for an all-Sault Michigan video post shortly! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Lucky 13), Haggith & Rockstar Bar Battle Of The Bands Updates, And More!!

In our 11th straight day of new posts at the SMS (which is very good for the spring months), we have a bunch of news to get to on this Friday morning, including the latest on the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands next month, when you can see Haggith live next, and more recent shorter news stories, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for next weekend that should go very well clad in green!

Sault Ontario hard/alternative rock quartet Lucky 13 will be among the acts playing at The Rockstar Bar on Sunday, March 17th for St. Patrick's Day! The Rockstar Bar & Alexander Keith's are hosting a St. Patrick's Weekend Party from the 15th through the 17th for the occasion, and Lucky 13 will be among the performers on the holiday itself, joining former Terminal bassist Greg Callaghan in a solo set (no word on if it will be "evil" like some of his recent live appearances, but I figure it will be an acoustic set with him on vocals & guitar.) For the record, the Friday & Saturday slots over next weekend will go to The Daybreak Johnnies, a local folk trio who are one of the many projects featuring prolific local metal musician Jonathan Tiberi. Admission all weekend will be FREE (it's St. Patty's Day, so why not?), but 10:00 PM start times and 19+ age limits remain in effect. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! Sounds like a fun time, and you know how St. Patrick's Day goes for a fun drinking time, so take advantage of the live entertainment & holiday next weekend! Plus, you'll get Lucky 13's 1990s-influenced and often gritty hard rock covers, which are always welcome, so don't miss out, and stay tuned for updates!

Next up, here's the latest news from local grunge quartet Haggith, who have a busy spring ahead themselves! First to note, they'll be playing a live set or two at the gymnasium at Sault College on March 23rd (two weeks from Saturday) as part of the entertainment for this year's Relay For Life cancer fundraising event that's being held at Sault College that day. I won't officially call it as a "concert" on here, as I believe you have to be a signed-up participant to fully attend the day's events & entertainment, but it's a great event that's raised tons of money over the years for cancer research, so click here for full details on how you can sign up and join the relay! It's great to see Haggith playing live after a two month break from the stage for what I think is their Sault College debut, and though it is odd thinking about bands playing in the gym, they've gotta play somewhere with The Outback gone. As well, organizers are looking for a second band to join Haggith at this year's Relay For Life festivities, so if you or your band are interested, message organizer Adriana Roque at this location for more details!

Aside from the Relay for Life, Haggith will also hit the stage at least once in April, as they're the newest confirmed band for the Rockstar Bar Battle of the Bands that's going down each Wednesday next month! Though they had previously hinted at signing up, the guys finally confirmed their involvement last night via their Facebook page, making them the third band (that I know of) to publically confirm that they'll be competing, joining The Suicide Kings & Giwakwa. As far as I know, this will be the first local battle for all of Haggith's members (though Mike Haggith may have played in some in Windsor), and I believe this will mark their debut at The Rockstar Bar as well. Members are selling 10 ticket packages for the month's festivities (there'll be battling on all 4 Wednesdays of April), so if you don't have yours or want to stock up, contact the band at this location for details! Will Haggith make the most of their local battle debut come next month, and continue to spread their name locally?

Also in battle news, registration closes for new bands on March 20th, so if you're stalling or haven't made up your mind yet, sign up A.S.A.P.! The deadline falls two weeks before the battle kicks off, and hopefully soon, we'll have a more complete list of signed up bands! I only know of the 3 bands mentioned above that have officially registered, but I'll note that local drummer Johnny Belanger (The Bear Hunters, Caveman Morrison) mentioned on the battle's Facebook event page last week that he had tickets for the battle to sell, and to message him on Facebook if you'd like him to deliver them to you. There has been no public confirmation from either of Johnny's current bands on if they've registered for the battle (that I know of, at least), but the fact that he's selling tickets does hint towards a band he's in competing next month. Of course, stay tuned for confirmation on any added bands, and check the above links for all current details! Remember, the top bands from the first 3 weeks will play in the finals on April 24th, with $1,000, studio time, and opening slots at one of promoter J.D. Pearce's upcoming shows going to the winners, so get your tickets and registrations A.S.A.P.! This will be an awesome month!

Finally for today, here's three more assorted shorter news stories from the last little while! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by band name:

• According to their Facebook page on Valentine's Day, Sault Michigan hard rock quartet 415E will apparently be recording their debut CD over the next months in advance of their return to the stage in May! Does this mean the old Hubbard-Menard Band demos are being re-recorded with the full band? They also hyped t-shirts to be sold by then as well, and included a photo that may be the new album cover. Sounds interesting, but stay tuned for updates!
• Brimley, Michigan recording studio Lake Street Studio isn't overly known for working with heavier bands, but owner Taylor Brugman recently posted a song recorded there named "Nuthouse Sucks" by an act named Deadlight 3 onto his/the studio's SoundCloud page. A punk tinged aggressive rocker with solid bass, I like where the band's going, but I haven't found any other information on Deadlight 3 beyond this song. If you know anything, let me know, and if I hear anything, I'll share it here!
• Local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre will play their first concert of 2013 on March 19th... just not in Sault Ontario. It will instead take place in the band's recent homebase of London at The APK as part of a cancer fundraiser, and The V.D.M. are among at least 8 acts on the bill, including frontman Steve Rhodes' new London-based band D3athcharg3r. It's great to see the guys finally playing out of town gigs, and hopefully this is just the first of many, so click here for more details!

