I know many of you assume that there will be a Seether concert video post coming on the SMS soon, but honestly, I've only found one video from that concert in a publically posted form at press time. That clip is coming, but for now, Christopher Paci was on hand for last month's Rivers of Nihil-headlined concert at The Rockstar Bar, filming all four bands for his excellent YouTube channel, so let's look at those today! Despite a month-long delay to post these, kudos to Chris once again for taking lots of footage at this brutal show! Starting with the headliners, Chris filmed five videos of the Pennsylvania technical death metal quintet last month, where you can see Rivers of Nihil playing "Sand Baptism", "Where Owls Know My Name", "Old Nothing", "Death Is Real", and as embedded below, their set-opener "The Silent Life". Chris didn't get too close to the band, but he has good sightlines of the stage and the crowd reactions, and the sound isn't too bad! Give his Rivers of Nihil clips a look above & below!
Next up, Chris filmed Sacramento tech-death quartet Alterbeast playing their songs "Flesh Bound Text" and, as embedded below, a video featuring two songs of theirs, namely "The Maggots Ascension" & "Vile Remnants". The footage here is from closer to the stage, and somewhat higher, so Alterbeast's chaotic attack is captured well on these two videos, so give them a look above & below!
Also, Chris filmed Nashville death metal quintet Inferi playing what I believe to be "A Beckoning Thrall" and, as embedded below, "Behold the Bearer of Light". The music here sounds very tinny compared to the other bands in these videos, but the brutality and great crowd reaction is clear as day, so give Inferi's death metal attack a look above and below as well!
Finally, Chris also got a video of local death metal trio Pillory playing, as far as I can tell, their original "Angst of Existence". Not a massive crowd on the floor yet at this early stage, but Pillory picked up where they left off after their lengthy hiatus, and this was a positive sign of what's to come from this talented local outfit! Give their video a look below too!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews on the site next! Thanks everyone!
After some personal commitments and lengthy delays in getting my videos to upload, here's our review of Friday night's Rivers of Nihil-headlined concert at The Rockstar Bar! Yes, this concert took place upstairs rather than the more extreme-friendly Algonquin Pub, but the locale worked out just fine for the impressive crowd on hand. I wouldn't say it was a sell-out, but metalheads made sure to cover the floor for the out of town bands, and they responded in kind all night long, which was extremely encouraging! Also, kudos to the bands for managing to preclude any lengthy delays!
Opening on Friday night were local death metal trio Pillory in their first concert appearance in almost a year, so what should you know regarding their return? First, the guys have enlisted frontman Robert Sartini's Id Iota/Peach Thieves bandmate Blair St. John as their new bassist, replacing the relocated Jordan Leach. While more familiar as a drummer in less aggressive bands, Blair fit in fine with Pillory, and he has the bass chops to hang in this setting! Aside from the lineup change, Pillory largely picked up where they left off last summer, playing recent originals like "Angst of Existence", "Exhausted Incarnation", and (I believe) "Curse of Eternal Sin". Robert's Death-inspired vocals were ferocious as usual, and Bret Shuttleworth's drumming is as fast and technical as ever, but it would be nice to see Robert play some more guitar solos, and his between-song banter and demeanor is still too quiet and reserved, especially given Pillory's genre. Overall though, Pillory are back in fine form, and here's hoping for more soon!
The trifecta of American tech-death metal began next with Nashville melodic death metal quartet Inferi, who set the bar high with their brutal onslaught! With songs from across their discography, and a nice selection from their new album "Revenant", Inferi had the crowd's attention from wire to wire, and attracted some of the best mosh pits I'd seen to this point at The Rockstar Bar (so far!) Vocalist Sam Schneider was capitvating and always keeping fans engaged amidst the devastation, and Malcolm Pugh's skilled guitar work was also a constant highlight! There was enough melody to go around, which helped keep things interesting , but I will say that their set did feel shorter than it really was, in part because they tended to play longer (and resultingly fewer) songs. Great set overall from Inferi, and you could argue that they stole the show on Friday!
Third up on Friday night was Sacramento technical death metal Alterbeast, who were the band I was most familiar with going into the night, having discovered them on Pandora Radio a few years back. Touring in support of their new sophomore album "Feast" with songs like "Apex Night Eclipse" and "Flesh Bound Text" on the docket, their ferocious originals weren't as melodically sound as Inferi's, but made up for it in sheer viciousness and chaos. The crowd was surprisingly muted and scattered to start their set, but they made up for it in spades by the mid-point! Michael Alvarez's aggressive vocals and unique stage presence helped keep things moving, while new drummer Nathan Bigelow's drumming was a blasting highlight, and Andrew Lamb's guitar riffs were excellent throughout as well. Awesome to see Alterbeast live, and hopefully they keep up the solid work!
