Sleep When You’re Dead – Directions

The band that has single-handedly made it gnarly to be from Oshawa; Sleep When You’re Dead is a what can only be described as Grimy, Southern, Noisy Hardcore band from said city. I have praised them throughout this very websites creation, and I have seen them perform numerous times throughout the past year. These guys came from opening up shows at The Top Shelf to opening for Dead and Divine, Protest the Hero, and even headlining their own. Needless to say, Sleep When You’re Dead will not be sleeping any time soon.

This EP has been in the works for quite some time now. Unlike most of the recordings I review which are done at Newcomb Studio’s [love those dudes], this one was recorded out in Hamilton, and the quality speaks for itself. I am very excited and honored to have the opportunity to review this CD, which I have been anticipating for a long time now.

Tracklisting;
01. Muskoka Dinner Jacket
02. Hooker Spit
03. Directions
04. Blood Red Stiletto’s
05. Three Lights Madoc
06. No More Talk
07. Prepare to be Amazed

One thing I LOVE about this EP, as subtle as it is, are the song titles. Rarely I review a band where I am actually drawn in immediately by the song titles so this is a treat. There is just something very unique and interesting about them. I haven’t even talked about the songs themselves yet and i’m already finding something I love about this review; I think we know what direction this is going to go!

Muskoka Dinner Jacket is a short one. This song is as intro-y as you can get, but it still finds a way to creep into your ears and get your blood flowing. There isn’t much else to say here, but as far as intro’s go, this has to be one of my favorites thus-far.

Moving right on to the first full track of Directions, Hooker Spit. As far as I know, most of these songs have been played a fair bit throughout SWYD’s inception, and this is definitely one of them. I love everything about it; The bass driven intro, the rhythmic hypnosis of the guitar, the noise inspired bridges and the unbelievably catchy 2 steps. Even the breakdown in this song is amazing, it incorporates the stand out elements of the whole song and mix it into one dirty motherfucking section. I am very impressed so far, and this is only the second song.

Directions, the namesake of the EP is our next track. It starts off in an almost ambient way, which quickly switches to very powerful melody. One thing that really stands out for SWYD is that they really know how to write songs. The structure, the different genres used, even tiny things like song titles; These boys know what they are doing, there is no mistaking this. This song is among one of my favorites on the EP, with a brilliant mix of gorgeous melodies, crushing lows, and the sometimes spine tingling voice of vocalist Alex Leech.

Things take a lighter note with the next track; Blood Red Stilettos! This is easily the most “southern” sounding song on Directions. This song is a really nice jumping point also for any new listeners, it has a well rounded sound that can easily appeal to anyone listening. In an almost bi-polar change, Blood Red Stiletto’s goes from a hard to the teeth southern tune to a completely grim and ruthless sounding deathcore beast. You have to admire the ability to play these two sounds together in such a sudden way, not to mention how well executed it is. Lately I seem to be blessed with the more low end CD’s, because the bass on this one is incredibly present. It meshes REALLY well with songs, and weaves in and out effortlessly. So far Directions has been one of the most impressive local recording efforts I have ever reviewed, but I knew SWYD would not disappoint me with their long awaited CD, and it won’t disappoint you either.

Three Lights Madoc is easily my favorite track on the whole damn CD. It slays the entire way through, and absolutely does NOT stop. One thing I have really noticed, and especially in this song, is the clarity of Alex’s vocals. This is something that is really lacking in bands, and I know alot of people will agree that its quite annoying when you have absolutely no idea what the vocalist is saying. This is not even close to a problem with SWYD. Alex is able to enunciate himself incredibly well, and you’re never really wondering what it is he’s actually singing, or rather, yelling about. Taking some emphasis away from the vocals, i’d like to point out how well each instrument stands out on its own. Usually we fall into the tired habit of having each instrument follow the kick drum, or SOMETHING. Its definitely worth noting that this isn’t usually the case in SWYD. These guys have made it so each instrument has its own time in the spotlight, as subtle as it may be, you can really hear EVERYTHING very clearly instead of having one or two things lost in the mixing process.

As I listen to this CD, I start to notice that despite the fact that most of these songs were probably written at different times, they all still manage to flow together incredibly well. Usually its easy to point out when a band writes something completely new for a CD, on a CD full of older songs, but not with these dudes. It becomes quite difficult actually, and even harder for anyone new to them. No More Talk, the next song is what really made me notice this. Another one of the very Southern/Blusey/Deathcore kind of tracks, that almost has a Kid Stallion feel to it, another superb band that manages to mesh genres very well together. No More Talk is just one of those kinds of songs that you simply WON’T skip, at least, I don’t see how anyone could. It never slows down, and it never tires; It keeps kicking you in the ass all the way to the proctologist’s office.

