For my money, there is no better Death Metal vocalist than Karl Willetts. There is just something about it that just feels like “Classic Death Metal”. His delivery is always on point with the perfect blend of raw power and intensity. His time and contribution to the one and only Bolt Thrower were nothing short of incredible. When the band broke up in 2015, Willets along with Benediction bassist Frank Healy quickly formed Memoriam the following year.
Detroit metallers Battlecross has teased a new photo from the studio where the band is working on mateiral for a future release. The band has been teasing the idea of new music for some time, and their last release was 2015’s Rise To Power via Metal Blade Records. The band performed last fall as opening support for Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals, in their hometown (video below). Hopefully, this activity means we will get some new tunes from this awesome, essential heavy band soon! Continue reading
American thrash metallers Battlecross are back with their fourth album, Rise to Power (Metal Blade). The band, fronted by Kyle “Gumby” Gunther [vocals], have always shown little regard for dwelling on the same for more than a moment or two, but push it even further for their latest effort.
Anyone who has heard 2011’s Rise to Honor or 2013’s War of Will [both Metal Blade] knows that these guys are a seriously talented bunch of musicians, but Rise to Power feels like a step back, one that’s lacking what little focus that was there to make earlier albums enjoyable. Instead we’re given 10 tracks of largely repetitive, identical thrashcore by numbers. It’s competent stuff, but a largely tuneless mess of riffs and screams that smacks of throwing a lot of noise at a wall and seeing what sticks. It’s not a huge step away from their previous albums, but it’s just not that enjoyable.
It’s hard to pin down exactly what Battlecross sound like. Opening track ‘Scars’ boasts some enjoyable 80s speed metal leads somewhere in the final third, before ‘Not Your Slave’ strays into Lamb of God-lite groove with a bit of melodeth segwayed into the middle. ‘Spoiled’ could almost pass for early Megadeth before jumping off into classic In Flames territory. While they cover a lot of ground and amalgamate plenty of styles into their music, they never really settle on a definitive “Battlecross© sound”.
When they are good, however, Battlecross create some really enjoyable music. Unfortunately they throw in so much derivative chaff that it’s hard to pick out standout tracks; each one usually features a good riff or two and the solos are of the highest quality – ‘Spoiled’ is the best example of the quality leads this band are capable of – but it’s all quickly lost in the maelstrom.
With each track hovering around the three-minute mark, Rise to Power is mercifully short at only 35 minutes. If you like bands that make a lot of the right noises and take a machine gun scatter approach to riffs, Battlecross are probably for you.
6.0/10
DAN SWINHOE
The new album from Battlecross, Rise To Power drops this Friday, August 21st from Metal Blade Records. The band has now shared a full album stream, which you can hear at this link:
Rise To Power track listing:
1. Scars
2. Not Your Slave
3. Absence
4. Spoiled
5. The Climb
6. Blood & Lies
7. Bound by Fear
8. Despised
9. Shackles
10. The Path
Battlecross will be undertaking a brief headline tour of record release shows, before joining up with GWAR and Butcher Babies for another slew of dates.
Battlecross record release shows:
Aug 21: Token Lounge – Westland, MI
Aug 22: Reggies – Chicago, IL
Aug 23: Center Stage – Kokomo, IN
Aug 24: Agora Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
Kyle Gunther of Battlecross, by Meg Loyal Photography
“The Summer of Doom” tour is underway and stomping across the land. Doom is less of a misnomer than you think, although none of these bands on the bill can claim to be true doom purveyors, solely. Obviously Crowbar brings the heaviest of the heaviness to any bill. Kirk Windstein’s legendary gift for sludged out riffs and grooves has never shined more true than on their recent album, 2014’s Symmetry In Black (eOne). The band has also never been better live than they are right now. Meanwhile Battlecross is ramping up to their crucial new album, Rise To Power (Metal Blade) due out on August 21st. Always one of the most intense and fun bands in concert, the band delivered a powerful performance indicative of an act on the rise. Lord Dying (not pictured) is riding high on the strength of their recent album Poisoned Altars (Relapse). It’s always a jam fest when Lord Dying takes the stage. Captured here by Meg Loyal Photography at their stop at the Worcester Palladium, if loud guitars, diverse bills and lots of headbanging and moshing is your thing, be sure to catch The Summer of Doom at a venue near you.
