WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.779 Okay, picture this. You're back in high school. 00:00:03.819 --> 00:00:07.780 Oh, boy. Right. Maybe it's sophomore year. You're 00:00:07.780 --> 00:00:09.820 sitting in your garage with your best friend, 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:11.939 the kid who lives literally right next door. 00:00:12.060 --> 00:00:14.759 You've both got these cheap beat -up guitars. 00:00:15.060 --> 00:00:17.339 Right. You look at each other and make that exact 00:00:17.339 --> 00:00:20.179 pact that every teenager makes at some point. 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:22.969 You say... We're going to start a band and we 00:00:22.969 --> 00:00:25.289 are going to take over the world. It is the ultimate 00:00:25.289 --> 00:00:27.390 classic American dream, isn't it? The Garage 00:00:27.390 --> 00:00:30.269 Band. It totally is. But here's the reality check 00:00:30.269 --> 00:00:33.310 for most of us. usually that band breaks up before 00:00:33.310 --> 00:00:35.810 you even graduate high school. Or, you know, 00:00:35.909 --> 00:00:38.149 maybe you play one absolutely terrible gig at 00:00:38.149 --> 00:00:40.210 a local dive bar where the sound guy just hates 00:00:40.210 --> 00:00:43.149 you, and you call it quits. Yeah, that is the 00:00:43.149 --> 00:00:45.630 statistical norm. The failure rate for musical 00:00:45.630 --> 00:00:48.189 groups starting in high school is, well, it's 00:00:48.189 --> 00:00:50.670 effectively 100%. Life just happens. People go 00:00:50.670 --> 00:00:53.490 to college, they get jobs, egos clash. But what 00:00:53.490 --> 00:00:55.310 if it didn't? Because I've been looking through 00:00:55.310 --> 00:00:58.170 this massive stack of notes you sent over for 00:00:58.170 --> 00:01:01.170 today's deep dive into the source material, and 00:01:01.170 --> 00:01:03.170 we are looking at a case study today that defies 00:01:03.170 --> 00:01:05.689 all of that logic. Completely defies it. What 00:01:05.689 --> 00:01:08.629 happens when that high school band, fueled by 00:01:08.629 --> 00:01:11.069 nothing but friendship and what they called Midwestern 00:01:11.069 --> 00:01:14.709 grid, actually just grinds it out for 20 years. 00:01:14.950 --> 00:01:17.890 That is the story of Battlecross. Battlecross? 00:01:18.090 --> 00:01:20.489 I mean, even the name sounds intense. It's very 00:01:20.489 --> 00:01:23.129 intense. We are diving into the incredibly detailed 00:01:23.129 --> 00:01:26.349 career of a band from Canton, Michigan, so the 00:01:26.349 --> 00:01:30.209 Detroit suburbs. And they really bridged the 00:01:30.209 --> 00:01:32.590 gap between the old school and the new school 00:01:32.590 --> 00:01:35.329 of heavy metal. And honestly, going through their 00:01:35.329 --> 00:01:37.609 comprehensive history, their discography, the 00:01:37.609 --> 00:01:39.390 touring locks we have, this isn't just a story 00:01:39.390 --> 00:01:42.620 about music. It's a story about logistics. economics, 00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:46.140 and the sheer volatility of trying to be a working 00:01:46.140 --> 00:01:49.060 -class band in the modern music industry. I love 00:01:49.060 --> 00:01:51.299 that framing. Because when I saw the term blue 00:01:51.299 --> 00:01:53.980 -collar thrash metal in the research, I thought 00:01:53.980 --> 00:01:56.920 it was just marketing fluff. You know, a label 00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:59.459 slapping a cool sticker on a CD case. But you're 00:01:59.459 --> 00:02:01.239 saying it was their actual business model. It 00:02:01.239 --> 00:02:03.939 was their entire identity. When you look at the 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:06.359 source material, all the interviews, the rigorous 00:02:06.359 --> 00:02:09.099 timeline, you see a group of guys who treated 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:11.800 being in a heavy metal band like working a shift 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:14.340 at a manufacturing plant. They weren't trying 00:02:14.340 --> 00:02:16.379 to be rock stars in the glam sense at all. They 00:02:16.379 --> 00:02:18.199 were just trying to outwork literally everyone 00:02:18.199 --> 00:02:20.180 else on the circuit. So let's clock