Your semi-regular update on Maple metal and associated rock continues…
Toronto rocker Danko Jones is gearing up for the release of a new DVD entitled Bring On The Mountain. The package features a documentary on the band spanning the early years all the way up to the present day, 14 live performances, and a whopping 19 (!!) official video clips. This one’s a keeper for the diehard fans, and for the diehard fans that pre-order (shipping date is June 13th) a free 10 minute preview is available online. Go to the band’s official website here for pre-order details and DVD formats. A three-minute documentary trailer can be found here.
French Canadian unsigned progsters Southern Cross are currently one of the featured artists on the BW&BK website, in support of their new album From Tragedy. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with frontman David Lizotte – story can be found here – an assignment I took on because I actually enjoy the new record. Song-oriented prog-metal is hard to come by, and it’s rarer still to find a band of this kind penning songs of the foot-stomping kind (see ‘Tightrope’). Fans of Ayreon, Pain Of Salvation and Parallells-era Fates Warning would do well to check them out.
My review of From Tragedy can be found here.
Edmonton-bassist vocalist Amanda Kiernan has been under a magnifying glass as of late thanks to her joining Into Eternity for touring purposes, filling in while Stu Block continues to raise hell on the road with Iced Earth. Following the band’s upcoming North American tour, Kiernan and her main band The Order Of Chaos will support Helstar in Europe through August and September for 11 shows. No small feat considering The Order Of Chaos is unsigned… for the moment, anyway.
Audio samples can be found at this location along with information on the band and tour updates. Kiernan’s tour schedule with Into Eternity on their North American Devastation Tour are available here.
Finally, former Hail The Villain frontman Bryan Crouch has been making some noise as he gears up to launch his new band, Six Side Die. By the sound of things this band will be every bit as volatile as Crouch’s previous outfit. An assortment of teaser trailers and an audio sample of the song ‘My Enemy are all available on the Six Side Die Facebook page.
Six Side Die also features guitarist Anthony Xander from Toronto-based Modified. Check out my recent interview with Xander and vocalist Tricia Stanley about the new self-titled full length Modified album here.
