Probe

Websites:  No
Origin: Surrey, British Columbia, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Before fronting Bob Rock’s high-octane Rockhead project in the early ’90s, powerhouse vocalist Steve Jack helmed one of Canada’s more obscure but ambitious independent metal records: We Come in Peace, the sole release by the mysterious Vancouver-area outfit PROBE. Originally uploaded to CitizenFreak.com in 2010, the album has steadily gained cult interest among collectors drawn to high-concept obscurities and unheralded Canadian hard rock relics.

Issued as a private pressing and adorned with a cosmic aircraft slicing through a starlit sky, the album is a galactic-themed hard rock journey rooted in classic U.S. metal aesthetics—but filtered through a distinctly British Columbian lens.

The opening track “We Come in Peace” sets the tone with eerie space transmissions, evoking the sonic palette of Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) or early ’80s sci-fi cinema, before blasting off into driving riffs, anthemic vocals, and tight instrumentation. Lead guitarist Greg Manuck, bassist Brian Morrison, and percussionist Wes Lawrie form the band’s core, delivering a sound as muscular as it is melodic. “Dali” begins as a moody ballad led by Steve Jack’s commanding vocal, but it’s Edwin Dolinski’s dramatic synth passage at the midpoint that triggers the track’s sudden transformation—igniting a storm of jagged riffs and rhythmic intensity. A classically trained pianist and early electronic music innovator, Dolinski later served as senior audio director at Electronic Arts and founded the Get Real Piano recording service.

On the production side, the album was recorded and engineered by Howard Rissin, a Canadian engineer and producer originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Rissin built his career across several respected studios, including Roade Recording Studios (1979–1980), Wayne Finucan Studios (1980–1981), Ocean Sound Studio (1981–1989), Channels Audio (1990–2000), Mid Canada Production Service (2000–present), and Frank Digital (2013–present). His notable early work includes Canadian indie acts like Magik, Vox Phantom, Dub Rifles, Alibi, Snuggles, and singer-songwriter Ross Mullen. He also contributed to the archival compilation The History of Vancouver’s Rock & Roll! Vol. 3. Rissin’s crisp, spacious mix complements PROBE’s blend of hard rock grit and sci-fi gloss, achieving remarkable clarity for a private press and elevating We Come in Peace beyond the lo-fi expectations typically associated with underground Canadian metal of the era.

Standouts include “Drive-In Lover,” a gritty, arena-ready stomper, and the left-field closer, a metallic rock rendition of the Charlie Daniels Band classic “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” Though an odd fit, the cover provides a quirky coda that underscores the band's technical prowess and willingness to experiment beyond the standard metal formula.

Visually and sonically cohesive, We Come in Peace is more than a curio—it’s a compelling artifact of mid-’80s Canadian rock ambition. Issued with a numbered sticker (“Certified First Pressing”), the album remains elusive and prized by collectors drawn to high-concept obscurities and vocal-forward hard rock.
-Robert Williston

Steve Jack: vocals
Greg Manuck: guitars
Brian Morrison: bass
Wes Lawrie: percussion

Synth passages through “Dali” courtesy of Edwin Dolinski