in then. 00:02:20.300 --> 00:02:22.560 We have to start at the very beginning. The year 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:26.900 is 2003. We're in Canton, Michigan. Set the scene 00:02:26.900 --> 00:02:30.159 for us. What's the vibe there? So Canton is a 00:02:30.159 --> 00:02:33.139 suburb of Detroit. And Detroit, musically speaking, 00:02:33.539 --> 00:02:36.340 has a very specific, very storied history. It's 00:02:36.340 --> 00:02:39.360 got that Motown soul, obviously, but it's also 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:42.960 got this grimy, aggressive rock history. Like 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:45.460 Alice Cooper. Exactly. Alice Cooper, the Stooges, 00:02:45.539 --> 00:02:48.460 MC5, the environment is cold, it's industrial. 00:02:48.860 --> 00:02:52.580 And in 2003, two high schoolers, Tony Asta and 00:02:52.580 --> 00:02:55.539 Huron Duron -Yagla, decide to start a band. And 00:02:55.539 --> 00:02:56.840 these are the neighbors we were talking about. 00:02:56.969 --> 00:02:59.370 Best friends, neighbors. They were attending 00:02:59.370 --> 00:03:01.610 Salem High School together in Canton. And this 00:03:01.610 --> 00:03:04.409 is vital to remember because throughout the chaotic 00:03:04.409 --> 00:03:07.229 20 year history we're about to unravel, Tony 00:03:07.229 --> 00:03:09.689 and Heron are the constants. The anchors. They 00:03:09.689 --> 00:03:12.289 are the absolute anchors of Battlecross. OK, 00:03:12.430 --> 00:03:15.699 so they start in 2003. But looking at this timeline, 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:17.680 they don't really break out nationally until 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:22.259 2011. Right. That is a massive gap. Eight years? 00:03:22.400 --> 00:03:24.020 I mean, most bands would have definitely quit 00:03:24.020 --> 00:03:26.319 after three years of playing empty rooms. What 00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:28.759 were they doing for eight years? They were grinding. 00:03:28.900 --> 00:03:31.280 This is that blue -collar aspect really showing 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:34.860 up. Between 2003 and 2010, they were hitting 00:03:34.860 --> 00:03:38.500 the local Midwest circuit so hard, they slowly 00:03:38.500 --> 00:03:41.189 solidified a lineup. Who'd they bring in? They 00:03:41.189 --> 00:03:42.849 brought in a vocalist named Marshall Wood in 00:03:42.849 --> 00:03:46.110 2006, a drummer named Mike Krager in 2007, and 00:03:46.110 --> 00:03:49.830 Don Slater on bass in 2008. And with that core... 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:51.479 They just played. And when you say played, we're 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:53.199 not talking about headlining arenas yet. Oh, 00:03:53.300 --> 00:03:55.659 far from it. They were the classic local opener. 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:58.080 So imagine a big national act is touring through 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:00.520 the Midwest. They need a local band to open the 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:02.400 show, warm up the crowd, and maybe sell some 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:05.039 tickets to their friends. Right. That was Battlecross. 00:04:05.300 --> 00:04:07.539 They opened for major heavy hitters like Devil 00:04:07.539 --> 00:04:11.439 Driver, Dying Fetus, and Gwar. OK, pause. We 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:14.680 have to talk about Gwar. Because for the listener 00:04:14.680 --> 00:04:16.899 who might not know, opening for GWAR is not a 00:04:16.899 --> 00:04:20.660 normal gig. No, it is absolutely not. GWAR is 00:04:20.660 --> 00:04:24.560 a highly theatrical shock rock band. The musicians 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:27.860 are dressed as these giant barbarian interplanetary 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:29.519 warriors. And they scray the audience, right? 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:32.329 Yes. They spray the audience with fake blood 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:35.670 and various other fluids from actual fire hoses. 