That's all for today, but stay tuned for hopefully some more news this weekend, including this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles on Sunday! Thanks everyone!

Andres Duchesne Updates And This Weekend's Sault Ontario Concert Previews!!

This post was originally slated to be 100% devoted to weekend concert previews, but due to yesterday's tragic loss in the local metal scene, I've bumped our previews of Peril's Sault Michigan concerts to tomorrow's post so we can lead off with the latest news on yesterday's developments. After that though, we have previews of this weekend's heavier concerts in Sault Ontario, so read on below for what you need to know!

We should start this post with updates relating to the sudden passing of Pillory guitarist Andres Duchesne, and if you're a metalhead on the Sault Ontario side of the border, you'll have seen tons of condolences pouring in from band members and friends alike. There has been rumours going around about how he died, but unless something official comes out through his family, Pillory, or local news, I won't go into any detail on here. This isn't TMZ, after all. Andres' obituary was posted onto SooToday this evening, so you can read it at this location. Through there, I can confirm that his memorial service will take place at The O'Sullivan Donnelly Funeral Home (less than a mile from The Nicolet Tavern) at 215 St. James Street on Sunday at 4:00 PM. Visitation is from from 2:00-4:00 PM that day, and condolences may be given by phone or online at this location. Donations to The John Howard Society would be appreciated by his family. I personally can't make the funeral (like with David Gold's, this Detroit tripped was planned too far in advance), but I'll be there in spirit, and hopefully lots of his friends, bandmates, and family are there to pay tribute to him and his life!

When any further information on Andres' arrangements, Pillory's future, any more tributes, and anything else related to yesterday's sad news comes in, I'll be sure to have them here, but if you can make it to his services on Sunday, please do so. R.I.P. Andres, you are not forgotten!

Now, let's get to some slightly happier news, starting with a big multi-band metal/punk show at The Algonquin Pub TOMORROW NIGHT! Entitled "Survivors at the End of the World!" (an obvious connection to Mayan doomsday theories), this is the second concert of this type to take place at The Algonquin Hotel's downstairs bar this year, and it will see the long awaited returns of two prominent local bands and two other recently seen acts (all but one of which are making their Algonquin Pub debut), so who's on tap? According to what I've heard and the listed band order, the headlining band will be local blue Chinese metal crash punk quartet Sykotyk Rampage, fresh off their most recent appearance at The Locals Attack last month, and they should have a lot of fun alternative hard rock and bluesy originals for their growing fan base tomorrow, helping close out a busy year for them! I believe guitarist Dirk Becker will be providing sound with the Sykotyk Sound Company again, similarly to promoter J.D. Pearce's other recent shows. Prior to them is local punk/classical trio RedD Monkey, in their first local show since The Jamestown Massacre in August!

Planning to record a new album over the holidays, RedD Monkey have been busy through late 2012 with Canadian tour dates, and after a longer than usual wait between shows, hopefully many of their fans and friends are at The Algonquin tomorrow to rock out with their cello infused punk favourites! Also returning after a long absence is local deathcore quartet The Valentine's Day Massacre, who will be playing their first show in almost 5 months tomorrow following their collective move to London for college. Look for an explosive set of death metal and hardcore originals and covers in their return, and hopefully Steve, Andrew, Adam, and Kyle set off some big stuff with their return tomorrow! The lineup is rounded out by local rock cover quintet Lazer Queen in just their second concert, and after a successful debut last month, look for an entertaining set of their diverse covers from all over the rock spectrum! Notably, V.D.M. bassist Adam Veale revealed on Facebook last night that tonight's show is dedicated in Andres' memory, and given all of the recent links to him, it's extremely fitting.

With his Pillory bandmates Jon Tiberi & Bret Shuttleworth in Lazer Queen, plus both them and Sykotyk Rampage sharing the stage with Pillory at their debut last month, I'd expect a lot of heavy hearts tomorrow night, but from what I knew of Andres, a metal tribute would be the way to go, so hopefully this show's a huge hit! Admission is $5 for this 19+ show, and a 10:00 PM start time is advertised. For more details, click here! This should be an awesome concert, so go rock out, remember Andres, and enjoy the returns and metal/punk action! For a preview, here's Sykotyk Rampage playing their song "Sicked" at The Algonquin in October!



