Sunday, March 18, 2012

Last Month's Poll Results & Our Newest Poll!!

It's the 18th, and that means it's time to end our latest poll at the SMS and launch our new one! As you may remember, last month's poll asked this question to you guys: What was the biggest local metal news story of 2011? We got 45 votes in our latest poll, which is up from the poll before it, and thanks to everyone who voted! Though I had an idea of what would win given the impact of the event, I was curious to see how everyone voted, so check out the results of last month's poll, followed by some of my thoughts!

The passing of David Gold (16 votes, 36%)
The Dayglo Abortions return to the Soo (6 votes, 13%)
Destroilet releases their debut EP (6 votes, 13%)
Garden of Bedlam releases "Everything Will Die" (3 votes, 7%)
Noise complaint issues at Foggy's/Feedback (2 votes, 5%)
Bring The Fallen parts ways (2 votes, 5%)
The launch of Dismembertainment (2 votes, 5%)
Helix rocks The Rockstar Bar (1 vote, 2%)
Sense of Truth breaks up (1 vote, 2%)
Rosie metal nights change hands (1 vote, 2%)
Feedback debuts with Napalm Death (1 vote, 2%)
Hempfest returns to the Sault area (1 vote, 2%)
State of Misery disbands (1 vote, 2%)
Woods of Ypres releases "Home" (1 vote, 2%)
Other (1 vote, 2%)
Bret Michaels returns to Sault Michigan (0 votes)
Buckcherry and Papa Roach hit Kewadin (0 votes)
Clownsack releases "Funny Farm" (0 votes)
Duane Roy's "Soo Stories" hits the shelves (0 votes)
Flooding at The Canadian Nightclub (0 votes)
Gates of Winter announce "Perihelion" (0 votes)
Lemmafest debuts at Dondee Lanes (0 votes)
The Searchmont Music Festival debuts (0 votes)
Sykotyk Rampage release 5 new albums (0 votes)
Theatre of Night releases "Christmas Night" (0 votes)
Whitesnake plays Sault Michigan (0 votes)


What do you guys think? Well, in ascending order, I am surprised that 11 different choices got no votes, including every Sault Michigan-centric choice I made on the poll. I know it's a smaller scene compared to Sault Ontario's, but a lot of big stuff happened there last year! It depends who votes, I suppose. Of the Sault Ontario stories with one or less votes, I expected more love for Helix, Hempfest, Gates of Winter, Sense of Truth, and The Canadian's flood, but again, it's all in who votes. The three-way tie for 5th place with 2 votes each didn't surprise me too much, those choices finished where I expected, but Garden of Bedlam's CD release only made 4th with 3 votes? Odd, you'd think it'd get more support, especially with the quality of that album! Tied for second with 6 votes each were The Dayglo Abortions' show here in June and (in another surprising high vote run) Destroilet's EP release, and while the Dayglos' support is always there, the support for Destroilet despite a year long hiatus from the stage and a very quiet CD release is still surprising, but cool to see! But the rightful winner with 16 votes and 36% of the final total was the passing of Woods of Ypres frontman David Gold in December, and though this certainly wasn't a happy story for the local scene, it left the biggest impact, and we're still feeling it and missing David to this day. Thanks to everyone who voted, and R.I.P. David!

So with that done, we're nearing the homestretch of our "favourite _____ of 2011" polls, and having done our poll on your favourite concerts in the first half of 2011 last July-August, it's about time to complete the year before we sum it all up in one final poll next month. So this month, I'm posing this question to you guys: What was your favourite local metal concert in the first half of 2011? Simple enough question, and for this month's poll, I've chosen 19 notable Sault Ontario metal/hard rock concerts from between July 1st and December 31st, 2011 for you guys to pick from (along with "Other"), and I tried to get a representative slice of the bigger and more notable concerts from late last year for this poll! Like our other polls of this type, we're only counting concerts with at least 50% of the bands being metal or hard rock, which eliminates notable concerts like Hempfest, Rotaryfest, the Coch's Corner Halloween Party, and Sativa Rose's current lineup's debut, though you can vote for those and other non-choices by voting for "Other". So, what's your favourite local metal show from the last half of 2011? Here are your choices!

Bands: Lion Ride & The Boot Hill Crooners
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: July 2nd
Info:
Little did anyone know it at the time, but Lion Ride's last show on their "Summer Kick Off 2011 Tour" would also be their last as an active band, prior to their February 2012 breakup. Despite that, Lion Ride's headlining show at The Rockstar Bar on July 2nd was a success, even with a lower than expected turnout over the Canada Day weekend. Also featuring local favourites The Boot Hill Crooners opening, was this your favourite show in late 2011?