00:04:35.870 --> 00:04:39.230 So if you're a serious no -nonsense thrash metal 00:04:39.230 --> 00:04:41.750 band trying to just stand there and play your 00:04:41.750 --> 00:04:44.110 highly technical riffs and you're opening for 00:04:44.110 --> 00:04:46.740 that. It is a trial by fire. The audience is 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:48.560 there to get covered in fake blood. They are 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:51.120 not there to analyze your dual guitar harmonies. 00:04:51.160 --> 00:04:52.980 Yeah, that makes sense. But if you can win over 00:04:52.980 --> 00:04:56.519 a gore crowd or a super intense dying fetus crowd, 00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:59.300 you learn stagecraft incredibly fast. You learn 00:04:59.300 --> 00:05:01.560 exactly how to command a room. So they spend 00:05:01.560 --> 00:05:04.060 eight years in the trenches. They're technically 00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:06.540 proficient. They're tight as a band. 2010 rolls 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:08.660 around and it looks like the break is finally 00:05:08.660 --> 00:05:10.899 happening for them. They self release an album 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:13.769 called Push Pull Destroy. And that record catches 00:05:13.769 --> 00:05:16.470 the eye of Metal Blade Records. Which is huge, 00:05:16.750 --> 00:05:19.769 right? Legendary. Metal Blade is the label that 00:05:19.769 --> 00:05:22.250 launched Metallica back in the day. It's the 00:05:22.250 --> 00:05:25.269 home of Cannibal Corpse, Amina Marth. Getting 00:05:25.269 --> 00:05:27.810 signed to Metal Blade Records is basically the 00:05:27.810 --> 00:05:29.829 metal equivalent of getting drafted into the 00:05:29.829 --> 00:05:33.110 NFL. So they're drafted, they are ready to go, 00:05:33.529 --> 00:05:36.170 the dream is happening, and then the singer quits. 00:05:36.329 --> 00:05:39.120 It is the absolute nightmare scenario. Right 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:41.899 as they are preparing to properly re -release 00:05:41.899 --> 00:05:45.019 their debut album on this major label, Marshall 00:05:45.019 --> 00:05:48.439 Wood, their vocalist, has to step away. Why? 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:52.500 Was it creative differences and ego clash? No. 00:05:52.579 --> 00:05:54.639 And I think that's what makes the story so grounded. 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:57.300 It was family obligations, just real life happening. 00:05:57.399 --> 00:05:59.699 He was getting married. He had a wedding to pay 00:05:59.699 --> 00:06:01.879 for. And his life was simply moving in a different 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:03.839 direction. That is heartbreaking, actually. You 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:06.120 worked for seven years for the shot. And when 00:06:06.120 --> 00:06:07.980 it finally arrived, you can't take it. Yeah. 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:10.100 So the band is scrambling. They have this record 00:06:10.100 --> 00:06:12.279 deal on the table. Who do they call? They looked 00:06:12.279 --> 00:06:13.860 at their management roster, and they found a 00:06:13.860 --> 00:06:16.160 guy from the Flint area, which is another really 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:18.490 tough working class Michigan town, named and 00:06:18.490 --> 00:06:21.509 Kyle Gunther. But everyone calls him Gumby. Everyone 00:06:21.509 --> 00:06:23.689 calls him Gumby. He was formerly in a band called 00:06:23.689 --> 00:06:27.430 I Decay. Gumby. I love it. So Gumby steps in. 00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:30.189 But looking at the notes, this wasn't just a 00:06:30.189 --> 00:06:32.149 karaoke situation, right? He didn't just come 00:06:32.149 --> 00:06:34.310 in and sing Marshall's lyrics over the tracks. 00:06:34.629 --> 00:06:37.069 No. And this is where the band's identity really 00:06:37.069 --> 00:06:39.769 solidified into something special. Gumby had 00:06:39.769 --> 00:06:42.769 to rerecord the vocals for the album, which they 00:06:42.769 --> 00:06:45.329 ultimately renamed Pursuit of Honor. Right. But 00:06:45.329 --> 00:06:47.610 he felt he couldn't sing songs he didn't write 00:06:47.610 --> 00:06:50.269 with any real conviction. So he rewrote them. 00:06:50.379 --> 00:06:52.420 There's a specific story in the source material 00:06:52.420 --> 00:06:55.180 about a track that was originally called Aidan. 