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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Dance With Abandon debuted before a packed house at the Snow Castle on Saturday night.

The band has risen from the ashes of defunct contemporary metal quartet Haste Inhale.

Johnny Volume rocks out with the Skinnys during the closing weekend of the Snowking XIV. - Daron Letts/NNSL photo - Daron Letts/NNSL photo

Haste Inhale dissolved a few months ago after bassist and back-up screamer Colm Hubert split for B.C.

"We decided that after Colm left it was time to try to do something that was a little bit easier to listen to," said vocalist Joel Levavaseur. "We don't scream as much as we used to."

Levavaseur, guitarist Brad Choquette and drummer Anton Debogorski recruited bassist Liam Webb two months ago and formed the new combo in advance of the Snowking Festival.

Their new sound embraces the intensity and drama of Haste Inhale's hardcore repertoire, however the old guttural, growling and aggressive vibe now gives way to more melody and enunciation. The musicians' stage presence retains the energy and power Haste Inhale was becoming known for.

"We're a group of guys that share a love for music and we want to snag that musical talent and turn it into something that people like to hear," Debogorski said. "We're going to release some new material and some pop covers to mix it up a bit."

Elder punks, The Skinnys, followed the young metal band on Saturday night. The musicians in both bands have teamed up in the past.

"We're hoping to get some more shows with The Skinnys," Levavaseur said. "We really like playing with them – everyone has a good time when those guys are around."

Skinnys front man Johnny Volume is eager to share the stage, as well.

"Joel and I are talking on Facebook about organizing a show real soon," Volume said. "We have big plans to do all ages shows and more bar shows with them."

The Skinnys' appearance on Saturday night marked that band's one-year anniversary. They played their first set at the Snow Castle in 2008. The Skinnys enter the studio to record their first full-length album later this spring.

Haste Inhale may be dead, but the musicians are preparing to release their first CD anyway. The band's posthumous debut album is in production at Spiritwalker Productions and will be printed sometime this year.