YouTube Channel Profile Series: aishaday, Devon Lucier, and 98Watts' Channels

After rushing last night's post due to my flub on the Pop Evil date (apologies again, look for videos from it soon!), here's this month's delayed YouTube Channel Profiles! As the first randomly selected channel this month only had one video, and the second only had one distinct file type sans duplicates, we're going all out to profile three channels today, in order for readers to find out what each has to offer and what to watch on them, and perhaps think about subscribing too! There's a nice varied mix from Sault Ontario today, so read on below for this month's YouTube profiles!
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aishaday's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/aishaday)

Owner: Former local concert promoter and Murder By Romance singer Aisha Day

Channel Timeline: Launched on July 29th, 2006; Only video posted that same day

Channel Summary: Aisha's only video posting is of her brother Jayson Day's old band Devastation of the Heavens (or D.O.T.H.) covering Slayer's "Raining Blood" in a mid-2006 jam session, back when the guys were around 16 years old. Also featuring future Bear Hunters guitarist Mike Vincent (then Ladouceur) and current Theriac drummer Joe Bumbacco alongside Jayson on bass and lead vocals, this may be the only surviving video of D.O.T.H.'s early lineups, with only Mike remaining in the band the following year. This cover admittedly doesn't have a great reception from YouTube commenters, with the performance itself being fairly messy and rushed, but remember that the guys were 11 years younger and less experienced. Joe's work with RedD Monkey and Mike's recent solo material definitely showcase their musical growth since, but this is an interesting look back!


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Devon Lucier (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPG3jM3COCsENznSkWh_eXA)

Owner: Former Crimson Crusade frontman, Dirty Few guitarist, and Pillory bassist Devon Lucier

Channel Timeline: Launched on January 17th, 2013; Videos posted in May & June of 2013

Channel Summary: A rising sight in the local metal scene of the early 2010s, Devon's only postings on his YouTube channel comprise of two separate uploads of his old death metal band Crimson Crusade's only EP "Upon The Eve of War", which came out in June 2013, just five months prior to their final concert. Featuring Devon alongside ex-Pillory bandmate Robert Sartini on guitar, Riley Marshall on bass, and Inhuman Methods alum Robert Crossley on drums, this independently-released EP was uploaded beforehand in May 2013 as 5 separate songs ("Vanquish the Tyrant", "Pillage", their self-titled song, "Left For Dead", and "Consumed"), but featured here is the post-release video featuring all 5 songs. "Upon the Eve of War" could have shown more structural variance, tempo changes, and guitar solos, but it was a solid blast of Death-inspired originals that shows why they were so promising, and hopefully Crimson Crusade re-emerge down the road!


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98Watts' Channel (http://www.youtube.com/98watts)

Owner: YouTube user 98Watts, an unidentified former member of the Chateauguay, Quebec hard rock band Axis

Channel Timeline: Launched on March 2nd, 2006; Videos posted that same day and on October 1st, 2006

Channel Summary: Joining a later live video of Axis playing an original song at a high school event (which isn't bad, but has muddled audio quality), 98Watts' only other upload is of the music video for local/Toronto indie punk veterans Treble Charger's Juno nominated song "American Psycho", which has attracted over 1.2 million views to date, a record for that song on YouTube. The lead single from their platinum selling 2000 CD "Wide Awake Bored', and arguably Treble Charger's most famous song, this features longtime frontman Greig Nori & guitarist Bill Priddle alongside then-bassist Rosie Martin & drummer Trevor McGregor. The video (copied from MuchMusic) features the guys playing on a rooftop, as intercut with footage of crimes, arrests, and seemingly candid everyday happenings, which the band later invades by slapping "American Psycho" stickers on everything, fittingly matching the lyrical themes. This is a fun video that helped introduce fans to Treble Charger's transition to a pop punk sound, and it's well worth checking out, along with the whole album!


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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profiles! Next month in this series, our random selections will take us to Sault Michigan, namely YouTube user MissOutdoors' channel, as she has uploaded 29 videos(!) of Alice Cooper live at The Dreammaker's Theater back in 2014! Look for that on or around March 26th, and stay tuned for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

Crimson Crusade - "Upon The Eve Of War" Review!!

It's finally time for our (believe it or not) 50th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and for the fifth time in six months, it's of a new release, as this month's focus is on local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade's debut EP "Upon the Eve of War"! Independently released on June 3rd after their set at that night's Skeletonwitch concert, the EP was recorded this past winter at The Smoke & Oak Room Studio with producer Dave Pihlaja. "Upon the Eve of War" features Crimson Crusade's current lineup, including The Dirty Few's Devon Lucier on vocals & guitar, Robert Sartini (of Pillory & The Issues) on guitar, Riley Marshall on bass, and former Inhuman Methods drummer Robert Crossley. Copies of this EP can be bought at Crimson Crusade shows for $5, and though you should buy it to support their work, all 5 songs (coming in at around 20 minutes in length) can be streamed at the band's Reverbnation page & Devon's YouTube channel. With all of that said, let's look at the EP's tracks, with each one linked to it's official YouTube posting!

