Detroit Michigan beasts, Battlecross, announced they will unleash their next audio blitz “Rise to Power” on August 21st through Metal Blade Records. The highly anticipated follow up to the 2013 release “War of Will” contains 10 brand new mind crushers, the first of which “Not Your Slave” is streaming now at metalblade.com/battlecross.
I first crossed paths with Battlecross on August 19, 2012 during the Philadelphia stop of the Trespass America tour. Kyle “Gumby” Gunther met me backstage prior to the band’s annihilation of Philly and talked to me about their album “Pursuit of Honor” and the smash single “Push, Pull,Destroy”. We also talked about the writing process for the next album, which became “War of Will”. I listened as Kyle talked about the ups (touring across the country with Five Finger Death Punch) and downs (watching his already skinny ass lose weight due to the limited food availability while on the road). Then I witnessed a fast-paced, highly energetic on stage thrashing by these guys that left me fucking pumped to see these young guns carry the metal flag so proudly.
Note to all…metal music is by no means dead and buried. Metal is alive and crushing. Battlecross is a prime example of how possessed so many of today’s rising metal bands are. Writing, recording, touring relentlessly,meet and greets, social media interaction, Pledge campaigns, limited edition releases; any thing they can do to get their music out and in the hands of whoever wants to hear it. Sure they’re making money along the way, but having seen so many first hand instances of metal fans meeting, talking to, and hanging out with those that they dig listening to is simply awesome. Made up of mostly blue collar types the metal community welcomes all of it.
Battlecross frequently have Facebook Q&A sessions with their fans and in person pre-show meet and greets. Recently I watched as Brian from I Prevail hung out with fans after their set in Philly, having a beer and watching Amaranthe perform. Shattered Sun took time to chill with fans in the standing room only Trocadero Theatre after their set taking selfies with fans, as did the Finland metal group Santa Cruz.
Just a few examples but very cool ones that I saw and that gave hope to this longtime metal head. For a period it did seem that metal was being overrun by bullshit pop music. But it only seemed that way. Rockstar Energy Drink’s Mayhem Festival, Rock on the Range, Wacken, Rock in Rio, Heavy Montreal all massive metal shows that have continually highlighted the biggest and best metal has to offer, and have thrived by sticking to metal.
Battlecross is set to tour this Summer with Crowbar and Lord Dying and then with Gwar and the Butcher Babies. They will be in your city playing tunes off of”Rise to Power”. They’ll hang with you, having a beer or five, and if you see them for christ’s sake buy Gumby a sandwich! And don’t forget to thank them for keeping metal alive and crushing!
~JD
Findout more about Battlecross and other metal music news at www.musicfrenzy.net