Michigan metal band Battlecross is coming back to town on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour this coming Sunday, July 28th. Formed just under 10 years ago in the western Detroit suburb of Canon, Battlecross has been on of the hardest working metal bands this state has spawned. After putting in years of due diligence and paying their dues on the local circuit along with some regional tours, the band was signed to Metal Blade records in 2010 on the strength of their self-released album, "Push Pull Destroy". A re-recording of the album was made and renamed to "Pursuit of Honor" and quickly garnered massive airplay on Sirius XM's Liquid Metal show, with a few of the songs spending significant time in the "Devil's Dozen" list. Their latest release, "War of Will", was recently released and rose to #2 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums charts, and debuted at #134 on the Billboard 200, a testament to the power of this band and the music they've created.
With a breakthrough tour last year on the Tresspass America tour opening in support of Five Finger Death Punch, the band quickly made thousands of fans across the country, riding high on the wave of success of their freshman release. With their unrelenting approach to metal that blends several varieties of the genre together, they took the country by storm. This led them to get noticed by the Metallica camp which earned them a spot on the highly touted Orion Music & More Festival which just came through Detroit earlier this summer on Belle Isle. Handpicked by James Hetfield (Metallica) himself, they were invited to share the stage during the press conference in the days leading up to the festivals launch.
Battlecross on the Tresspass America Tour 2013
Having proven themselves on the big stages, they were again tapped to play on the upcoming Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival which was formed in 2008 and has been a summer staple for metal heads everywhere across the country. Tthey will be in Michigan this Sunday at the DTE Energy Music Theatre taking to the Jagermeister Stage at 2:20pm to celebrate with friends, family and fans alike in well deserved homecoming of triumphant success. Never ones to forget where they came from, the band members are always available to greet the fans after every show, humble in their success and eager to share their thanks to everyone who helped and support them along the way.
Tickets are still available for the show Sunday, so get yourself a pair or two, head up to DTE with some friends and support the PURE MICHIGAN METAL that is Battlecross!
Guitarist Hiran Deraniyagala gave me a call from the road today to talk about the bands success, the Mayhem tour to date, and what it means to be coming home to Detroit to play for the hometown crowd. Click the link below and give a listen!
Battlecross "Never Coming Back" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Official Website: http://battlecrossmetal.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/battlecrossmetal
Twitter: https://twitter.com/battlecross
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/battlecrossmetal/
About Battlecross:
With the
mindset to create a sonic metal assault unlike any other, childhood friends, Tony
Asta and Hiran Deraniyagala, set forth on the path to shred and
abandoned the idea of following any trends. The guitar slinging duo brought an
infused style of old school metal with dark elements of thrash and death metal
and destined to find the right members.
Struggling
for years to find reliable and dedicated members, the true formation of BATTLECROSS
was born in 2007 when Drummer Mike Kreger responded a want ad, and added
a machine-like, brutal precision on the drums, and proved to be just the right
match for Tony and Hiran’s mature and technical style of thrash.
Bringing a whole new level of musicianship and intensity with his quick finger
picking and tasty solos, Bassist Don Slater joined the group, bringing a
skill and technique that impresses even the most prolific bassists. The thrash
metal band was finally complete when popular area vocalist, Kyle
"Gumby" Gunther joined the band. Known for his command of the
stage and alternating deep growls with high pitched screams, Gumby
punishes the audience and inspires pits of rage.
Together,
the five-piece create an unforgettable and energetic live show that decimates
their audience with raw energy and persistence, that has earned a style of
their own: "Blue Collar Thrash Metal", in reference to the
hard-working, ‘never give up’ attitude of those who hail from the Motor City.
This
reputation for technical talent, humility and kick ass live shows resonated
throughout the regional metal scene and BATTLECROSS soon became a fan
and band favorite. Sharing the stage with the likes of Dying Fetus, GWAR,
Devil Driver, The Absence, Vital Remains, The Faceless and Metal Fests
throughout the Midwest, BATTLECROSS began to bang heads nationally with
a nod from MySpace-A Place for Metal’s 2008 ‘Best Unsigned Metal Band’
contest, for being ‘Metal Sucks‘ worthy, Mike Kreger’s crowning
as Sickdrummer.com & Zildjian’s ‘Sickest Dirt Fest Drummer‘
and featured on local, national and global metal radio.
…and after
years of persistence and dedication, BATTLECROSS is celebrating their
hard work and prolific future by signing with Metal Blade Records.
"We are
extremely honored to join such a respected label and humbled by their belief in
our music. We’re stoked to be part of a label that has a great roster of bands
we all admire and respect!" says Tony. Hiran adds, "We
understand the hard work and pavement pounding that is required of a Metal
Blade band and we are going to work our asses’ off to show the world what we’re
about"
Incorporating
many elements of extreme thrash, death and tech metal, creating a precise blend
of fist pumping brutality, intensity, and drive, BATTLECROSS satisfies
both the tech-metal guru and the old-school die hard alike.
The band’s
Metal Blade debut was released on August 2nd, 2011, followed by a tour
that will bring a face melting thrash metal assault. The band’s Metal Blade
debut was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Random Awesome Recording Studio
in Bay City, MI and produced by BATTLECROSS and Josh Schroeder.