And finally, your headliners were Reading, Pennsylvania death metal quintet Rivers of Nihil, who rightfully got the biggest crowd and reactions of the night with their progressive, diverse, but ferocious brand of music on Friday night! My memory could be hazy, but I can't recall a circle pit of this size ever at The Rockstar Bar, let alone any wall of death attempts! Playing songs from across their three studio albums (including their new CD "Where Owls Know My Name") like "Death Is Real", "Old Nothing", and the crowd-involved "Sand Baptism", Rivers of Nihil brought the concert to a frenzy of a finish with highly technical and proficient performances, and singer Jake Dieffenbach made sure of that with his aggressive timbre, while Adam Biggs' showed off strong bass skill repeatedly, and the twin guitar attack was face-meltingly appropriate! You couldn't ask for a heavier finish, and here's hoping Rivers of Nihil and company come back down the road!
Overall, this was a great concert, and it's highly encouraging to see such a brutal extreme metal lineup of this high quality in the Soo, especially so soon after our 11th anniversary! Huge kudos to Live705 for booking this concert and for helping ensure a great turnout and fan response, and will this lead to more out of town extreme metal from them? You can check out our photos from Friday night at this link or via our Facebook page, and as for our videos, here's Pillory playing "The Passing", Inferi playing "Forged in the Phlegethon", Alterbeast playing "Throne of Maggots", and Rivers of Nihil playing "Monarchy"!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news, updates, and features this week! Thanks everyone!
I wasn't originally planning to break up our first concert preview post of year #11 in two, but with an unusually large amount of related updates for one performer playing this week, we're going to bump our previews of this weekend's Soundcheck and Banned concerts to our next post. Don't worry, they are coming! Now, here's what you should know today, including lots of LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS, some on SHORT NOTICE!
Former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison has a busy month ahead once again, with at least 10 dates confirmed for July at varying venues! First, he'll play at Gliss Steak & Seafood for two more weekends at it's current locale TONIGHT, TOMORROW, SATURDAY, and next week from July 12th-14th, while he will also play at Room 21 for Finger Food Friday events TOMORROW & on July 20th, plus a Saturday nighter there on July 14th! Apologies for the short notice on this week's four concerts, they were all announced via their respective Facebook event pages (linked here & here) earlier this week. Yes, Tym is back on Thursdays at Gliss, as is customary for his lengthy arrangement there in the second half of the year, but these two weekends appear to be his last at 180 Bay Street. While not stated publically, Tym has noted on his personal Facebook page that Gliss is moving to a new location later this summer, which will put a temporary hold on his regular gigs there, but his run there is expected to resume after it re-opens.
I haven't heard a reason for Gliss moving, but hopefully this is the best move all around for restaurant management and The Quality Inn alike, and stay tuned for more when we hear it! Along with these and the trifecta of Room 21 shows on Albert Street West, SooToday's events calendar lists him as returning to The Road House Bar & Grill on Trunk Road on Friday, July 13th, which may explain why he's playing at Room 21 that Saturday instead. Even with the Gliss hiatus impending, Tym's got a lot of entertainment for fans downtown and in the east end this month, so don't miss out on all of the action! Also, for what it's worth, I do want to apologize for missing a big element of Tym's Canada Day show on Sunday at Room 21, as he actually opened for a touring act that night, namely Australian indie rock artist Steve Lane, who was only acknowledged on the venue's Facebook event page, not Tym's. Profuse apologies for missing that, but check out videos of Steve on Room 21's Facebook page, it looks like the show was a hit!
Tym's final shows at the current Gliss location (including TOMORROW through SUNDAY) are 6:00 PM matinees as usual with no announced cover charges or age limits, while the Room 21 shows (TOMORROW included) and next week's Road House gig are 10:00 PM concerts with no announced cover charge and 19+ age limits. Visit the above links for more details, don't miss Tym's unplugged hard rock experience four times this weekend, and here's a newly discovered video of him live at Room 21 from Live705's Facebook page on May 1st! This is of Tym at their open mic night, possibly playing an original song (at the very least, the song's not familiar), and it's well filmed from a side angle, with Tym's voice in strong form! This softer ballad comes through nicely, and it's nice to have a newer public video of him in concert, so give it a look below, and don't miss him at Gliss or Room 21 this weekend!
Finally for this post, here's one more concert preview that had lots of advance notice, as a brutal onslaught of American technical death metal is coming to The Rockstar Bar TOMORROW NIGHT, courtesy of local promoters Live705 in their second official concert of the year! Reading, Pennsylvania quintet Rivers of Nihil are the advertised headliners in this stop on their Where Owls Know My Name Canadian tour, and their devastating, groove-influenced blend of death metal should attract a solid audience tomorrow, so don't leave early! Sacramento-based tech-death quartet Alterbeast and Nashville metal quintet Inferi will bring more intensity of a similar vein as openers, but don't assume these bands are all the same, as Alterbeast's fast-paced attack and Inferi's black metal influences will help them stand out in this high quality package tomorrow night! The local openers are death metal trio Pillory in their first announced concert in almost a year.