00:06:55.420 --> 00:06:58.420 Yes, the original track was called Aidan. When 00:06:58.420 --> 00:07:01.160 Gumby stepped in, he completely rewrote the lyrics 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:04.420 to that song and renamed it Caleb. Caleb being 00:07:04.420 --> 00:07:07.889 his son. His newborn son. Wow. That is a massive 00:07:07.889 --> 00:07:10.149 move. You're the new guy. You walk into a band 00:07:10.149 --> 00:07:12.129 of childhood friends who have been doing this 00:07:12.129 --> 00:07:14.629 for almost a decade and you say, I'm going to 00:07:14.629 --> 00:07:16.569 change your songs and make them about my kid. 00:07:16.810 --> 00:07:19.149 It's risky, very risky, but it brought a level 00:07:19.149 --> 00:07:21.750 of ferocity and authenticity to the vocal performance 00:07:21.750 --> 00:07:24.720 that you just cannot fake. Yeah, I bet. When 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:27.540 you hear him screaming on that record, he's not 00:07:27.540 --> 00:07:30.420 singing about fantasy tropes or dragons or demons. 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:33.139 He is singing about his own flesh and blood. 00:07:33.540 --> 00:07:35.660 And when Pursuit of Honor dropped in August of 00:07:35.660 --> 00:07:39.019 2011, that raw energy connected instantly with 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:40.879 the audience. Let's talk about that reaction 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:43.160 because looking at the chart data in the logs, 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:46.930 they didn't just do OK for a debut. They crushed 00:07:46.930 --> 00:07:50.269 it. They completely dominated satellite radio. 00:07:50.970 --> 00:07:53.389 SiriusXM has a dedicated heavy metal channel 00:07:53.389 --> 00:07:56.029 called Liquid Metal. For the modern metal scene, 00:07:56.269 --> 00:07:58.550 especially at that time, that is the radio station. 00:07:58.629 --> 00:08:00.329 It's the gatekeeper. Exactly. If you're getting 00:08:00.329 --> 00:08:02.029 played on liquid metal, you exist. If you're 00:08:02.029 --> 00:08:04.579 not, you don't. They were on it. They were everywhere 00:08:04.579 --> 00:08:07.800 on it. The single Push Pull Destroy spent five 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:10.800 weeks at number one on Liquid Metal's Devil's 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:13.540 Dozen Countdown. Five weeks at number one. And 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:15.680 overall, between three different singles from 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:17.879 that album, they spent 50 weeks on that chart. 00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:20.920 That is basically an entire year of being in 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:23.360 heavy rotation. OK, so for the listener who isn't 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:26.160 necessarily a massive metalhead, can you explain 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:29.079 the sound? The critics were throwing around some 00:08:29.079 --> 00:08:32.159 really heavy comparisons. I saw Pantera and Lamb 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:34.480 of God mentioned a lot in the reviews. Sure, 00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:36.899 so Think about the history of American metal. 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:40.559 In the 80s, you had the big four of thrash, Metallica, 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:43.200 Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax. Fast, aggressive. 