Drawing to an end, we have SWYD’s trump card and set closer; Prepare to be Amazed. The very slogan of the fare city of Oshawa, Ontario. I’m glad these guys chose this as the final song on Directions, because it is a PERFECT outro to this amazing CD. This one has everything that makes SWYD a great band; The blusey scales, the southern charm, the almost ambient dissonance and of course, the KTO-esque griminess. I LOVE the clean vocals too. I’m proud to know that there is such a varied and well rounded band out of my hometown, that has managed to make great strides in the local music scene despite the fact they are completely out of the norm. I think thats what also makes it so great, is the fact that these guys aren’t playing generic music, or music for the wrong reason at that. You can HEAR in this record that they wrote everything from the heart, and they love playing it, there are no bad intentions here.

Ballin’ Slamfest 2; Final Of Soldiers and Saints show at Top Shelf

On Burning Shores is listed on the poster, but ended up dropping out of the show.

Although it felt like I was waiting forever for this show to finally happen, I’ll be reviewing “Ballin’ Slamfest 2”, which was on August 6th at the Top Shelf in Ajax. This show featured Of Soldiers and Saints playing their final show before their name change, as they are now called Heartless, and they now got rid of all of their old songs, and now have a whole new set. Other bands on this bill included Cedardale, Longshot, Carmine, Sleep When You’re Dead, and ARADD. The show had a decently big crowd, who were into all of the bands start to finish. The first band was scheduled to start at around 8:30, but ended up being delayed until closer to 9. The night started off with ARADD.

ARADD is a metalcore band from Pickering that consists of Dylan on Vocals, Nick and Mike on Guitars, Johnny on Bass and Mike on Drums. Nick, and Johnny were both fill-ins for this night, and are both from Crowded Sky, a band from Pickering. I don’t know any of the last names of the people in this band, which I apologise about, especially because there are two Mikes in the band. One of the only things that I didn’t enjoy very much in this band’s set, was the crowd. There were maybe four people throwing down or moving whatsoever, until the 6 person Wall of Death, which included myself.

Their first few songs, I felt as if they didn’t have much energy, but they proved me wrong as their set progressed, as they moved around more, and included more coordinated headbanging which impressed me. I did find that a lot of the songs sounded the same at some points though, but I notice that with many bands. I believe it was their last song that they announced that they want a Wall of Death when the lead singer yells “GO!”. I’m guessing that they’ve had more luck with their Walls of Death, because this one had a total of 8 people, which included myself, and it ended up lasting a total of around 15 seconds at the most.

Other than the crowd, I found that ARADD’s set was entertaining, as this was my first time ever seeing them. I can see this band progressing and being a lot more well-known in this area. I’m hoping to see ARADD play more shows around this area in the near future. Next on the bill was Sleep When You’re Dead, a hardcore/metalcore band from Oshawa.

Sleep When You’re Dead consists of Alex on vocals, Matt on guitar, Jake on bass, and Mark on drums. This was my third time seeing this band, as I had seen them play opening for Speak of the Devil, and opening for Waking the Cadaver. I must say, that I like this band more every time I see them. The crowd was definitely into this band a lot more than ARADD, one of the main reasons for that would most likely be that there were more people at the venue for their set. This was apparently a better Ajax crowd for Sleep When You’re Dead compared to when they opened up for As You Like Me, as I was told that most people in the venue didn’t even get close to the front, and just stood near the bar. I’m glad to see that this band is getting more attention from the local scene.

I’m usually very anal about when bands call themselves hardcore, because I don’t like when people say “I love hardcore. My favourite hardcore bands are Brokencyde and Bring Me The Horizon”, as neither of those bands are hardcore. But with Sleep When You’re Dead, I definitely noticed some hardcore in their sound, and I noticed it the most in their vocals. I’d suggest you check out Sleep When You’re Dead, and if you’re looking to see them live, they’ll be playing EP Taylors on the 25th of August, opening for Liferuiner. We’ll be reviewing that show also, but it will be reviewed by Andy or Alan, as I am playing that show with my band, Falling Forward. But definitely check out Sleep When You’re Dead, as you most likely will not be disappointed. Next up, we had one of the most respected bands in the Durham region, which was Carmine.

Carmine is a metalcore band from Uxbridge, Ontario that consists of James on vocals, Buckley and Riley on guitars, Brad on bass, and Quinn on drums. Carmine is definitely one of my favourite bands in the area, as they are one of many people’s’ favourite bands in the area also. This was my third or fourth time seeing Carmine, and this was one of my favourite times seeing them. They have great energy throughout their whole set, as does the crowd. I was pleased to be one of the first people to hear their brand new song, as it was their first time playing it that night, which got a great crowd response. There are a few songs that some people knew some lyrics to, most noticeably their song entitled “Abercrombie & Douche” which is on their MySpace. Carmine’s next show is in Markham on the 20th, but if you’re not able to go that far, they’ll be playing on the 27th in Uxbridge. I’d suggest you check out Carmine when you have the chance, as you will not be disappointed.

From the Top Shelf’s home of Ajax, the next band on the bill was Longshot. Longshot is a hardcore band consists of Kurt on vocals, Jordan on guitar, James on bass, and Mitch on drums. I’ve seen this band four times now, and I notice that they have a better crowd each time, who know the chants and lyrics to their songs. They’re definitely one of the most energetic bands in the area, with Kurt’s world famous(not really) posi-jumps, and their chants that quite a few people jump over people to yell into the microphone. Although I’m not one to like the high pitched “wop” vocals, I find that Longshot puts on an entertaining set, and I’m never bored when watching them.

