Monday, March 10, 2014

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Brendan Christie & Orb

It's the 10th of the month, so it's now time once again for this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! As always, this monthly feature series takes a look at one or two defunct or inactive metal/hard rock projects from the Twin Saults and surrounding areas, in order to profile them and their work for current readers and fans, and like all previous installments, the bands were randomly selected. This month's post features two artists for the fourth straight month (due to the first not having much surviving information), but these are both two talented inactive solo projects from each side of the border, so read on below for this month's profiles!
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Brendan Christie

Genre: Thrash Metal

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members:

Brendan Christie (The Hydra's Teeth, Late & Loud), all instruments

Info/Analysis: After leaving his brief 2008 position as Stillbroke's bassist, talented local musician Brendan Christie launched a solo metal project circa July 2009, where he began work on original guitar-heavy material that was at one point supposed to be featured on a debut solo album named "The Clock Is Ticking". Original compositions continued to be posted & deleted from his MySpace page through 2011, though less so as his band work became more successful, and his last postings there in late 2012 were to promote his current band The Hydra's Teeth. Though his Late & Loud tenure was better known, Brendan first entered the SMS' general radar for his impressive guitar talents in 2009, and it's a shame most of his solo material isn't public anymore! His videos (though largely classical renditions) show his skills nicely, and his only remaining full song "Set Fire To Freedom" has a heavy & dramatic feel that wouldn't be out of place live, so give his older solo work a listen above, and here's Brendan's "bet you can't play this" original video!


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Orb

Genre: Metal/Easy Listening

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

Members:

Bob "Orb Hearthstone" Helsten (Power Slug, I.S.O.M.), all instruments

Info/Analysis: Launched during his tenures as End of Existence's frontman & Elipzis' drummer, prolific local musician Bob Helsten launched his own solo project in January 2011 as an outlet for his lighter original material, releasing two songs to his MySpace page ("Final Day" & "Dawn of a Dying Day", with only the latter containing harsh vocals.) Updates did not follow there, but in April 2012, a solo version of the End of Existence song "12-21-12" was posted on YouTube as part of Werehold Records' second Friday the 13th posting event, and while his solo project has likely been defunct since, you can currently see him live as Power Slug's drummer. Orb described this project as sounding like "a dark & gloomy autumn day", which does make sense, as his full solo songs retain a slower & lighter instrumental feel, though the vocals remain reminscent of his metal singing work. Though I prefer his I.S.O.M. and E.O.E. past, Orb's solo material is an interesting & pleasant change of pace, so give his songs a listen above, and here's "Dawn of a Dying Day"!


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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profiles! Now, what's in store for April's installment? Believe it or not, we'll be looking at two bands again for a fifth straight month, as the first band we randomly chose don't have enough surviving information (or lasted long enough.) Also, because we're straddling the end and beginning of our current & next 1-1-1-1-1 schedules for each side of the border's bands, we'll be looking at two Sault Ontario bands next month for the first time since 2010. With that said, I've randomly chosen 2009 metal band (and Winkstinger predecessors) Operation: Killdozer & 2004 hard rock quartet Batteries Not Included (featuring future Free Beer members), so watch out for those profiles around April 10th, and stay tuned for more news soon! Thanks everyone!

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