"Upon the Eve of War" opens with "Vanquish the Tyrant", which immediately opens with crushing riffing and solid bass work from Riley Marshall, slowly building to the first verse, where Devon Lucier's locally unique vocals kick in, which should instantly recall the late Chuck Schuldiner of Death (if raspier), ad they give this material an extra kick! I like the melodic guitar contrasting with his vocals in the verses, and the band are firing on all cylinders for one of my favourite original tracks of theirs! Nice guitar solo too, but it comes oddly late in the track, and it feels like it ends too soon afterwards. For an EP opener though, this is brutal, fast, and well paced, and it's a good introduction to Crimson Crusade's studio work!

One of the band's first originals ("Left For Dead") is next, which opens softly with a slowly building guitar-centric intro before the full band kicks in with guns blazing! The song reminds me of a less melodic "Vanquish the Tyrant" in structure, if less melodic and slightly messier at points, but it's still very heavy and ready to get mosh pits going live! The guitar solo also comes across as too short, and while I like the track and the displayed talents, it feels too similar to "Vanquish the Tyrant" after the intro to really stand out compared to it, especially as they directly follow each other. The band's self titled song "Crimson Crusade" (also the EP's shortest) is next, with brutalizes with a very fast opening riff and full band assault, and while it has structural similarities to the first songs, it's more to-the-point and intense, and I like Devon & Robert Sartini's guitar work especially here (despite the lack of a full solo.) An improvement on "Left For Dead" despite it's sudden end, their eponymous tracks packs in their heaviest collective work nicely!

Fourth on the EP is "Pillage", which instantly sets itself apart with chant-like backing vocals lain in with their pre-verse intensity, and Devon's vocals are slower paced than on previous tracks, helping give the song more of it's own identity, but the backing vocals just got lost when thrown into the chorus. While not as blistering of a track as it's predecessors, it has a darker feel that doesn't detract from their established sound, with Robert Crossley's drumming standing out technically, but the guitar solo seems way too short, and it's almost an afterthought. It's not my favourite track on the EP, but it's the most original so far, and the darker and slower feel doesn't cost them any heaviness! "Upon the Eve of War" closes with it's longest track "Consumed", which returns to a fast metal attack with solid guitar melodies thrown in, and it does distance itself more from past tracks with very slow paced choruses contrasting with the heavier verses, and while I like the change, the vocals never change with the mood. Standout drumming and bass on this track late, but I wish there was a guitar solo and a bit more variance to their sound than we get, but it's definitely a strong closer to the EP, and a very cool song in it's own right!

So, what's the final word on "Upon the Eve of War"? Personally, I enjoy it and think it's a solid first effort from Crimson Crusade, but there's room to grow and expand their sound. Talent wise, the guys have it, with heavy and crushing riffs from Devon Lucier & Robert Sartini, skilled bass work from Riley Marshall, and fast & often technical drumming from Robert Crossley, but Devon's Death-inspired vocals arguably give them a lot of their unique local identity, and when you hear them, you instantly know what band it is, which is nice! The production is pretty good, if cluttered occasionally, but what Crimson Crusade need to work on is varying their sound. The first three songs are all very similar in structure, and when they do shift to slower & darker pacing like on the "Consumed" choruses, the mood doesn't change to go along with it. Some live favourites are also missing that the disc has room for (like "Lost Memories" & "Here We Lay"), and I'd like to see more guitar solos (and not only in the songs' last minute), but for a first recorded effort, Crimson Crusade's first EP delivers the death metal goods, and I hope they build on their promise in future recording sessions! Buy it at their next shows!

I hope you guys liked this month's CD review! Next month (hopefully earlier rather than later), we'll be reviewing Bring The Fallen's posthumous EP "Stand Before", as released at Oddzfest 2013 Metal Mash-Up last month, and coming four years after the original recording sessions! Does it live up to the hype? Find out in early September, and stay tuned for a new news post tomorrow! Thanks everyone!

A New Local Solo Project, Crimson Crusade's EP, And New Videos!!

Tonight's news post is essentially a local metal video showcase, but it's full of big news beyond just that, so what's in store? Well, we have a commercial for a major upcoming concert, video footage from a recent show at a newer local concert venue, and all that you should know on the newest Sault Ontario metal CD release, but first, we have a new local band to introduce, so here's what you need to know (and check out our review of last night's Skeletonwitch show in the post below this one!)