The last time I saw them play, James chose me to do his usual kick to the stomach, but this time he chose to do it on my good friend, Scott which made me laugh. I find that each time that they play, the chants have more and more people, and they get more physically painful to do due to people using your back and shoulders to hold themselves up to get the microphone. My back and shoulders are very sore today due to this. But excluding my physical pain, Longshot put on a solid set last night, and I’m hoping to see them again sometime in the future. Next on the bill, we had the newer version of Cedardale from Oshawa.

Cedardale now consists of Nathan on vocals, Connor on guitar, Charles on bass, Mike on keys, and Jim on drums. They used to have Corey Angus on vocals and Nathan on guitar, as they sounded more Southern and had a whole different set of songs. This was my third time seeing the new Cedardale, as I saw them open for Continuance, and I saw them at their comeback show. This was definitely my favourite time seeing them, as they were one of my favourite bands of the night. I enjoy that they use keys a lot more in their music, as it makes it more melodic and very catchy. The crowd was into their set for the most of it, from what I remember. I did notice that during their final song, which was called “Pathways” which is up on their MySpace, they taught the crowd the chant in it, yet only about 6 people went for it, one of which was myself. Overall, I find that Cedardale is getting more fans each show they play, and I can tell that they’ll have quite a dedicated fanbase by the end of 2010. Last, but not least, we had Of Soldiers And Saints, now known as Heartless.

Of Soldiers and Saints consisted of Mike on vocals, Matt and Julian on guitars, Dan on bass, and Jeff on drums. This was their final show with the name OSAS, as they are now known as Heartless. They’re definitely one of the most well-known bands in the local scene, if not the most known. They’re definitely my favourite local band, and this was definitely one of my favourite OSAS performances. I was convinced that they’d open their set with their old intro, “Casey Jones”, which they didn’t, but I was not disappointed because I enjoy their new intro a lot. During their second song, “Bottomfeeder”, which is a new song, I noticed that Matt’s guitar went out of tune at the ending, and I noticed that Jeff noticed it also, as he looked at Matt with a look of “What the hell is happening?”. After that, I didn’t notice any mess-ups.

As their set progressed, they played two old songs, which were “Burn That Witch”, and “Vlad the Impaler”, which got many sing-alongs, including myself and my good friend Brandon Oake, who is also a huge OSAS fan, and it got to the point where Mike just gave Brandon and I a microphone during “Vlad the Impaler” and Mike got himself the other one to use. When Mike announced that they had one more song, and it wasn’t their most well-known song, “Cronz”, everyone was confused, but afterwards he said he was just kidding, and they went on to play it. This performance had one of the best crowds I had ever seen for OSAS, where everyone went crazy chanting “We’re nothing but a memory” at the end of the song. Their set ended with Jeff and Matt playing “Casey Jones” while Mike and Julian took equipment off the stage, and Dan smashed his bass which got the crowd going. After the set, Mike realised that he had forgotten to announce that they were giving away their OSAS buttons, so I got a few of them from him after the show. Overall, OSAS/Heartless put on an amazing set, and I’m really excited to see Heartless when they come around here again.

Overall, Ballin’ Slamfest was a solid show, which brought a decent crowd. It was a night that I will definitely remember for a long time. I’d like to thank Stephen Grande for putting it on, all of the bands for coming out to play, and last but not least, I’d like to thank everyone who came out to see it. Check out any of the bands on MySpace!

http://www.myspace.com/archilite

http://www.myspace.com/swyd420

http://www.myspace.com/thisiscarmine

http://www.myspace.com/longshothardcore

http://www.myspace.com/cedardalehc

http://www.myspace.com/ofsoldiersandsaintsmetal

http://www.myspace.com/stayheartless

-Justin

REV Entertainment Presents : Hit My Baby One More Time in Oshawa

My apologies for the delay, but a very demanding family life has forced me to put off everything else for the past few days. I won’t bore you with the details of my plight though, so on with the review of the Hit My Baby One More Time Tour, with GODFALLS & Speak of the Devil headlining, courtesy of Revelation Entertainment.

The show was initially to be held at E.P Taylor’s in Durham College. However, due to drama involving a band that dropped the bill, and a certain internet troll, the show was moved at the last minute to the Green Bottle. Basically, threats of violence were being thrown back and forth, including a threat courtesy of Durham’s own imaginary gang DOOMCREW (xHATECREWx are tuffer), and E.P Taylor’s caught wind of this, basically telling REV “fuck you and your drama” thus cancelled the show. The best part is that the band dropped, Doomcrew never came, and even the one being threatened didn’t show up, making the venue change completely pointless. Congratulations, E.P Taylor’s now hates us. It’s bullshit like this that discourages venues from hosting shows. Please, keep the pit beef to a minimum in the future. Wait, there’s more! Of Soldiers and Saints had the drop the show the day of because guitarist Matt Campbell spontaneously acquired the stomach flu, causing even more hassle. Don’t worry guys, we don’t blame you. Also, send your regards to Cat, Tyler, Andrew and Matt. Despite the ridiculous amount of issues regarding this show, they still managed to run it as smoothly as possible. Keep running the scene, Cat! (Inside joke, don’t rage at me.)

