St. John’s hard rock band Merlin’s Infero have dropped their debut single for the whole world to hear. The song, entitled “Eyes”, is available on most streaming platforms as of right now, and was released this morning on June 11th, 2021. You can listen to “Eyes” through our YouTube embed down below.
~ Akhenaten
Carbonear based dark ambient project Nemophilist and Glovertown based dark ambient project Vehement Gates, have struck again. The duo have worked together in the past on a self-titled split full length album, have done so once again for the release of this new single. This single, entitled “Cory”, was released through Nemophilist’s YouTube channel on May 1st and can be listened to through our YouTube embed below.
~ Akhenaten
Merchandise manufacturer and artistry business Iron Siren Stage Wardrobe & Merch has been a staple of the St. John’s alternative music scene for years. Run by artist and creator Megan Seabrook, the service offered all kinds of merchandising options to local musicians, primarily in the form of banners that can be hung up behind the stage of a performing band, sporting the band’s logo.
As of yesterday, June 8th, 2021, Iron Siren has called it quits. In a post through the brand’s official Facebook page Seabrook cited numerous reasons for closing the company, including the realization of wanting to pursue a different path in life, as well as recent news that has broken about the former owner of Valhalla Tavern and Treble Lounge, among them.
You can read Seabrook’s full statement below:
This is not a decision made lightly, and this narrative may become a little rambling as it explores two sides of something I’ve been wrestling with for some time.
Like many of us in this little music community, I have been struggling since the news broke about a particular co-proprietor of first Valhalla Tavern and then Treble Lounge after that. From the start of Valhalla to the end of Treble, I was one of the loudest advocates for these establishments. I was there for every event I could manage, bar shows, all ages shows, weird slow nights when nothing was really happening, occasionally staff events, and to this day I sorely miss my Treble karaoke nights. I made a lot of very dear friends in that space. I bought into, and adored the appearance of a progressive, safe space bar that frequently blended my own heavy metal/punk communities with a lot of queer culture events. I encouraged coworkers to bring their kids to all ages shows. I took pride in having painted well upwards of two dozen banners that hung on those walls over the course of several years.
Since the pandemic began, I’ve had a lot of things happen in my personal life that really forcefully realigned my priorities and left me questioning what path I want to be on, and what work actually brings me joy. And the answer is: not this. In the beginning of lockdown, I slowly struggled through a few commissions, and its felt like more of a chore than a passion. I told myself that the spark would come back when the music did. But, as time has gone on and things gradually made rumblings here and there of coming back to life, and I attended the scattered few events that DID take place, the more certain I became that this is no longer my niche, for a variety of reasons, but the important one ties into recent events.
For all of the truly wonderful people I have come to know in this scene, the scene itself really does have a very dark and ugly underside. This news is an extreme example of a predatory undercurrent that has always existed. The fact that so many of us resonated with the “safe space” that Valhalla/Treble professed to be speaks volumes of a fact that we all know, but try to ignore: that much of the scene is NOT safe.
There is an extraordinary amount of predation, in the form of substance peddling, in drugging of drinks, of opportunistic slime waiting to prey on a victim who indulges just a bit too much, gropings, grooming, etc etc etc etc. Its there, and as a community we either try to pretend it isn’t for the sake of enjoying ourselves, or downplay the severity and thus tacitly support it.
In my heart I’ve known this for a long time, but the recent news crystallized this to a degree that I can no longer tuck it away in the back of my brain. I am sickened by what someone I knew, someone who I supported, turned out to be. I’m absolutely gutted and heartbroken for his victims. And I’m terrified to learn what else may have transpired, particularly with regards to the number of children he had access to in that bar. And I am filled with tremendous guilt that I am as complicit as anyone for allowing this predatory underbelly to continue, by pretending it wasn’t there, or that it wasn’t and couldn’t be OUR people.
I will always love music, that hasn’t changed, and never will. It has been such a core of who I am as a person for so much of my life. But I can’t pretend anymore that we arent on an unsteady platform built over a cesspit for the sake of watching friends play a few songs. I want to be doing work that is uplifting, meaningful, and genuinely helps people, rather than continuing to try to slap some paint on a very broken thing and pretend the damage isn’t there.
So, I am ending Iron Siren. I will be returning the few deposits and materials for the projects I currently have on my plate over the coming weeks, and will no longer be available for commission.
I want to be clear that none of this is a judgement on any of the individuals I’ve known and worked with over these last few years, the wild majority are incredible, kind, talented people, and to paint your banners and print your shirts has been a joy and a privilege. I’ve just reached a fork in the road, where the things I value, the difference I want to make, and the things I’m willing to ignore have diverged from the role I have occupied here.
I do however, condemn THIS individual and his actions which are too heinous to comprehend. May his victims, and all victims, receive justice, and ultimately find peace. I believe you, and I will stand by you where I can.