Bands: Titan's Eve, Sativa Rose, and Skull After Betrayl
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: July 4th
Info: Despite attendance concerns on the Fourth of July, a solid crowd turned out to see Vancouver thrash quartet Titan's Eve rock The Rosie last summer, and it was an awesome night of hard hitting metal! Also notably featuring Skull After Betrayl's last live appearance to date and Sativa Rose's last concert set as a quartet, this was an explosive metal show, but did it top all others from July-December 2011 to you?

Bands: Fatality, Immersed, The Bear Hunters, and As It Stands
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: July 10th
Info: A rare all ages concert at The Roosevelt Hotel, Dismembertainment kept their hot streak of metal concerts going on this very hot Sunday afternoon show, and the despite the absence of F.A.T.I.L., we still got our fill of metal, including high impact Southern Ontario headliners Fatality & Immersed! I highly enjoyed this show, and a solid turnout was there for everything, but was it your favourite of recent months?

Bands: The Bear Hunters, Sanktuary, Black Moor, and RedD Monkey
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: July 20th
Info: Like the Fatality concert, this was another extremely hot all ages show featuring The Bear Hunters and two out of town bands, but this was at The Oddfellows Hall with The Bear Hunters oddly headlining! A good crowd turned out to see them, punk favourites RedD Monkey, and two Halifax classic metal outfits in the first of two gigs last summer that Sanktuary, Black Moor, and The Bear Hunters were a part of! Was this your #1 show from late last year?

Bands: Garden of Bedlam, The Bear Hunters, and Winkstinger
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: July 21st
Info: The 25th Roosevelt Hotel metal night (and last Dismembertainment-promoted one with three local bands) finally saw local metal standouts Garden of Bedlam make their Rosie debut in their last show before the "Everything Will Die" CD release party, and fans sure came out to rock out with them on July 24th! Also notably featuring Winkstinger's last concert set for four months, was this metal night your favourite late-2011 concert?

Bands: Gunz N' FN' Rosez
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: July 23rd
Info:
Originally scheduled for July 7th, the popular Toronto-based tribute to Guns N' Roses brought their exciting version of GNR classics to The Rockstar Bar once again on July 23rd for what was surely a fun concert! I couldn't make it out, but GNFNR have attracted a good following in the area, and they surely didn't disappoint, but do you agree with that?

Bands: Hollow
Venue: August 5th-6th
Date: The Rockstar Bar & Bossy's Pub N' Grub
Info: Years after they disbanded, local metal quintet Hollow reunited for one weekend only last August with shows at The Rockstar Bar and (after The Canadian's flood) Bossy's Pub N' Grub, and fans responded well to seeing Tym Morrison and company regroup for these shows! Though they haven't been seen since, was Hollow's reunion weekend your top concert moment of the second half of 2011?

Bands: Smeltzer, RedD Monkey, Changing Waves, The Tenagens, Shit Liver, and The Bear Hunters
Venue: The Oddfellows Hall
Date: August 12th
Info: An old school all ages show was in store for local fans on August 12th, headlined by a one-off reunion set by local alt/punk trio Smeltzer and frontman Steve Mozarowski's current active band RedD Monkey! Among the openers: Changing Waves in a well recieved set, The Tenagens in their most recent local concert appearance, and death metal standouts The Bear Hunters and Shit Liver, but was this show your favourite of the second half of last year?

Bands: Laika, Annex Theory, Thekillingfield, and Shit Liver
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: August 25th
Info: The 30th Roosevelt Hotel metal night had a great lineup of metal talent in store on August 25th, including touring Winnipeg metal bands Laika and Annex Theory (on their "Tour of Redundancy Tour"), and frequently seen North Bay extreme trio Thekillingfield for a night of explosive and aggressive Canadian heavy metal! Also joined by local notables Shit Liver, was this your favourite concert in the Soo in late 2011?

Bands: Thekillingfield, The Bear Hunters, and Shit Liver
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: September 15th
Info: The 33rd Roosevelt Hotel metal night was very similar to the 30th, with Thekillingfield coming back to Sault Ontario for a second show in three weeks, though this time with The Bear Hunters joining Shit Liver as local openers! Thekillingfield's hard hitting technical metal is always a welcome sight in the area, and this second 2011 appearance was definitely also well recieved, but was this show your favourite post-June concert of last year?

Bands: Empyrean Plague, The Bear Hunters, and Shit Liver
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: September 22nd
Info: The local openers were exactly the same for the 34th Roosevelt Hotel metal night as they were the previous week, but this time with a different North Bay metal band headlining the festivities, that being black metal notables Empyrean Plague! Another well recieved metal night in the later stretch of Dismembertainment's run with the series, was this your top metal show of late 2011?

