WEEK 173 – BATTLECROSS

My HeadBangers please welcome the American Thrash/Classic Metal Band from Detroit, MI:

 

BATTLECROSS

“My Vaccine”

Listen to those growl vocals HeadBangers, what a range this guy has.

“Breaking You”

Well my HeadBangers, what do you think?  Here’s another band that I have never heard before.  I like finding bands that are new to me, and this vocalist, well you can hear it for yourself.  He has a range that impresses the hell out of me.  The band has described their sound as “Blue Collar Thrash Metal”.

Let’s take a look at some bio on this band:

The band was founded in 2003 by Tony Asta and Hiran Deraniyagala in Canton, MI, where the childhood best friends and neighbors formed the earliest beginnings of Battlecross while attending Salem High School. Various members came and went. In 2006, vocalist Marshall Wood was hired who brought a new level of aggression ultimately altering the vocal direction of the band. In 2007, drummer Mike Kreger was hired. In 2008 and 2010 respectively, bassist Don Slater and singer Kyle “Gumby” Gunther joined the band, after Marshall’s departure for family reasons. Together, they played local shows around Detroit and in the Midwest and opened for such acts as Dying Fetus, GWAR, DevilDriver, The Absence, Vital Remains, and The Faceless.  Here are some bands I haven’t heard yet!

In 2010, Battlecross self-released their debut album Push Pull Destroy.  In late 2010, the band caught the eye of Metal Blade Records while members were replacing their vocalist, Marshall Wood. The band tapped Kyle “Gumby” Gunther of the Flint, MI-area band and management roster mate, I Decay, to front the band. Gunther stepped in to re-record the album and rewrote the track Aiden, renaming it Kaleb after his newborn son. The re-recorded album, Pursuit of Honor, was released in August 2011 by Metal Blade Records and was recorded at Random Awesome Recording Studio in Bay City, Michigan,  and produced by Josh Schroeder.

Pursuit of Honor produced three singles. “Push Pull Destroy”, “Man of Stone” and “Breaking You”, which combined spent 50 weeks on SiriusXM Liquid Metal ‘Devil’s Dozen’ list of most requested songs, with ‘Push Pull Destroy’ at the #1 spot for five weeks in Spring 2012. 

Celebrated for their crossover thrash/classic American heavy metal image and sound, and relentless enthusiasm for touring, BATTLECROSS entered Audio Hammer Studios in March 2013 immediately after a full North American trek with Sweden’s In Flames and a busy 2012. With an impressive list of top notch metal productions, the studio turned out to be the perfect fit for the young band. “The laid back atmosphere, mixed with the ‘deliver or be delivered’ expectations really inspired us to push ourselves to be the best during the production, and it really reflects in the lyrical content as well as the final product.” said Guitarist Tony Asta. “War of Will is exactly what it sounds like, a straight up heavy metal album, but we’ll let the fans be the judge.”

BATTLECROSS’ reputation for technical talent, humility and fan engagement earned the band the opportunity to continue their climb with an appearance at 2012 SXSW Metal Blade Showcase; tours with: Hate Eternal and Goatwhore (Winter 2012), Origin, Decrepit Birth, Cattle Decapitation on the Occupation Domination Tour (Spring 2012), Metal Hammer’s Trespass America Festival with Five Finger Death Punch, Killswitch Engage, and Trivium (Summer 2012), a headlining stage appearance at Heavy MTL, opposite System of a Down and high-profile shows celebrating Metal Blade’s 30th Anniversary with Cattle Decapitation, Gypsyhawk, Six Feet Under and more.

After a fist-pumping debut, impressive 2012 breakout tours, BATTLECROSS will continue their climb as one of metal’s most impressive new bands with 2013 appearances at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, Orion Music +More with Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deftones and Suicidal Tendencies in the band’s hometown of Detroit and the 4th Annual GwarBQ with Municipal Waste and Corrosion of Conformity.

War of Will released July 9th, 2013 just as the band heads out for the summer on the Rock Star Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Tour with Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Amon Amarth, Children of Bodom, Machine Head, Behemoth, Mastodon and more in what is expected to be the tour and album that will cement BATTLECROSS as an American Heavy Metal heavyweight, banging heads for years to come.

During 2014, Battlecross saw a rise in popularity, hitting many tours along the way, including 2 tours in Europe, including a slot on the renown Download Festival held in Donington Park. While in Europe, the band hit many smaller venues with fellow Mayhem Festival tour mates Huntress. Following a return to the States, Battlecross wasted no time in hitting the road again across America, in direct support of Canadian metallers Protest the Hero. During the tour, the band got a much needed exposure increase from being on a bill with such a different style of metal. This spike in popularity led to a small headlining tour over the Summer. But it would come at the cost of drummer Shannon Lucas, who withdrew from the band after the Protest the Hero tour. However, the band quickly had a replacement in the wings, filling the kit position with drummer Alex Bent. Bent completed the headlining tour, which was Battlecross’ first headline tour, with support from Ikillya. Canadian metal band Crimson Shadows were also supposed to be on the tour, but encountered problems getting access to the States. The tour also included a stop at Dirt Fest 2014.

On August 20, Battlecross hit the stage in Mexico City, their first concert in the country, in support of Black Label Society. Following the show, they will then set off on a small South American tour in support of Killswitch Engage and Memphis May Fire.  They then returned to the States for a fall tour opening for Machine Head, Children of Bodom and Epica.  The tour also included a stop at Filmageddon in Silver Spring, MD.

On May 27, 2015, the band released a new single entitled “Not Your Slave”, and revealed the title of their upcoming studio album as Rise to Power.  Alex Bent left the in 2015 and was replaced with Brian Zink.

In October to November 2016, Battlecross went on tour with Soilwork and Unearth  and announced a headlining tour with Allegaeon in support.  In January 2019, the ensemble indicated that they were working on new material.

You know I love a band that has history, and Battlecross has history.  Now let’s meet the band:

Tony Asta – Lead Guitar (2003-present)

Hiran Deraniyagala – Rhythm Guitar (2003-present)

Kyle “Gumby” Gunther – Vocals (2010-present)

Don Slater – Bass (2008-present)

Brian Zink – Drums (2015-present)

My Thoughts:

Well my HeadBangers I’m giving this blue collar thrash/metal band a 10 out of 10.  I love the vocals of course, Kyle or should I say Gumby has such range with that voice, I would love to hear what it sounds like when he just talks, I image it is raspy and rough.  These guys just throw it out there and I really like that in a band.  No gimmicks, outfits, smoke or fire, just 5 men from Detroit, MI playing and singing for their audience.  Not to mention they have toured with some really big name bands, and that speaks for itself.  I wonder what they have in store for us next, we will have to wait and see.  I’ll update when I hear anything.

That’s it for this week my HeadBangers.  Join me next week for another band and another song.  Check out Hump Day on Wednesday for 3 bands to get you through the week.  Until then don’t stand to close to the fire if you can’t handle the burn…..