00:08:43.299 --> 00:08:46.500 Very fast. Intricate riffing. Then jumping to 00:08:46.500 --> 00:08:50.000 the 2000s, you had the new wave of American heavy 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.000 metal, bands like Lamb of God and Killswitch 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:56.440 Engage. They introduced a lot more groove and 00:08:56.440 --> 00:08:58.940 modern production techniques. And where did Battlecross 00:08:58.940 --> 00:09:00.799 fit in? They sat right in the middle. Critics 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:02.860 praised them because they were fast and technical, 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:05.649 like the 80s thrash bands. lots of guitar solos, 00:09:05.730 --> 00:09:08.230 high -speed drumming. But they had that heavy 00:09:08.230 --> 00:09:10.970 rhythmic bounce that Pantera made famous. So 00:09:10.970 --> 00:09:12.730 it was traditional, but it avoided being just 00:09:12.730 --> 00:09:15.649 a retro throwback. Exactly. Critics explicitly 00:09:15.649 --> 00:09:18.149 noted that they avoided the retro wannabe trap. 00:09:18.429 --> 00:09:20.529 It was blue collar because it wasn't trying to 00:09:20.529 --> 00:09:23.370 be overly artsy or avant -garde. It was meat 00:09:23.370 --> 00:09:26.389 and potatoes metal, executed perfectly. I saw 00:09:26.389 --> 00:09:28.710 a review in the notes from Valkyrian Music that 00:09:28.710 --> 00:09:30.570 actually said they could replace the Big Four 00:09:30.570 --> 00:09:32.970 if they kept it up. That feels like a tremendous 00:09:32.970 --> 00:09:35.429 amount of pressure for a debut album. It's hyperbole, 00:09:35.450 --> 00:09:38.269 sure, but it shows how hungry people were for 00:09:38.269 --> 00:09:41.470 that specific energetic sound. It was nostalgic, 00:09:41.470 --> 00:09:44.769 but it felt completely fresh. So they survived 00:09:44.769 --> 00:09:47.330 the singer swap. They have a massive hit debut. 00:09:47.830 --> 00:09:51.070 Now they face the classic sophomore slump. You 00:09:51.070 --> 00:09:53.110 know, the old industry saying you have your whole 00:09:53.110 --> 00:09:55.210 life to write your first album and six months 00:09:55.210 --> 00:09:57.090 to write your second. And the pressure was definitely 00:09:57.090 --> 00:10:01.700 on. But in 2013, they released War of Will. Else, 00:10:01.860 --> 00:10:07.980 get them. Significantly, they brought in Ayo 00:10:07.980 --> 00:10:10.360 Levi to produce. I know that name. He's the guy 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:12.899 behind records for the Black Dahlia Murder and 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:15.399 Trivium, right? Correct. He's an absolute wizard 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:18.259 at making metal sound clean, but incredibly heavy. 00:10:18.740 --> 00:10:21.220 And for the mastering process, they got Joey 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:23.620 Vera from Armored Saint. Oh, wow. Yeah, this 00:10:23.620 --> 00:10:26.139 is real metal royalty working on this album. 00:10:26.340 --> 00:10:28.220 Speaking of royalty, on War of Will, they made 00:10:28.220 --> 00:10:31.259 a very bold choice. They covered a Pantera song. 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:34.309 Fucking hostile. Which is hallowed ground in 00:10:34.309 --> 00:10:35.929 the metal community. Right. You don't just cover 00:10:35.929 --> 00:10:38.649 Pantera. That is like a pop star trying to cover 00:10:38.649 --> 00:10:40.830 Whitney Houston. If you miss, you miss huge. 00:10:40.950 --> 00:10:43.389 And the fans will tear you apart. But Battlecross 00:10:43.389 --> 00:10:46.429 nailed it. Covering that song really cemented 00:10:46.429 --> 00:10:48.950 that groove thrash reputation. They weren't running 00:10:48.950 --> 00:10:50.870 from the Pantera comparisons. They were fully 00:10:50.870 --> 00:10:53.690 owning them. So 2013 is looking like the absolute 00:10:53.690 --> 00:10:56.929 peak. They're touring relentlessly. Another year. 00:10:57.159 --> 00:10:59.539 Another tour with In Flames and Demon Hunter. 