The Green Bottle is a rather modest venue with the stage area being, dare I say, maybe a bit smaller than the Top Shelf’s. On top of that, it’s a step above the ground, causing people to constantly trip and fall off the step upon being pushed, or moving back to avoid an angry Canning fist. It’s much more advantageous to the more passive audience, with plenty of stools to sit on and counters to lean on, along with a very large bar area. It’s not the best, but it’s better than nothing.

Opening the show was Absence of Fear, fresh out a 4 month hiatus over… something. I distinctly remember seeing them last year at Johnny B’s because one of the guitar players was wearing a Holly Springs Disaster shirt which caught my eye, on top of slow dancing with some other guy with a tuque over his face. Needless to say, they took me by surprise with a completely new sound.

Absence of Fear consists of Jordan Turnbull on lead guitar/vocals, Ethan Storer on rhythm guitar/screaming, Jake Devine playing bass, and finally Ryan Ganga on drums.

From what I remember, and I’m probably wrong because it was so long ago, these guys were playing some sort of Alternative Rock type thing with a hint of metal back in the day. I’ve still got the “We Lost Our Captain in an Elevator Mosh Pit” EP somewhere around my house. Nevertheless, they completely revamped their song, not to mention their onstage performance, and created something that was definitely elevator-mosh-pit-worthy. They brought out an impressive crowd considering it was their first show in 4 months. Apparently people were very eager to see the new sound they had to offer, and I can’t say I blame them. It was also good to hear that they kept some of the southern rock elements for their earlier work, as well as the clean vocals, which were impressive and on-key for the most part unlike certain metal bands that attempt to incorporate clean vocals into their music… These guys are looking for a full-time vocalist –Screaming or singing, I’m unsure—and if you, or anyone you know is interested, be certain to speak to them when you have the time!

Next in line were Kings in Vain, hailing from Newcastle. I caught them a while back at a previous REV show with Breaking the Fourth Wall, and I must say that they have certainly improved since way back then, but still have ways to go.

Kings in Vain consists of Justin Scott performing vocals, Matt Miller & Steve Boudreau playing guitars, Alex Skinner on bass, and Alex Faris-Sulpher on drums.

As Tyler stated before, REV won’t do a show with Dale on sound tech anymore, and I have to say that it was one of the greatest statements I had heard in a while. Last time I had seen Kings in Vain, the sound was very sloppy and you could hardly hear the vocals coming from Justin, which was disastrous on top of a sore throat resulting from a cold. This time however, the sound was top notch and there was nothing to complain about. Despite that, members of this band all seemed rather bored on stage, with the exception of Justin who was basically carrying the entire band in terms of presence. Instrumentally, they seem to lack the technicality of other bands in their genre, instead trying to attain a “s00pa heavy br00tal” sound. Oh well, at least Justin sounds much better than when he was performing vocals for This Is Death Valley back in the day. I think he could do much better given the right sound to back him up.

Third in line was Sleep When You’re Fred, I mean Dead from Oshawa, who continued to impress me every time I saw them. The image of a bloody stiletto comes to mind upon hearing the name, but that’s probably because I’ve been reading too many Lemony Snicket novels (Har har). I’m glad, yet sad at the same time that they replaced In the Act of Violence on this show. It’s a given that I enjoy these guys quite a bit, but I was also very interested in seeing how ITAOV would have performed their latest song “FEMA Camps Are for Pussies” live, a song which has drawn much criticism due to their usage of auto-tune. Oh well, I suppose I’ll catch them along with Waking the Cadaver soon.

Sleep When You’re Dead consists of Alex on Vocals, Matt on Guitar, Jake on Bass and Mark on Drums.

These guys have been getting quite a bit of attention from us, including a recommendation, along with a review from their previous show in Ajax, where they opened for As You Like Me. Speaking Ajax, the crowd this night was booming with livelihood compared to the former, where people merely sat at the bar despite being called upon several times by Alex. You can tell that a good crowd response can be infectious, because these guys certainly played a much better set than they did in Ajax. Seriously people, merely standing in front of the band would have been enough. It’s disgusting that they couldn’t have put the smallest effort in making a band feel welcome. I won’t rant though, for the sake of keeping this review under 6 pages. These guys are definitely one of my favourite bands in the local scene, and I strongly recommend catching them with Oceano on the 12^th in Toronto. They won’t disappoint, unless you’re like the Ajax crowd.

Then you deserve to be disappointed.

Shortly after was Falling Forward from Whitby, arguably one of the youngest bands in our local scene, dubbed the New Youth Crew by many. This show was, regretfully, Ryan Landon’s final show with Falling Forward. Afterwards, they will be welcoming Darian (James Gagnon 2.0) Palumbo on bass, whereas Justin Frederick will be taking over guitar duties.

Falling Forward consists of Jacob “Edge” Hellas performing vocals, Marcus Glennie & Ryan Landon playing guitars, and Terrance Pettitt playing drums.