Crowbar, by Meg Loyal Photography
Crowbar, by Meg Loyal Photography
Crowbar, by Meg Loyal Photography
Crowbar, by Meg Loyal Photography
Battlecross, by Meg Loyal Photography
Crowbar, by Meg Loyal Photography
Crowbar, by Meg Loyal Photography
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Detroit modern metallers Battlecross will release their anticipated new record Rise To Power from Metal Blade on August 21st. The new single ‘Not Your Slave’ is streaming now on www.Metalblade.com
Produced by Jason Suecof and mixed and mastered by Mark Lewis of Audiohammer Studios in Florida, the artwork was created by Hungarian artist Péter Sallai (Sabaton, Sacred Steel).
Guitarist Tony Asta comments on ‘Not Your Slave’:
“We’re really happy with the crushing feel of this song. Somehow through the writing process, maybe even on accident, a more groovy feel was created. We won’t write the same record twice and I think this is our strongest and more dynamic album yet.”
Rise To Power track listing
1. Scars
2. Not Your Slave
3. Absence
4. Spoiled
5. The Climb
6. Blood & Lies
7. Bound by Fear
8. Despised
9. Shackles
10. The Path
Battlecross will be seen on stages all over this summer first opening for the “Summer of Doom Tour” with Crowbar and Lord Dying, followed by a run of dates with GWAR and Butcher Babies.
Battlecross Tour Dates
Tour w/ Crowbar, Lord Dying
05/28 Shreveport, LA The Riverside Warehouse
05/29 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
05/30 Austin, TX Dirty Dog Bar
05/31 Houston, TX Scout Bar
06/02 Albuquerque, NM Launch Pad
06/03 Mesa, AZ Club Red
06/04 San Diego, CA Til-Two Club
06/05 Long Beach, CA Dipiazza’s
06/06 West Hollywood, CA Whisky A Go-Go
06/07 Oakland, CA Oakland Metro Operahouse
06/08 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
06/09 Seattle, WA El Corazon
06/10 Vancouver, BC Rickshaw Theatre
06/12 Calgary, AB The Republik
06/13 Edmonton, AB The Pawn Shop
06/14 Saskatoon, SK O’Brian’s Event Centre
06/16 Winnipeg, MB The Zoo Cabaret
06/17 St. Paul, MN The Amsterdam Bar & Hall
06/18 Cudahy, WI The Metal Grill
06/19 Detroit, MI The Shelter
06/20 Chicago, IL Reggie’s Rock Club
06/21 Columbus, OH Al Rosa Villa
06/22 Cleveland, OH Agora Ballroom
06/23 Toronto, ON The Mod Club
06/24 Ottawa, ON Mavericks
06/25 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa
06/26 Worcester, MA The Palladium
06/27 Clifton Park, NY Trick Shot Billiards
06/28 Philadelphia, PA Voltage Lounge
06/29 Brooklyn, NY Saint Vitus
06/30 Frederick, MD Cafe 611
07/01 West Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern
07/02 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
07/03 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre
End Tour
08/08 Montreal, QC Heavy MTL
Tour w/ GWAR, Butcher Babies
08/25 Millvale, PA Mr. Smalls Theatre
08/27 Des Moines, IA Wooly’s
08/28 Lincoln, NE Bourbon Theatre
08/30 Lawrence, KS Granada
08/31 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
09/01 San Antonio, TX Alamo City Music Hall
09/02 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre
09/03 Mobile, AL Soul Kitchen
09/04 Birmingham, AL Iron City
09/06 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggys
09/08 Wilmington, NC Ziggys By The Sea
09/09 Jacksonville, FL Freebird Live
09/10 Chattanooga, TN Track 29
09/11 Sauget, IL Pop’s
09/14 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance
09/15 So. Burlington, VT Higher Ground
09/16 Reading, PA Reverb
09/17 Huntington, NY The Paramount
09/18 Rochester, NY Water Street Music Hall