Bands: Napalm Death, Shit Liver, Hallows Die, The Bear Hunters, and Wake
Venue: Feedback (formerly Foggy Notions)
Date: October 15th
Info: After Foggy Notions became Feedback, the newly renamed Queen Street venue launched it's high profile two month run with British grindcore legends Napalm Death in a huge metal concert event featuring a stacked lineup of out of town and local bands! The buzz and fallout from this concert was huge, and Dismembertainment outdid themselves for this major event, but was it your favourite metal concert of recent months?

Bands: Half Past
Venue: October 22nd
Date: The Rockstar Bar
Info: Following their successful return to the stage at Hempfest in August, Half Past debuted new singer Jordan Rains to a Sault Ontario audience at this one night only concert on October 22nd at The Rockstar Bar! Also featuring guest bassist Harley Syrette, this is Half Past's most recent concert to date, but despite a cut short set due to noise complaints, they rocked the house with some great covers! Is their return one of your favourite 2011 concerts?

Bands: Skull Fist, Late & Loud, and View To A Kill (now The Valentine's Day Massacre)
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: November 6th
Info: The first metal concert at The Canadian since the flood in July saw Toronto speed metal quartet Skull Fist return to the Pim Street venue once again for another classic and fast paced set of heavy metal! Also featuring local standouts Late & Loud and the live debut of the band now known as The Valentine's Day Massacre, this concert attracted a solid crowd of local metalheads, but was it your top local metal concert of the last 6 months of the year?

Bands: The Bear Hunters, Shit Liver, and Redundant
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: November 10th
Info: After a three week absence and a promoter switch, the Roosevelt Hotel metal nights returned on November 10th for a 38th installment and a return to all local lineups, with local punk band Redundant joining metal night regulars The Bear Hunters & Shit Liver for it's return, with The Sault Star in tow for a report! It was great to see the series return (albeit on a more spread out schedule), but was the new metal nights' return your favourite 2011 show?

Bands: Helix & Boogie Fever
Venue: The Rockstar Bar
Date: December 3rd
Info:
Three and a half years after they last rocked the Sault area, Kitchener metal legends Helix rocked The Rockstar Bar on December 3rd with a set full of their classic hits, including "Rock You" and many more songs! Their set got a great response, and with Boogie Fever kicking off the night, a lot of fun was had, but did this show top the latter half of 2011 for you?

Bands: Caveman Morrison
Venue: The Roosevelt Hotel
Date: December 9th-10th
Info: Though frontman Tym Morrison was a frequent sight on the local scene last year, his band Caveman Morrison played more sporadically, and their December concert weekend at The Rosie marked their first shows in five months. Still, with the debut of new bassist James White and the return of his brother Rick as their new drummer, their return was a notable late-2011 sight on the local scene, but was this concert weekend #1 for late last year for you?

Bands: Turner Up
Venue: Feedback (formerly Foggy Notions)
Date: December 10th
Info: Seven months after the original Turner Up became Full Circle, a new version of Turner Up brought classic hard rock back to the local stage on December 10th at the former Feedback, featuring three ex-Turner Up members in their new lineup! Their heavier style of classic covers was welcomed back with open arms, and they've been going strong ever since, but was their return your top concert of late 2011?

Bands: Garden of Bedlam
Venue: The Canadian Nightclub
Date: December 26th
Info: Capping the year in style was Garden of Bedlam's CD release concert at The Canadian on Boxing Day, where fans got their first opportunity to buy "Everything Will Die"! This well received headlining concert sent 2011 out on a clear high note with lots of high impact original songs, and the success of "Everything Will Die" is still felt around the area, but was this your favourite local concert of the year?

Other: Did I miss your favourite concert from the second half of 2011? For reference sake, bands like Abriosis, Fifth Column, For All That Is Lost, Frightlight, Full Circle, La Promesse, Laugh At The Fakes, Sneaky Pete, Sykotyk Rampage, That's Chester, Tribune, and Tym Morrison have played concerts in the Sault Ontario area in late 2011, along with other concerts featuring bands already covered in the poll choices. Or maybe your favourite concert was one with less than 50% metal bands? If I didn't touch on your favourite, vote for "Other"!

VOTE TODAY!!! You guys have until April 18th to cast your votes, and then we'll compile the highest voted options from this month's poll and from our "favourite concerts in the first half of 2011" poll into a cumulative "favourite show of 2011" poll next month, so here's hoping we get a representative sample of your favourite concerts! All I ask is don't launch any campaigns to boost the totals of any one concert/band, I want to see a fair sampling of your thoughts. Vote A.S.A.P. at the red poll bar on the left of the page, and stay tuned for a new news post very soon! Thanks everyone!

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