Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Defunct Local Band Profile Series: Skull After Betrayl

With news slow lately, and not wanting to force a post when weekend concert previews are so close that can use extra content if need be, we'll instead get this month's Defunct Local Band Profile up a little early! Our monthly feature post on a local metal, hard rock, or punk band that's no longer active & functioning again gives us a randomly selected group for this month, but like last month, I misjudged the amount of content and media for our next selection, so this month's planned second band (Hoist the Sails) will lead off a joint profile next month. Now, here's what you should know for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile!
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Skull After Betrayl

Genre: Death Metal/Hardcore

Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Members: 

Mike Vincent (Troubled Mind, The Bear Hunters), vocals/guitar
Justin Polutanovich (Borderline Divine), guitar
Adam Brett (Troubled Mind, Despised Eyes), bass/vocals
Anthony D'Agostini (The Dead Kings), drums
  
Audio/Video: Though their Facebook page has since been deleted, six original songs and a cover of Metallica's "For Whom The Bell Tolls" survive as demo or live recordings on Skull After Betrayl's Reverbnation and MySpace pages. For videos, frontman Mike Vincent has shared a couple of jam session videos (sans guitarist Justin Polutanovich) on his YouTube channel, while our YouTube channel features a handful of videos from their live heyday, including this video of the guys playing their song "Zombitch" at their last concert in July 2011 at The Rosie!



Info/Analysis: Skull After Betrayl (not "Betrayal", the spelling was intentional) succeeded the defunct Despised Eyes to become a rising sight at local metal concerts upon their debut in early 2011. The band opened for The Dayglo Abortions & Titan's Eve at the former Roosevelt Hotel during their height, and took part in the first annual Swampstravaganza, before suddenly disbanding in July. After 3/4ths of the band briefly regrouped as The Dead Kings with additional members, Skull After Betrayl reunited that October, but accomplished little before disbanding for good in the spring of 2012, with members Mike Vincent & Adam Brett later forming Troubled Mind in 2015. Skull After Betrayl were a work in progress during their run, with the guys never finding a lasting subgenre, and Mike's singing and Adam's bass technique not as refined as they could be, but they showed promise on some big stages, and hopefully everyone stays active musically!
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I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, even if a few days early! This series will return on or around July 10th with inactive Sault Michigan hardcore band Hoist the Sails as promised, but as I'm very certain this time that they don't have enough info or media for a solo profile, we've added a Sault Ontario band to fill things out, and through random selection, we have chosen The 12 Gauge Ready, the popular local ska punk outfit who, despite their successes, have extremely little surviving information online, hence why they'll fit a double profile. Look for this next month, and stay tuned for weekend concert previews next!

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