A much better set than the one they played the week after, opening for King Cobra. It was generally tighter, and the crowd was much livelier. Come to think of it, it seems the only band that actually improves when they play is Of Soldiers and Saints. Falling Forward’s set was sadly a short one this night, and I would very much have liked to drag it on for a bit longer. Some, meaning Jamie, would say Jacob’s the next Scott Vogel. Agree or disagree? Jacob loves feedback so send him some, preferably as anonymous Formspring hate. I had the pleasure of supplying my own crappy death metal shrieks during one of their songs, which allegedly impressed the crowd, which is bullshit because only Helen Keller could truly appreciate the genius of my vocals.

Anyways, an impressive set as always and of course a response from their friends in the crowd, who will always be close to their hearts. Marcus did look a bit bored on stage, and he really needs to work on doing something other than running on the spot while playing, or I’ll have to bring a treadmill next show. Unfortunately, Jacob didn’t get to do his cover of Miracles by ICP that he had been looking forward to, but it would have been a joke gone too far anyways. One joke that did go too far was Jacob stating at the end of their set “We are Falling Forward, and we hate every single one of you”. Anyone who knows him would obviously be able to pick that up as a joke, but apparently it sparked up some contempt from Speak of the Devil, calling them immature and ignorant. Thankfully, it didn’t result in another Misery Signals-esque incident.

Directly supporting the headliners were Know Where You Stand, who we usually mention as being from Ajax, but I found out that they’re actually scattered all around Durham, in Oshawa, Ajax, and even Courtice if I remember correctly.

Know Where You Stand consists of Aaron Black on Vocals, Reid MacLean and Stephen Grande on Guitar, Chris Davies on Drums and Brandon Smith on Bass.

You won’t believe this next statement… For the first time in months, I managed to catch a Know Where You Stand set… WIHOUT ANY FIGHTS! Thank the good Lord! No angry metal kids, no pretentious Brock pseudo-intellectuals, just some sweet push mosh, two-step and even their staple “King of the Hill” mosh (which I have won two shows in a row. Fuck yea). These guys are talented at what they do, and know how to make use of the irritatingly tiny stage area at the Green Bottle. A great set as usual, minus the fact that most of the crowd had left after Falling Forward… On the bright side, more people would have resulted in potential drama, so perhaps small crowds are best for everyone! You can see them for yourself on the 27^th, along with The Ghost Inside, Betrayal, Reign Supreme, and As You Like Me! Send them a message; they’re selling tickets for a very decent price which escapes my mind.

Here comes headliner #1, GODFALLS from Montreal! Frankly, I had never heard of them until this show was announced, and apparently they’re not too popular around here because the venue was more or less empty by this time.

GODFALLS consists of Desb performing vocals, Pete on shredz, Gabe on banjo, Mart on booom, and Nick on kongas. I’m not joking, this is exactly what it says on their Myspace. Je trouve que la plupart des Quebecois sont un peu foux, non?

To be completely honest, I spent most of this time over at Sleep When You’re Dead’s car outside, listening to Leftover Crack and Agnostic Front. It wasn’t until the last two songs that I went outside, only to be completely obliterated by a ridiculously over-the-top light show that should have come with a warning sign for those prone to seizures. For the most part, it sounded like Speak of the Devil with no synth, and many more breakdowns. In other words, it wasn’t really anything new. One thing I will give them though is the clean vocals. Man, that girl can sing, and took my mind off anything I didn’t like about the band. One thing I discussed outside with Sleep When You’re Dead was the presence of “epic build-ups” in songs, instead of slews of breakdowns. We discussed the advantages of these and that we wished more bands had them (Counterparts has one of my favourite build-ups, just saying). To my surprise, GODFALLS did just that! Although I wish Gabe (Gabrielle, I guess) had some singing during this build-up, because it was the perfect opportunity to let her vocals shine through. I was disappointed though, and marked them off as merely a band with potential. Seriously, use Gabrielle more, she’ll fix everything.

Finally, to wrap the show up nicely, Speak of the Devil took the stage. I had always been critical of the ridiculous amounts of synth used in their music, but I was also very interested in seeing them perform it live.

Speak of the Devil, from Toronto, consists of Alex Hoffman performing vocals, David Moonie on guitar/vocals, Aaron Marshall on guitar, Andrew Murphy on bass, and Derek Gibbons on synth.

If you like progessive bands such as Periphery, but want a heavier sound and a twinge of Hardcore, Speak of the Devil are the band you’ll want to look up, assuming you’re comfortable with the synth which unfortunately takes away from the instrumentals on their tracks. Live, on the other hand, it blends in perfectly with the music, rather than pulling all of your attention towards it. Along with an impressive light show than wasn’t seizure-inducing, and even a fog machine, Speak of the Devil put on a very impressive live show. One thing that I found amusing was Alex’s usage of a megaphone during certain points of each song instead of the microphone in order to give his spoken vocals an effect of distance. A creative move on their part, but it was still a bit humorous to see a vocalist put down his microphone and pick up a megaphone.

