Purveyors of relentless and aggressive thrash with deadly intent; Battlecross brought their magnificent Winter Warriors tour to a full house at the Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan. Joining them for this night of mayhem were touring partners Allegaeon, and Necromancing the Stone. In addition, a cadre of local metal bands of various genres rounded out this metal event.
Just barely after doors opened, Mobius got the festivities off to a fast pace. This metalcore band from southeastern Michigan played with energy and passion. Next up was a wild set of death-thrash from Recorruptor. These guys hail from Lansing, Michigan, which evidently instills a need to rage with fury. Their set was fast, intense, and extremely entertaining.
The local metal train rolled on with Archimime from Detroit. Trying to put a label on this band is tough. Vocals are intense and brutal with combinations of styles similar to the headliners, Battlecross. Let us say that they are metal in the extreme that play in a sandbox of death and thrash. The ever-growing crowd received their message of metal with vigor.
Detroit’s Hate Unbound rounded out the local under-card on this merry metal party. The band hit a note with the audience with their fierce and pleasantly aggressive music. Hate Unbound have a new album coming out in February of 2017 and played a batch of new songs including “Plague” and “I Martyr”. Each tune was met with rave review in the form of hearty cheers.
Casting dark spells of magical metal, Necromancing the Stone shined like a malevolent black star at the Token Lounge. For almost everyone in attendance, this was their first experience with the band. This super-group is made up of John Williams (vocals) and Justin Wood(guitar) from Brimstone Coven, James Malone (guitar) from Arsis, Jeramie Kling (drums) from the Absence and Ryan Williams (bass). Joining the band on this tour to cover bass duties was Absence guitarist, Taylor Nordberg.
Necromancing the Stone’s brand of power metal which blends classic power, thrash, and death metal was a big hit with the audience. Outstretched hands clutching invisible oranges and flying the horns accompanied each majestic song. The band captivated the crowd with their boundless enthusiasm and mesmerizing performance. An added bonus was Riley McShane (vocalist for Allegaeon) belting out some soaring power notes with John Williams and Hiran Deraniyagala (guitarist for Battlecross) headbanging with Taylor and Justin, then launching off the stage to surf the crowd.
Shouts of “Corey!” greeted Allegaeon as they took the stage. The final stop on the Winter Warriors tour at the Token was Corey Archuleta’s last night on bass as he is off to law school. There was an air of celebration to the band’s set as they tore into tunes off the new ‘Proponents For Sentience’. Fans went nuts with hair spinning and a boiling pit of moshers letting the music move them. Allegaeon put on an amazing display of technical chops played with pure emotion. Greg Burgess and Michael Stancel put on a clinic of guitar mastery playing jaw-dropping licks. Corey and drummer Brandon Park kept the band in perfect time. Riley’s vocals brimmed with determination and force. Brandon added in spinning hair in time with double bass and machine gun snare. The tour high jinks continued with the guys from Necromancing the Stone getting on stage to take selfies with Allegaeon as they jammed. The funniest highlight was Jeramie Kling breaking out a hair trimmer and shaving Greg Burgess as he was playing. Greg didn’t miss a beat. Not to be outdone, Hiran joined the band for a little salsa dancing during “Grey Matter Mechanics”.
The anticipation in the room doubled as a black curtain was drawn across the stage in preparation for the coming of hometown metal warriors; Battlecross. They have been on a tireless world tour supporting their ‘Rise To Power’album. Their annual Winter Warriors tour always draws a huge crowd when they play in Detroit and tonight was no different. The Battlecross Fans Unite group was in full force sporting their BFU shirts and ready to rock.
The room erupted as the curtain parted and the first notes of “Breaking You” from ‘Pursuit of Honor’. Bodies were flying in the pit and on the stage. Battlecross ripped into one neck-snapping tune after another. The raged across their catalog and played a frantic version of “Absence” off of ‘Rise To Power’ and a thunderous rendition of “Beast” from ‘War of Will’. The band put every single ounce of energy into their performance and the crowd radiated their love for the band and the music throughout the room. At the end of their set, Battlecross invited fans up on the stage for a group picture. They also invited Allegaeon and Necromancing the Stone up for a group shot as well as pictures with the Battlecross Fans Unite core.
The Winter Warriors show at the Token was the most intense and fun show that I’ve witnessed this year. The level of fellowship among the bands and with their fans was unrivaled. The outpouring of bliss in celebrating a night of music with friends was genuine and extremely heartwarming.