Haggith frontman Curtis McKenzie has returned to solo work with a new side project named Sound X! You may remember that Curtis fronted various similar bands like Restricted Illusions & 20 Pack of Marshmallows (many with Haggith guitarist Daniel Horton involved) since the late 2000s, but this is a completely new project that Curtis has been posting about on his solo Facebook page since May 22nd (it'd previously focused mostly on his Haggith work.) He's already announced plans to release a Sound X album this fall named "Three Year Relapse" featuring a mix of older originals and newer songs (including the former Haggith band song "That Cold Winter Breeze"), and this project will feature Curtis on all instruments except drums (Daniel Horton's covering that), while Haggith drummer Mike Haggith will produce and mix the material at Paperclip Productions. To that end, Curtis has posted the first Sound X song named "Disengage" onto his new YouTube channel, so how does it sound?

It sounds good so far, nice catchy alternative hard rock sound, but I worry that it might sound too similar to Haggith originals, and I'd like to see Curtis shake things up a bit to separate the two projects musically. I like where it's going though, so check out Sound X's first public song below, and as I've added them to our active Sault Ontario band links! (There's no official Sound X page yet, but Curtis' solo page fills that need in the interim.)



Next up, here's what you should know about local death metal quartet Crimson Crusade's debut EP! Released after their set at the Skeletonwitch show at The Canadian on Monday night, "Upon The Eve Of War" does still feature 5 songs (all of which are streamable online as well), and the songs are "Vanquish The Tyrant", "Left For Dead", "Crimson Crusade", "Pillage", and the last to be unveiled online, "Consumed", with a total runtime of about 20 minutes. Featuring their current lineup (including singer/guitarist Devon Lucier, guitarist Robert Sartini, bassist Riley Marshall, and drummer Robert Crossley), this was recorded in the winter at The Smoke & Oak Room Studio with producer Dave Pihlaja, and it's packaged in a slim jewel case with cover artwork as pictured, and liner notes secured in the case (though they're surprisingly minimal in content.) I won't comment on the songs in full yet though, as I plan on reviewing this in either July or August (Haggith's "Deuce" is this month, and I'm not sure whether to do this or the Woods of Ypres tribute album next month), but it will get a formal review, I promise!

I presume Crimson Crusade will have copies of "Upon The Eve Of War" on sale at future concerts for $5, but for now, stream the tracks at the band's Reverbnation page and Devon's YouTube channel, and as we haven't plugged it formally on here before today, here's the EP's last song (on the disc and in uploading order) "Consumed", so give it and the rest of the songs a listen!



Also in the realm of new videos, Local2's Mike Caruso was on hand for last Saturday's Faces of the Soup Kitchen event at the Machine Shop building at Mill Square (the former St. Mary's Paper site), and he uploaded a video of the musical performers from the event onto Local2's YouTube channel (and as part of this article), which amounts to our first footage of live acts at the Machine Shop. The video features local cover rock band Obsession covering Vanity Fair's "Hitchin' A Ride", M.D. Dunn playing what I think is an original track, Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison covering Little Texas' "What Might Have Been", Frank Bock playing his rendition of "Dream A Little Dream Of Me", and Griphook frontman Jim O'Leary and friends (including Obsession's Valerie Powley) covering Nazareth's "Sunshine", so click each link to go directly to those songs! Note that Tym didn't play solo entirely on Saturday, as you can see Caveman Morrison drummer Johnny Belanger behind the kit in the video, so there was some full band performances as well.

Though not the heaviest show, it was for a great cause to both benefit the Soup Kitchen and introduce locals to what's going on at Mill Square now, and you can catch up on more of the day's events, vendors, and sights at this location! The Machine Shop looks nice and seems to have good acoustics, and I hope we see more live bands there in the future! As for the performers, all put in good sets, and it's nice hearing a Nazareth cover especially from Jim and company, so give them a listen below! (For metal/hard rock seekers, Tym's on about 6 minutes in, and Jim and friends play about 11 minutes in.)



Finally for today, here's something a little different: A commercial for Tesla's fourth concert at The Dreammaker's Theater at the Sault Michigan Kewadin Casino on July 27th! 30 seconds in length, it features plugs for the show and where to buy tickets, along with live clips of them playing some of their hit songs (including "Signs" and "Love Song"), and though it's well put together, the voice over narration could be more excitable for a show of this size. Posted onto Kewadin's YouTube channel on Friday, I don't know if this is running on TV, but give this commercial a look below, and get your tickets before they're gone!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for weekend concert previews and more in the next few days! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERT (Caveman Morrison), Weekend Concert Previews, And More!!