Earlier in the night, one of the guys promised me that they would play Jasper, and I was very glad he wasn’t trolling! Jasper has been my favourite off their EP for a long time, and I was curious to see if they could recreate it live. I can thankfully say that they did, and I even got them to play Deviated September as an encore. I think Oshawa might have scared them a little bit, because members of Falling Forward began a small pretend-fight (YO, COME AT ME BRO!), causing Speak of the Devil to stop mid-song and tell them to break it up. Lighten up fellas, it’s not like Doomcrew was there or anything! Aside from that little incident, their set went very smoothly, and I was bit sad to see that I was the only one who was familiar with the band, aside from Matt Alex but he never participates anyways. They are a band that I would recommend checking out.

Despite two bands dropping off the bill at the last minute, a hasty venue change, and a widespread panic that “Doomcrew” would ruin the show, the night went quite smoothly and the turnout was better than anticipated. I got gambled out of $1.50 by the guitarist from Speak of the Devil in a random dice game, with rules that he never specified. He does have some amazing luck though; because he managed to roll triple 6’s which apparently means that he wins the whole pool. Oh well, touring bands need the money more than I do, I suppose. Remember to send your thanks to REV staff, and check out what they have planned for September, including Beneath the Massacre in Oshawa!

You can check out all the bands @

http://www.myspace.com/absenceoffear2008

http://www.myspace.com/kingsinvain

http://www.myspace.com/swyd420

http://www.myspace.com/wearefallingforward

http://www.myspace.com/knowwhereyoustand

http://www.myspace.com/godfalls

http://www.myspace.com/speakofthedevilmusic

Although they dropped the show, they still deserve recognition :

http://www.myspace.com/ofsoldiersandsaintsmetal

http://www.myspace.com/intheactofviolence

Sleep When You’re Dead

Sleep When You’re Dead [or SWYD] is a Hardcore band from Oshawa, Ontario consisting of Alex on Vocals, Matt on Guitar, Mark on Drums and Jake on Bass! I had the pleasure of seeing these dudes perform at the last show we covered at the beginning of June at Top Shelf, and I was completely blown away. At the time I had no idea what to expect, but within minutes of their set I knew that these guys were doing something different from every other band that played at that show. Integrating a very raw Hardcore sound with a more modern one, SWYD creates a grimey soundwave thats sure to please even the biggest skeptics of this abrasive form of music.

Throughout their set you could actually hear alot of different genres and sounds going into their own, even featuring some Noise Rock-esque mayhem. I was very shocked, because generally the scene is dominated by bands that sound generally the same. It was also cool seeing them on a more local bill, playing with the regular bands, and hopefully thats a trend that continues! These guys have also been recording it seems, and they have graciously put up some pre-production tracks for us all to hear!

You can catch Sleep When You’re Dead today actually at The Green Bottle for the Oshawa stop of Speak of the Devil and Godfall’s tour! It promises to be a great night full of great local talent 🙂

As per usual, you can check out Sleep When You’re Dead @

http://www.myspace.com/swyd420

-Andy

SG Promotions Presents: As You Like Me in Ajax

I would just like to point out before anything that this is the first anything that has been posted on our brand new site! What does everyone think? Fancy eh? Anywho;

SG Promotions, run by Stephen Grande of Know Where You Stand is known for throwing shows at Ajax’s only venue, The Top Shelf. These shows are generally known for awesome lineups, even better performances and one thing The Top Shelf has become infamous for; Violence.

Ajax as a city is not a very violent place though! I have lived here for almost 5 years now, in what people consider one of the worst parts, and the only time i’ve been approached on the street is someone asking me if I wanted any crack. Other than that one time, I have never had any problems with Ajax, and Ajax has never had any problems with me. This is the second time i’ve covered a show at The Top Shelf, and its also the second time i’ve seen something violent happen there. I’m honestly surprised shows are still being held there, and I pray that they will be still, as the lack of venues in the GTA is starting to become noticeable.

This particular show though I had very high hopes for; Every band on the bill was solid. Sleep When You’re Dead from Oshawa, TRBP’s BFF Of Soldiers and Saints, The new and improved Cedardale, Band Recommendation #2 Know Where You Stand and the always lovely As You Like Me. The only thing that could make this a shitty show would be the looming rain clouds overhead, but as far as I know, the weather was fine. Thats just me personally though, I hate when it rains, especially in the summer. It makes everything all musky outside, and on top of that, its usually luke warm. ANYWAYS! Onto the review.

I originally had low expectations for the first band, Sleep When You’re Dead. Just from what I had heard from old recordings and what not, but let me say, this band was one of my favorites of the night. Performance wise, sound wise; These guys were great, and I loved their sludgey brand of Hardcore. Alittle bit of old, and new, and even integrating a Noise Rock-esque sound, I was impressed that I was hearing such exotic sounds coming out of Top Shelf. Any bands riding the Hardcore Punk revival sound can take a lesson from these guys; Go in a forward progression, not a backwards one. Creating your band around a dead genre of music is a bad choice in my opinion, but integrating the best elements of a dead genre can lead to a really amazing sound, Case in point; these guys.

