I will preface this article by saying I try and stay as open minded as possible when seeing bands I don’t know, especially with other bands I do know and am a fan of. I always want to try and bring you, the readers, an unbiased and honest opinion of these bands so you can decide if you want to listen to them or not. At Ghost Cult Magazine our goal is to bring a fresh break down of new talent out there in the music scene so readers can find bands that may fit their tastes. That does not mean we can ignore our own tastes and our standards for music. It would be sugar coated to say that all bands out there right now are good, or great, or are fresh and doing something different. Sometimes you just have to be honest to yourself, the readers, and to the bands and say that maybe their sound just simply isn’t cutting it. On the Battlecross “Winter Warriors” tour, there were a handful of bands both local and slightly more well known signed on to open for the powerhouse thrash band taking the metal world by storm as what could be called “the best American metal band since Lamb of God“.
Sadly, everything leading up to Battlecross was extremely bland, predictable and all sounded more or less the same. One of the most important qualities a band needs to have is that first impression wow factor. People need to be able to stand in front of you as you take the stage and think “Ok, who are these guys?” and after you are done be leaving with your merchandise praising you and saying “Wow those guys just blew me away how have I never heard of them?!” This experience was definitely missing during this show. Band after band took the stage, Death Rattle a band we do know who is probably the least original sounding band we have on the line up seeing as most of their material is covers of Pantera and Lamb of God and all their original stuff sounds about the same seeing as those two bands are the biggest influence of Death Rattle. Having an influence and right out copying other bands are totally different things. Then started the sea of monotony with Carnivora, War of Ages and Wretched. These three bands sounded so much alike it was almost as if one band never stopped and the other never started.
War of Ages, by Emma Parsons Photography
The tour was called the Winter Warriors tour and was in honor of the US armed forces with a portion of the proceeds going to the Wounded Warriors Project, which is a veterans services organization dedicated to helping vets and their families. Great cause to come out and show support for. Battlecross fans waited anxiously for the set to start while bantering back and forth with the guys as they set up and switched equipment and a couple of small cameras to film the set. GoPro cameras were set up on Don Slater’s bass and a few other places to get some interesting POV shots oft he show. The band started out with a roar as their die hard fans chanted their name over and over. As always, with a rip roaring good time, Battlecross went through their list of hits from ‘Kaleb’ to ‘Push, Pull, Destroy’, ‘My Vaccine’, ‘Flesh & Bone’ and many more that every fan knows word for word. The pure love and intensity this band gets from the fans rivals none. They have almost a cult fan-following that is loyal to no end. The support and love they receive at every show intensifies time after time. A lot of that is not only due to how genuinely good the band is, but the well known presence and crowd interaction from their front man Kyle “Gumby” Gunther. Gumby is a friend to all and is always a smiling, friendly face at every show. The entire band loves to hang out with their fans and get to know them on a personal level. When fans can feel like they are real friends with a band they love, that just breeds more support. So cheers to Battlecross for another great show and for doing metal the way its supposed to be done. With power, family like atmosphere and as always an energetic, flawless performance.
Gumby of Battlecross, by Emma Parsons Photography
Battlecross, by Emma Parsons Photography
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WORDS BY ANDREW FRANCIS
PHOTOS BY EMMA PARSONS PHOTOGRAPHY