While it will be great to see them back after far too long, note that the band has not acknowledged this show publically (or posted on their Facebook page) since last July. They definitely are still advertised, but I'm just noting that! A rare Live705 show without A Dire Setback, tickets for this 19+ show are on sale for an apparently flat $15 at this link, as well as The Rad Zone, Case's Music, and presumably at the door, and a 9:00 PM start time is advertised. This should be a great concert for fans of brutal technical death metal, with all four bands having high profiles, so be sure to visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Rivers of Nihil live!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for our Banned and Soundcheck previews on the site either tonight or tomorrow morning! Thanks everyone!
With spring perhaps finally upon us, here's a new news post to check out on this Sunday afternoon, so what's on tap? Some assorted recent news and notes, new videos from each side of the border, and to lead off, a LOCAL CONCERT ALERT for this summer, so here's what you should know!
Technical death metal fans will want to take notice, as three American groups will hit The Rockstar Bar on Friday, July 6th for a night of face melting brutality! The headliners are Reading, Pennsylvania technical death metal quintet Rivers of Nihil, who are touring in support of their new CD "Where Owls Know My Name". This band has an aggressive, groove-tinged sound that should please any tech-death metal fan, so be sure to check them out in advance of this show! Support will come via Sacramento-based quartet Alterbeast and Nashville quintet Inferi, and with the former's chaotic and fast-paced aggression on their new CD "Feast", and the latter's black metal-tinged brutality via their new album "Revenant", fans will want to brace themselves for a metal onslaught this summer! Local support will come via the first announced concert in almost a year from death/thrash metal trio Pillory, though it's not yet clear if Jordan will be on bass or not. Great to see them back though, it's been far too long!
Notably marking the first promoted concert since last fall from Live705 (and a rare booking of theirs without A Dire Setback on the bill), tickets for this 19+, 9:00 PM show are a surprisingly affordable $15, which you can buy at this link, and presumably through Live705 staff and Pillory members once local availability is confirmed. This should be an awesome concert for death metal fans, with a stacked lineup of touring aggression making the trip north in July, so visit the official Facebook event page for more details!
Next up, here's our previews of former Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison's special concerts at Mark's Breakfast Plus at the Market Mall TOMORROW, TUESDAY, and WEDNESDAY! As announced earlier this month, Tym will bring his acoustic solo show back to this breakfast-centric restaurant for these matinees, which are unusually timed for a cover artist at most venues, but remember that Mark's often books musicians early in a given week for supper-time shows. These follow Tym's shows there in the first full week of April, and should provide west end fans with a wide array of harder and classic favourites, so don't miss out at Mark's over these three days! No word yet on if Tym will play a similar schedule there in May or not. Tym will be on at 4:00 PM each day, and there are no cover charges or age limits, but remember that this isn't a traditional concert venue, it's a diner in a mall. Click here for more details, and here's Tym live!
Also, here's some new videos from the aforementioned Live705's Facebook page, as a staffer attended Saturday night's Stegadeth concert at Room 21 and had his camera rolling! Three videos were posted from the show (albeit all in vertical orientation), including one clip of the band setting up for their first set, including new drummer Johnny Belanger putting up a banner with their logo. Fun for what it is! Two videos from their set (which was indeed fully electric) were also shot, including Stegadeth covering Blink-182's "Stay Together For The Kids" with guitarist Tiffany Stocco on vocals, and, as embedded below, The Presidents of The United States of America's "Peaches" with bassist Bill Bennett on lead vocals. These are solidly done, especially if you're interested in hearing new cover choices from the T-Rex Manning successors, and the stage setup is nice (I like the monitor with their logo), so give these new videos a look!
Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news
items from the last while, and as usual, these are in alphabetical order
by artist name:
Sault Ontario tapas restaurant & acoustic concert venue The Barrelhouse Wine and Whiskey quietly closed last fall, as per their Facebook page. A reason for the closure was not announced on social media, but owners are still operating the (concert-less) Embers Grill & Smokehouse on Albert Street East. This is SMS-relevant due to Tym Morrison's
series of shows there last year, and while the Barrelhouse's end is
disappointing, note that some former staff have moved onto Boston Pizza, which Tym played on Saturday!
Earlier this month, dormant local country/punk veterans The Billy Bastards shared a picture of a new band logo from a computer monitor on their Facebook page,
along with the caption "In progress...", with guitarist John Conway
confirming in a comment that they have 2½ songs done for their
forthcoming fourth studio album! How's that for a big update? No word on
when we'll see their first public concert set
since 2015, but stay tuned for more on The Billys' new studio work, and
they're back in our active band links!
We
have removed local classic/hard rock cover band Mourning Wood from our
defunct band links due to the quiet deletion of their Facebook (and only
online) page at some point in the past couple of months. A reason for the page's
closure wasn't announced, and while I wish bands wouldn't wipe
themselves from the internet like this, remember that Mourning Wood were
merged into & succeeded by Soundcheck last year, so it's not like we completely lost a band of this style and makeup. Follow them and The Peace Vibe for members' current musical projects!
That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!