Sleep When You’re Dead consists of Alex on Vocals, Matt on Guitar, Jake on Bass and Mark on Drums. Seeing these guys reminded me of when I saw Kingdoms at The Groove Lounge back in April or May; Initially I had really low expectations, but now they are one of my favorite bands, and I literally spam their EP everyday or listen to it when I go on a jog. I definitely got the same vibe from SWYD’s set, and it was really awesome to see the underdog’s of the show rise up and really take the cake.

I would like to mention that Alex’s clean vocals during their last song were PHENOMENAL. I was so shocked when I heard such a pristine sounding voice come out of that dude. You guys definitely need to incorporate that into your music more, I think that would only add to it in a positive way.

Unfortunately the crowd didn’t really pick up until the third band, so SWYD’s reaction was nil, but the people who were in attendance were definitely digging what they had to offer, including fellow TRBP writer Alan Ghannoum. I’m really looking forward to seeing Sleep When You’re Dead again, and hopefully if they are interested we can do an interview! 🙂

Next up, a band I am ALWAYS happy to see, Of Soldiers and Saints from Whitby Ontario! These guys have recently been busy as fuck recording a brand new and highly anticipated EP. They have always been booking shows like CRAZY, but are doing it the smart way and not booking fifty shows in a row in the same area. xX;)Xx

Like I was saying, its always a pleasure to see these guys, and review them, because they always put on an amazing show. Unfortunately for this show they were short a bassist, and usually when a band is short a bassist you don’t notice at all, but Dan’s bassing is definitely a positive feature to OSAS, and you really hear it when hes not up there with them. Kudo’s to OSAS for playing anyways though, as they stated during their set, they will play a show even if they don’t have a drummer. WAA style. nah kidding sort of.

If you’re too lazy to check any of the other reviews we have of Of Soldiers and Saints, they consist of Mike on Vocals, Julian on Guitar, Dan on Bass, Matt on Guitar and Jeff on Drums! Although like I mentioned already, Dan was absent for this performance.

I didn’t notice, but apparently Julian was having some guitar trouble during their set. These guys are generally hard on themselves over things like this, as are all musicians, but trust me, everything still sounded awesome. It was also sweet to hear some new songs, including the one that was posted for a very short period of time on their Myspace! Currently untitled, but I think it was called IV on their site. New song #2, promptly called As You Like Me for the show, was also a very nice glimpse into the future for OSAS’s sound, which I am personally looking forward too.

Old songs were performed amazingly as usual too; always great to see the crowd getting involved in songs like CRONZ and Vlad the Impaler. Also me catching a piece of Jeff’s drumstick mid-flight was probably the coolest thing NO ONE EVER SAW. This guy really shreds the drum kit, I rarely see a drummer live making his kit move in different places. You should seriously catch OSAS at their next local gig on the 29th at EP Taylors with GODFALLS and Speak of the Devil. TRBP will be sponsoring that show.

Get stoked for Of Soldiers and Saints’s upcoming EP, these boys are fucking going places.

A SURPRISING amount of people have actually bothered me for the review of Cedardales comeback show. Unfortunately the writer who was suppose to write it quit TRBP and we kind of lost that opportunity. I kind of saw this show as a perfect chance to see these guys, and make up for the review that was lost.

Cedardale is a band that I have personally known of since they first began. They used to share a jam space with one of my old drummers, and were a very respected band in said jam space. They even named themselves after the school the jam space was located in! Which for me is always a nice reminder of the good and bad times we all shared in that building. If you don’t know already, Cedardale has undergone a huge lineup change, moving former Guitarist Nathan to vocals, and kicking out their singer Corey. A risky move, but it has obviously payed off for these guys in a really positive way.

The band now consists of Nathan on Vocals, Jim on Drums, Connor on Guitar, Charles on Bass and Mike on Keys. Epic Keys. You guys were right to add that to your facebook page.

For the record I never had the chance to see Cedardale play with their old lineup. I have watched them jam before, and heard them jam, but never seen them play. I can’t really make that much of a comparison between old and new, but I will say that I definitely prefer new. Nathan’s vocals were spot on, and his energy was great to match. The bass player in Cedardale, Charles, was also a very positive aspect of their set, due to the fact that he really carried the songs in a different way. Alot of bands disregard bass, especially in the Metal/Hardcore genres, so its nice to see Cedardale REALLY utilizing the one guitar and bass lineup. Speaking of the Guitar…wow. Amazing. Surprisingly clean tones coming from an Ibanez too, which are known for more muddy metal sounds.

There were a few points of the set where I would be looking over at drummer Jim literally killing the drum kit. Needless to say, as a band, Cedardale have all put in their time and effort practicing as musicians, and as a musical force.

My absolute favorite part of these guys though was the Keys! You hear alot of bands playing Metalcore music with the keys awkwardly placed here and there, and you just want to stand there and facepalm the entire show. Said bands should learn a thing or two from Cedardale and keyboardist Mike. I have never heard a band with such beautifully placed keyboard sections in my entire life. I mean that.

