by Scott Roos band photo by Jim Louvau Thrash metal lifers Exodus are wasting no time ushering in their next era. With a stacked Canadian run alongside Megadeth and Anthrax , the Bay Area legends are already knee deep into the campaign for their upcoming full-length Goliath , and if drummer Tom Hunting is to be believed, Western Canada - especially Saskatoon this Tuesday, Feb. 24th - is in for something fierce. “Oh, it’s been awesome,” Hunting says of the tour so far. “It’

by Scott Roos band photo by Totem Coast Photography Progressive death metal has never been short on ambition, but Boston’s GRAVEBORN have made evolution itself their defining mission. Since forming in 2013, the band have steadily expanded their sound across four increasingly sophisticated releases: Samsara , Seeds of Life , The Athenaeum , and 2021’s Transmigrator . Now, after more than five years of painstaking work, the group return with what may be their most conceptually

by Scott Roos Our Grade: B+ Saskatoon’s Blind Commentary continues carving out space in the prairie underground with the release of “Trapped in the Walls,” which dropped Feb. 11. The single marks the band’s first offering of 2026 and hints at a continued experimental direction ahead for the self-described "emogaze" outfit. On this track, they don’t ease you in. They drop you straight into it. “Trapped in the Walls” is all tension and texture. The guitars shimmer and collide,

by Scott Roos band photo by Carsen Warriner There’s a difference between re-releasing old songs and resurrecting them. On Decomposition , the new EP from Saskatoon metal act Pythonic, the band does the latter. The five tracks mirror their earlier EP in order and foundation but the similarities end there. What once leaned toward groove-heavy nu-metal-esque sonics now detonates with sharpened death-metal precision. And according to guitarist Vincent Kohut, this is only the begi

by Scott Roos photos by David Leyes As Glass Tiger marks the 40th anniversary of their landmark debut The Thin Red Line , the songs that launched them from bar stages to international radio still carry the spirit of the young band that first created them. Four decades on, keyboardist Sam Reid finds himself revisiting those early recordings in a new way and not through the dense production that defined the 1980s, but through stripped-down performances that return the music to

words and photos by Brooke Anderson (Brooke Anderson Media) Toeing the line between rock and country, HARDY (Micheal Hardy) brought an immense energy to the SaskTel Centre this past Thursday, February 12th. The "Country! Country! Tour" had just debuted a week earlier in Oshawa ON and the chemistry of the touring party was on fire. The openers McCoy Moore and Cameron Whitcomb couldn't have been the more perfect to open for HARDY. McCoy Moore has an amazing voice and his supp

by Scott Roos Our Grade: A (Song) and A+ (Video) Katelyn Lehner’s latest single, “Howl,” (released this past July) arrives as a sultry, genre-bending pop-country-rock stomper that feels tailor-made for late nights, dance floors, and radio rotation. Clocking in at a tight 2 minutes and 48 seconds, it’s a punchy, high-energy track that doesn’t overstay its welcome — just enough time to grab a partner and two-step before it fades out, leaving you wishing it went on a little long

by Scott Roos Our grade: A Jordan Perry’s “Sleep Forever,” the lead single from his upcoming album Jeux d’hiver , is a polished, atmospheric entry into a sonic world that feels both nostalgic and immediate. Rooted in retro electro-pop, the track carries a distinctly old-school energy that recalls the sleek, pulsing textures of Daft Punk, particularly the mood-driven soundscapes of the Tron Legacy soundtrack. There’s also additional cinematic quality to it that brings to mind

by Scott Roos Our grade: B “Down Bad,” released in October 2025, marks a vulnerable and important step for Saskatchewan indie artist LILI, a nehiyaw iskwew musician from Sturgeon Lake First Nation known for her heartfelt songwriting and grounded presence. As her first ballad, the track leans fully into emotional honesty, exploring the aftermath of a painful breakup and the quiet humiliation that can come from loving someone who never truly loved you back. Drawing on themes of

by Scott Roos photo by Nova ( @saulandnovacreative) Our Grade: A- Beauval country artist Sammii’s debut single “Her Love” makes a strong first impression, showcasing a thoughtful blend of country textures and heartfelt performance, brought together under the steady hand of producer Travis Beatty. From the opening moments, the backing track establishes a warm, inviting sound. The banjo in the intro is a particularly nice touch, setting a rustic tone that leads naturally into a