And thank you all for more than four years of painting and music. I have no regrets, just a need to follow a new calling.
~ Akhenaten
St. John’s metalcore outfit Wastecase announced on June 6th that they would be going on hiatus. The project, which is essentially the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Paul Brake, had expanded to include a full lineup of additional members to help bring the music of the project to the stage. These additional musicians were part of the live lineup while Brake remained the sole composer and creative head of the project.
In recent days information has come to light that a member of this live lineup has been involved in a series of crimes and has thusly been kicked out of the band with all ties between the two parties being immediately severed, as can be read in Paul’s statement above. There has been no word how long this hiatus will last or if the band will seek to replace this individual’s role in their lineup with another person.
~ Akhenaten
Corner Brook metalcore group Ultimata announced yesterday that vocalist and founding member Andrew Aylward has decided to part ways with the band. Citing increased responsibilities due to recently becoming a father, Aylward has made the decision to relocate to Alberta for work purposes to help support his family. Ultimata themselves will continue to be a force in the west coast scene of Newfoundland and will be holding auditions for Aylward’s replacement immediately.
The band released this statement through their various social media accounts:
As some of you may know, our lead singer Andrew Aylward recently became a father. With this new addition, he has decided that it is in the best interest of himself and his family to step away from the band and relocate this coming September for work purposes. The rest of the band remains grateful for all his contributions and wish him the best of luck.
As we bid farewell to this chapter, and with Andrew’s blessing, we will begin to search for new vocalists immediately. We will be accepting audio, video, or in-person auditions. The easiest way to contact us is to Direct Message our Facebook page. Submissions may be a song we cover, a rendition of one of our singles, or any other song that showcases what you may be able to bring to this band.
We plan to send Andrew off with a bang. If you would like to take advantage of your last opportunities to see Ultimata in our current form, we would love to see you at one of the following dates (Covid regulations permitting)
• June 25 – Corner Brook @ The Corner Pocket w/ Slowpoke
• July 10 – Stephenville @ Redwood Lounge w/ In Flux
• Aug 20 – St. John’s @ Plan B w/ Jim Jones, Wastecase, & Foul• + more dates TBA
Being a new band and attempting to get off the ground during a global pandemic has been no easy task and we appreciate all of your continued support and patience. Stay safe and we hope to see you all in the near future.
Cody, James, Kyle, Matt, & Nick
Ultimata
We at Heavy NFLD wish Andrew and his family as well as the boys in Ultimata the best of luck in all of their future endeavors.
~ Akhenaten
St. John’s black metal duo Artach are getting ready for the release of their sophomore record Sworn to Avenge, dropping later this summer. As part of the album’s promotional cycle the group have dropped a lyric video for their song “She Gathers Leaves”. This track was previously released as a Halloween-themed single back during Halloween of 2020, but will be included on the tracklist of the band’s new album. You can watch the lyric video for “She Gathers Leaves” down below.
~ Akhenaten
Hot off the release of their sophomore record Tsukimono, St. John’s grunge outfit Jaded Truth have dropped their first music video in the time since the record’s release. The music video for “Spirit” was released on May 28th, 2021 through the band’s YouTube channel and can be viewed through our YouTube embed below.
~ Akhenaten
Newfoundland folk musician Kyle Gryphon, who is also known as the drummer for the crust punk outfit Dark Era, has announced his sophomore record. The follow-up to 2020’s Isolation, Desolation will feature nine tracks of traditional Newfoundland folk music and will be released sometime in the early summer of 2021. We enjoyed Isolation quite a bit so you’ll want to keep your ears open for this one.
~ Akhenaten
St. John’s black metal duo Artach recently announced their forthcoming sophomore record Sworn to Avenge, and now we’ve gotten a taste of one of the new tracks that will be featured on this record’s tracklist alongside some older singles. “Into the Frozen Woodlands” was released in the form of a lyric video through the black metal promotion YouTube channel This is Black Metal on May 12th, 2021.
You can listen to “Into the Frozen Woodlands” through our YouTube embed below.
~ Akhenaten
St. John’s D.I.Y. queer folk punk artist Roza Redd has released her first full length album, Anxiety, Indica, and Ignorance. The record was released on May 7th, 2021 and is currently available on the artist’s Bandcamp page in digital format as well as CD format, shipped directly from the artist.
Speaking about the record, Roza Redd says:
This Is what I’m actually calling a debut album, The culmination of a year of writing and practicing, Almost relearning guitar from a different perspective and learning to sing.
This Album is really about three core things, My Anxiety, Politics, And My Friends. These three things along with music make up the core tenants of my life, really so. I made an attempt at expressing that all honestly, I hope you all like it.
You can listen to the record through our Bandcamp embed below.
~ Akhenaten