Finally for this post, we have one more heavier concert going down, and it involves local hard rock band The Suicide Kings! The newer quartet are continuing with their surprisingly busy stretch of concerts on Saturday night at The Nicolet Tavern for what they are calling a "Survival Party" following the supposed Mayan apocalypse. Note that they are only playing on Saturday due to bassist Mitch Sirie's show with The Bear Hunters in Sudbury tomorrow night, but guitarist Steven Flint told me in a recent Facebook conversation that all of the band's currently announced 2013 dates are the full weekend (not just Saturday as was originally posted.) The original plugs weren't clear, but my apologies for any confusion! Their Saturday show this weekend is largely the same as their others for content and format, with a 10:00 PM start time, no cover charge, and a 19+ age limit, but as revealed on their Facebook page last night, this concert will also be in Andres' memory (especially as he played in The Bear Hunters' original lineup with Mitch), so hopefully he's there somehow in spirit! For more details, visit the official Facebook event page!

This should also be an entertaining concert of hard and alternative rock covers and originals, so head to The Nic on Saturday night for The Suicide Kings' latest show, and for a preview, here they are playing three songs at Toystock last month!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow, along with this month's YouTube Channel Profile on Saturday! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (The Valentine's Day Massacre), Bands Looking To Play Here, And New Videos!!

It's now time for our first proper news post of the month, and we have some big stories to touch on, so what do we have? This morning, we have a new video of a local band covering a Led Zeppelin classic, a few bands looking for a local concert, and a new cover that should please you Metalocalypse fans, but first, here's a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for an intriguing concert later this month that (if you believe ancient prophecies) could be the last local metal show ever, so here's what you need to know!

Worried that the world might end on December 21st? Whether the Mayans were "right" or wrong, there will be live music to be had at at The Algonquin Pub that night, with three bands scheduled, including the long awaited return of The Valentine's Day Massacre! Yes, the local deathcore quartet will make their Algonquin debut that night in their first concert since the F.A.T.I.L. Requiem in Laird 4 months ago, following their move to London for college in September, and it's great to see them coming back home! Their aggressive mix of death metal & hardcore has been missed over the slow fall season, so don't expect The V.D.M. to relent one bit on the 21st! Also joining them is new local rock cover quintet Lazer Queen (who just debuted at The Locals Attack last week), and their widely varied, female fronted classics should entertain in just their second show! They should really launch an internet page though, it'd help for exposure! A third band has yet to be confirmed for the lineup on this show, but just in case, let promoters know if you'd wanna fill that spot at this link!

This will be the second metal-integrated concert at The Algonquin Hotel's downstairs pub this year (both of which were promoted by J.D. Pearce), and it looks like indications of more concerts there are true, which is awesome! Admission for this concert will be $5, with a 19+ age limit and a 10:00 PM start time also in place. For more information, click here! This sounds like it will be a great show, and it should be a quality addition to the traditionally busier holiday season for concerts, so stay tuned for updates, and I've moved The Algonquin Pub back into our Sault Ontario concert venue listings on your left!

Next up, here's the newest video from Central Algoma death metal standouts For All That Is Lost! Uploaded to their YouTube channel on Thursday, this is of a surprise cover of Dethklok's "Murmaider" at their headlining slot at The Locals Attack last week, and it's pretty good overall! We could use more Dethklok covers locally, and this was a good heavy performance! I just wish the original filmer wasn't caught behind so many people, couldn't they have came closer? Check out F.A.T.I.L.'s latest video below!



Also today, here's another concert search for some touring metal bands! A few days ago, I received an e-mail from Piers Simpkin, who's helping route a Canadian tour for a trio of progressive hardcore/metal quintets, those being Montreal's Beheading of a King, Barrie's The Afterimage, and Vancouver's Take The Earth Beneath Us. Though he didn't give a timeframe for a potential Sault Ontario date, Piers told me that the bands are currently slated to drive through here, and would be interested in playing in town if there are interested bookers. I did send him some booker contacts, but just in case, I thought I'd spread the word on here for this potential show! All three of these bands have talent as technically sound hardcore bands, and Beheading of a King especially have been making big waves in recent months (they're even opening for Asking Alexandria in a few days), so I recommend checking out all three bands above, and if you like what you hear, message Piers at this location to help make a local tour date happen!

Finally for today, here's some notes concerning local cover rock band Obsession, who we talked about in our Toystock video showcase yesterday. Just to see if any other hard rock covers else of theirs were online, I searched around and found frontwoman Valerie Powley's YouTube channel, which does feature one more hard rock performance! While largely featuring solo performances & older bands of hers (along with two softer Obsession covers from Docks earlier this year), she did post this video from a B.Y.O.B. fundraiser at the local Soup Kitchen last month, where Obsession covered Led Zeppelin's "Rock & Roll"! This is an event Valerie's played at a lot (which is awesome), and they do another solid job with this cover, but the camera quality is weird, with a lot of fuzzy zooms. I still don't think Obsession's sets lean heavier, but she has a great voice to pull off this Led Zeppelin classic, and give this new video a look below!



That's all for now, but stay tuned later today for this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post! Thanks everyone!