by Scott Roos live photos by Tracy Creighton ( Copperblue Photography and Design ) Our Grade: B+ Taya Lebel makes a confident first impression with her debut single, an upbeat and romantic track entitled "Life We're Livin'" (released this past September) that captures the rush of early love while keeping one eye firmly on the future. Inspired by shared memories with her boyfriend, the song leans into the glow of young summer romance - full of motion, optimism, and the promise

by Scott Roos live photo by Scott Roos Our Grade: A “Nobody Roads” (released this past September) feels like both a continuation and a quiet evolution for Josh Stumpf -almost a heartbreaking sequel to last year’s breakaway road trip stomper “Highway Money.” Where that song reveled in momentum and grit, this one turns inward, tracing the emotional necessity of escape and solitude. It’s a deeply personal track rooted in Josh’s first-ever songwriting trip outside the country, w

by Scott Roos Our Grade: B Mercy Glover’s debut single “Ain’t Mine” captures that quiet, sinking moment when you realize the person beside you has their heart elsewhere . Written and performed by Glover, and produced by Jesse Weiman at Nolita Studios (with mastering by Trevor Case at Case Mastering), the track leans into a glossy, medium-tempo pop-country sound designed for easy connection and wide appeal. At its core, “Ain’t Mine” is undeniably catchy. The chorus lands with

by Scott Roos photos by Aaron Sinclair There’s a certain kind of confidence that doesn’t announce itself loudly. It just grooves. That’s the space Ella Forrest occupies. It’s in that headspace somewhere between jazz-trained precision, disco-era joy, and the quiet assurance of someone who knows exactly why they’re doing what they’re doing. Since debuting in 2022, the Regina-raised, and currently Ontario-based artist has been steadily carving out a lane that doesn’t always get

photos and words by Scott Roos On Friday, January 23rd, Saskatoon’s The North Sound as part of the On Stage concert series to Prince Albert’s EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts, delivered an intimate, career-spanning performance that showcased both the duo’s evolution and their growing confidence as storytellers, songwriters, and performers. The North Sound - Forrest and Nevada Eaglespeaker - were joined by a formidable backing band affectionately billed by the Eaglespeakers a

Words and photo by Scott Roos When Forrest Eaglespeaker talks about music, he talks about space—emotional space, physical space, the kind of breathing room that allows a story to unfold honestly. It’s an idea that runs quietly but persistently through The North Sound’s work, from early releases to As the Stars Explode and now into their latest chapter with What It Takes . It’s also an idea that feels unmistakably rooted in where the music comes from. “I’ve always loved the m

by Scott Roos Our Grade - C+ Released on Oct. 17th, Regina's Sifu and the Hat's “Wakin’ Up” is a bold attempt at the traditional blues genre. While it doesn’t completely break new ground, it delivers enough grit and energy to make an impression. With a press release citing Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, R.L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough, listeners can expect something raw, angular, and lived-in. Instrumentally, to a degree, the track succeeds. The groove has a decent, unforc

by Scott Roos Our Grade: B+ Softlung, the Saskatoon-based project of S.J. Kardash, returns with “Midnight Mountains,” a smooth, well-crafted single that leans heavily on strong production and clean melodic instincts. Released on November 4th, the track is silky without being slick, with clear attention paid to how each element sits in the mix. It flirts with adult contemporary territory with a light touch of alt-rock but keeps enough indie-pop character to avoid sounding ove

By Scott Roos band photo courtesy of Fake Paradise Free Fall Released March, 2025 Our Grade - A In March, Saskatoon’s Fake Paradise released their single Free Fall. Collectively, It's a head-bobbing reminder of just how heavy a local band can get. From the first note, guitarist Jace Irvine’s fuzz-laden riff grabs you by the ears and drags you straight into a Master of Reality –era Black Sabbath mood. There’s a boogie-like swing to it, heavy but moving, the kind of riff that m

by Scott Roos photos by Justin Broadbent It’s hard to believe that Shad, the London, Ontario-born wordsmith and hip-hop thinker, is marking his 20th year putting music into the world. “Yeah, it feels good. You know, yes 20th. I put up my first album 20 years ago,” Shad tells NSMZ, sitting back and letting that milestone sink in. “It feels like my 20th year of…putting out music. That’s how I think about it more than kind of being ‘in the business,’ I guess.” And yet, Shad’s re