Local band wants to ride the vinyl wave. Releases its own disc

A local band called "Children of Metal" hopes that combining metal music and classic vinyl LPs will be the perfect recipe for a successful record!

 

The idea was born on a beach in Cuba during March break at the start of the COVID pandemic.

 

"As we departed from Montreal we found out that school would be closed for a month.," said band member Bryan Elsey. "We thought, 'Do you fly out as the world is shutting down?'"

 

But the vacation money had already been committed.

 

"We trusted Canada wouldn’t leave us stranded! But, as the week wore on and the resort became deserted we started to worry if we would get home!! So I’m sitting on the beach thinking ‘will I be living in Cuba soon?' and ‘looks like I’m going to have a lot of time on my hands IF I get home. What will I do?' And my answer…write a heavy metal album."

 

It seemed like the right thing for the times.

 

"Sometimes the solution to a dark cloud isn’t a light one," Elsey told BayToday. "Often one needs to face the looming peril, sift through tough thoughts and reorder them. Metal helps many to do this. Metal is the catharsis that leads to lightness."

So Elsey, Neil Malkin, Eric Luckett, Mason Ladoceur, Ryan Walsh, Simon Gagne and Scott Aultman, all from North Bay, got to work.

It was written in April 2021 and the recording concluded that December.

“We wanted to release this in some real tangible way. It’s crazy…but vinyl has now surpassed CDs in sales for the first time since '91, Plus, we’re all vinyl fans! It sounds great…great art. Love the format”

Then, an unforeseen obstacle popped up. When the group went to press the record they were told that Wal Mart in the States had just announced it would be getting into the vinyl game.

"When we started recording, turnover times were around 10 weeks That suddenly became eight months. We were told that, at our chosen manufacturer, we had just been bumped WAY down the cue by a massive order of Fleetwood Mac 'Rumors.' That sucked…but hey…we were bumped by Rumors…that’s kind of cool!“

Band members range in age from 20-50. All are metal fans.

Elsey says the songs are all '80s metal and admits that point has been a fight for them so far.

"It's 100 per cent true to form but when people hear that it's 'metal’ they are put off. They hear that, or see the cover and think, ‘screaming’. That couldn’t be further from the truth of what we are. Eighties metal is like today's radio rock. It's melodic and fun. It's party music!!”

And the group's name?

“We are literally children of metal….hence the name. Most of us grew up on this stuff. We don’t consider this a throwback band. It’s the music we all play and listen to!! We called the album 'Resurrection' because that’s what we are doing with this style of music.”

The album is heavily influenced by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath.

"We make no bones about that!" admits Elsey. "Ozzy started it all. Ozzy is king. The great thing so far is everyone hears everything from that era. People hear shades of old Metallica, Anthrax, Motley Crue, Poison, Motorhead, Guns and Roses, Maiden, Priest…kind of everything. It's been really great hearing that feedback. We dedicated the album to those bands..so we’re thrilled."

The band is playing at the Capitol Centre on April 1. 

"It’s a very ambitious release for sure! Honestly, we hope it's successful not just for our sake…but for everyone’s. I mean, how fun would it be for there to be a local band you can see in an awesome venue like that? Cheap, close to home-it’d be great!  And I mean, if that’s not us being that band…fine. But maybe other bands start to try! Again… that would be awesome.

“We want families to come! It’s not crazy music. We especially want young people to see really proficient players shred! It was so fun back then to watch those kinds of players back in the day!"