In this last post of the month, we're touching on weekend concert previews for half of it (despite this being a relatively quiet weekend for metal shows), but we also have new videos and info on an impending EP release in the second half! For the record, our Skeletonwitch preview is likely coming on Sunday, as it's a bit early to talk about it now, but we have a lot to cover for this huge show, so keep an eye out for that! Now, let's start with previews of this weekend's heavier concerts, starting with a SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERT!!

Local metal cover trio Caveman Morrison are among the scheduled performers at the Faces of the Soup Kitchen Community Celebration at Mill Square at the former St. Mary's Paper site TOMORROW! Apologies for the short notice, I only just heard about this event on Tuesday, and I didn't wanna redundantly post about it twice in a short span. This is a volunteer-organized family event featuring carnival activities, a barbeque, local vendors & artists, free guided tours of the current St. Mary's Paper site, a live play production, and a buffet dinner, with proceeds at least partially going to The Soup Kitchen (I think.) Sounds like a packed day, but for more details on the non-musical events going down tomorrow, read the SooToday press release on the event! As for the musical entertainment, Caveman Morrison (in their debut at this location) are among a diverse lineup of bands performing at 5:00 PM tomorrow, including local solo musicians M.D. Dunn and Frank Bock, Griphook frontman Jim O'Leary and friends, an act named Tyler & Tyler (not familiar with them at all), and local cover rock band Obsession headlining.

Admission is by donation for this ALL AGES event, and the bands will be on between 5:00 & 10:00 PM tomorrow, with Caveman Morrison slotted earlier in the schedule (with bands playing at the Machine Shop building that hosted the Shawn Desman concert.) For more details, check the above links! This sounds like a great event and a fun way to find out what's happening to the old St. Mary's Paper site, and with plenty of local talent on hand to entertain, why not head down? Plus, if you missed Caveman Morrison after dropping out of The Crusade, this is the next best chance to see them, so don't miss this event, and for a preview, here's Caveman Morrison covering an Ozzy Osbourne classic at The Rosie!



Now, here's a preview of the other regional hard rock show this weekend (this is a quiet weekend for metal, sadly), but it has a connection to one of the bands at the Soup Kitchen event, as Caveman Morrison frontman Tym Morrison will return to The Road House Bar & Grill on Trunk Road for his first publically confirmed show there in over a month TONIGHT! Though I think Tym has played there in the interim for at least one non-public event, it's great to see his usual acoustic gigs back, and unusually, tonight's show had a lot of advance notice, so there's all the more reason to see his solo acoustic show again! Admission should be free for this 10:00 PM concert, and I imagine it's a 19+ event. For more details, visit the official Facebook event page! It's great to see Tym back at The Road House, and his entertaining metal & hard rock covers should be fun to hear in an unplugged setting again, so keep this show in mind, and for a preview, here's Tym covering Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" at Bossy's last year!



We'll close this post with some new videos, starting with ones connected to some big news with local/North Shore death metal quartet Crimson Crusade! Two days ago, frontman Devon Lucier uploaded two more tracks from their debut EP "Upon the Eve of War" ("Left For Dead" and their self-titled song) onto his YouTube channel (and their Reverbnation page), which leaves just one song remaining to be unveiled, unless the guys dropped it from the final product. Again, I won't give detailed thoughts on the tracks yet as I plan to formally review the EP on the site, but when might that be? Sooner than you think, as the band revealed on their Facebook page yesterday that initial copies will be sold for $5 on MONDAY when Crimson Crusade open for Skeletonwitch at The Canadian Nightclub! If this holds up, I'll definitely buy a copy, but when would a review hit the site? Probably not until July, as I have next month reserved for Haggith's newest album "Deuce", but it's a guarantee for the summer if all goes well! For now, check out their self titled song below, and don't miss the EP release and their next show on Monday, with our preview coming this weekend!



Finally for today, here's a new music video from local horror punk/metal quintet Frightlight for their original "She Screams"! Posted onto bassist Eddie Fright's YouTube channel on Tuesday (ironically the day they would have returned had The Brains' show happened), this features edited footage combining numerous Frightlight concert clips and with scenes from many famous horror movies (naturally including many scenes of women screaming.) It's well made, but the breaks with audio from the movies are sort of jarring, and would have been better served as backing samples, which is something that I'd like to see Frightlight incorporate (a'la early Rob Zombie albums.) I don't know when Frightlight are coming back to the stage, but this should help tide fans over, so check out this music video below, and stay tuned for updates on their next plans!



That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news this weekend, including this month's "Where Are The New Albums?" post, our Skeletonwitch preview, and more! Thanks everyone!