All in all, “new” Cedardale is absolutely amazing, and SO worth checking out. I was able to take a video of them which I will post up on TRBP’s YouTube page. They are also putting out an EP soon aswell, so be on the watch for that! Hopefully we will get the opportunity to review it 🙂

Cedardale will be playing the Continuance show at The Green Bottle aswell, which TRBP will also be covering.

A band that has been recently making some major headway in the scene, their last show being with We Came As Romans, From First to Last, Asking Alexandria in Toronto, Know Where You Stand keeps making Ajax proud.

A personal kudo’s to Stephen Grande for allowing The Running Board Press to sponsor this amazing show aswell, he is definitely keeping the music scene in Ajax alive, despite the lack of venues to have said scene. Hopefully Top Shelf will continue to have shows, even with the abundance of violence that literally closes in when the sun goes down.

Know Where You Stand consists of Aaron on Vocals, Reid and Stephen on Guitar, Chris on Drums and Brandon on Bass. It should be noted that despite how young most of these guys are, they are some of the most talented musicians I have ever seen take the stage. It is mind blowing.

These guys brand a very technical Metalcore sound, that you don’t hear very much in the scene. Most of the bands are basically breakdown bands. And by breakdown bands I mean bands that have literally 5 or more breakdowns per song. Anyone who’s spoken to me about breakdown bands before will know exactly who i’m talking about. 8 BREAKDOWNS!? REALLY?@! god. Anyways, onto KWYS.

It was awesome to see them in their hometown, I really felt the Ajax pride pulsating in the venue. Save for maybe the very confused and possibly disturbed Asian family that runs Top Shelf. I always wonder what they think of the bands that play. The first time I saw these guys was at the Uplift show at The Groove Lounge in Oshawa back in April, and I was completely blown away by them. I have actually been eagerly waiting for their upcoming EP, which will HOPEFULLY come out soon! ;D c whut i did thar?

Other than playing tracks off of the aforementioned EP, KWYS busted out a completely new song that has only been played a once or twice before. It didn’t sound entirely different from their other songs, but it was definitely a progression to say the least. I am really excited for these guys, and you should be too.

You can catch Know Where You Stand at The Ghost Inside show that everyone probably already knows about! I think that ones in July 🙂

One of if not the first headliner show for As You Like Me, and The Running Board Press was lucky enough to sponsor the show! It is always awesome to watch these guys and gal perform, and hangout with them pre and post-set. They are some of the nicest people you will ever meet, and also some of the most talented musicians you will ever meet at that.

2010 has been a very successful year for As You Like Me, and I think it will only grow from here on out.

As far as I know, this was their first show in Ajax, and I guess it was fitting that 3 or 4 fights broke out during their set. That seems to be some kind of baptism for out of town bands, to witness this ridiculous violence that happens for little to no reason at all. But I guess thats what happens when you mix stupidity with alcohol.

If you don’t know already, As You Like Me consists of Vijay on Vocals, Mike on Guitar and Vocals, Steph on Guitar, Mark on Bass, and Daniel on Drums! I am actually really stoked right now, because I usually have to check back and make sure I get the names right of the bands, but this time I was able to write them all out without doing so. Yay!

Hot off the presses from Vaughan Ontario, AYLM has already gone on a province wide tour, put out an EP, and played a show with Metalcore giants Misery Signals. I would say thats something to be proud of. I have caught these guys every time they have come to my neck of the woods, and every time I see them they put on a better show than the last. As they have noted, everytime they play in this neck of the woods, the crowd reaction grows and grows. The venue mistook Know Where You Stand for the final band and mostly everyone left, save for some annoyingly pompous band members of awful ajax breakdowncore band[s]. Once these guys took to the stage, the venue started to fill up again, and halfway through their set, people were literally exhausted from moving so much. I would count that as an accomplishment in my book.

Unfortunately when people come to Top Shelf, and are of age to consume alcoholic beverages with SEVERE inferiority complexes, they like to start conflicts with people. I won’t go into glaring detail because that is not what this review is about, but I would like to say this…

JUST BECAUSE YOU GO TO THE “PRESTIGIOUS” BROCK

UNIVERSITY AND ARE “ARTICULATE” AND “INTELLIGENT”

DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO START SHIT WITH

PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE SCENE.

Whew, end of drama.

Anyways, bullshit aside, As You Like Me put on an amazing set, which was unfortunately cut short of an encore due to the aforementioned abercrombie reject. Hopefully next time they will get to play that encore, and there will be no interuptions.

All in all, I would like to thank Stephen Grande once again for putting on this show, and Francis Allard for always contributing to the scene any way he can. I’d also like to give a shout out to Tristan Rickaby. This guy gets a really bad rap, but honestly, he brings life and energy to EVERY show he attends, and that is something every scene could use more of. If you have some kind of problem with him for that, then you’re an idiot. He can be alittle rambunctious at times, but honestly, thats no reason to pick a fight with him. Grow up.

You can check out the above bands @

http://www.myspace.com/swyd420

http://www.myspace.com/ofsoldiersandsaintsmetal

http://www.myspace.com/cedardalehc

http://www.myspace.com/knowwhereyoustand

http://www.myspace.com/asyoulikemeband

-Andy