00:10:59.879 --> 00:11:02.840 They play the rock star energy drink Mayhem Festival 00:11:02.840 --> 00:11:05.399 in July. Which, again, just for context, Mayhem 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:08.000 Fest was a massive traveling circus. It was the 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:10.460 biggest metal tour in America at the time. You 00:11:10.460 --> 00:11:13.639 are playing in asphalt parking lots and amphitheaters 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:16.399 in the middle of summer, 100 degree heat to thousands 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:19.740 of kids. Sounds exhausting. It is grueling, but 00:11:19.740 --> 00:11:21.899 it is... The place to be seen if you want to 00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:24.399 make it. They also played Orion music plus more 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:27.240 that year. Which was Metallica's own curated 00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:29.620 festival. So just imagine this trajectory for 00:11:29.620 --> 00:11:31.639 a second. Two years prior, they were playing 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:34.940 local bars in Canton. Now they are at Metallica's 00:11:34.940 --> 00:11:37.039 festival. It sounds like the perfect unstoppable 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:41.720 rise. But looking at the timeline. While the 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:44.159 guitar players and the singer were locked in, 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:46.639 there was something strange happening behind 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:50.539 the drum kit. Ah, yes, the drummer curse. It 00:11:50.539 --> 00:11:52.200 feels a little bit like spinal tap, doesn't it? 00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:55.200 Like, sadly, our drummer exploded. Fortunately, 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:58.279 no one physically exploded in Battlecross. But 00:11:58.279 --> 00:12:01.019 from an organizational standpoint, it was absolute 00:12:01.019 --> 00:12:03.179 k -doss. And I think this is where we really 00:12:03.179 --> 00:12:06.139 see that blue -collar resilience tested to its 00:12:06.139 --> 00:12:08.500 absolute limit. Break it down for us. Why is 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:11.059 the drummer seat so volatile in a band like this? 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:13.679 Is it just bad luck? Well, think about the economics 00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:15.419 of it. We talked about this earlier. In a mid 00:12:15.419 --> 00:12:17.799 -level metal band, you are splitting a very modest 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:21.019 paycheck five ways. But the drummer, the drummer 00:12:21.019 --> 00:12:24.120 has the most gear to physically haul every night. 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:26.940 The drummer is doing the most physical work on 00:12:26.940 --> 00:12:30.100 stage. Playing high -speed thrash metal for 60 00:12:30.100 --> 00:12:32.580 minutes straight is like running a marathon while 00:12:32.580 --> 00:12:37.190 doing math. Top tier drummers are rare. So if 00:12:37.190 --> 00:12:39.710 a bigger band with a bigger tour bus and a bigger 00:12:39.710 --> 00:12:42.970 paycheck comes calling, it is very hard for a 00:12:42.970 --> 00:12:45.429 drummer to say no. So who do they lose? Let's 00:12:45.429 --> 00:12:47.690 go through the roster. Well, Mike Krieger, the 00:12:47.690 --> 00:12:50.610 original guy who joined back in 2007, he leaves 00:12:50.610 --> 00:12:53.529 in 2013 for personal business. That is the first 00:12:53.529 --> 00:12:56.490 domino to fall. OK, so you need a sub immediately 00:12:56.490 --> 00:12:58.769 for the biggest festivals of your entire career. 00:12:58.909 --> 00:13:01.710 Right. So they call Kevin Talley. He is a heavy 00:13:01.710 --> 00:13:04.169 -hitting mercenary in the metal world. He's played 00:13:04.169 --> 00:13:06.830 for Six Feet Under, Chimera. Big names. Very 00:13:06.830 --> 00:13:09.929 big. He steps in, does the job for Mayhem Fest 00:13:09.929 --> 00:13:12.750 and Orion, and then he leaves. Next up. Adam 00:13:12.750 --> 00:13:14.909 Pearce steps in. He comes over from a band called 00:13:14.909 --> 00:13:17.389 All Shall Perish. He does the fall 2013 tour. 00:13:17.850 --> 00:13:20.309 Then he leaves. I'm getting dizzy just tracking 00:13:20.309 --> 00:13:22.850 this. It actually gets more complicated. On the 00:13:22.850 --> 00:13:25.429 album War of Will, the drums were recorded by 00:13:25.429 --> 00:13:27.830 Shannon Lucas, the former drummer for The Black 00:13:27.830 --> 00:13:30.230 Dahlia Murder. He recorded the album as a session 00:13:30.230 --> 00:13:33.129 player, then he decided to join the band officially 00:13:33.129 --> 00:13:35.929 in 2014, and then he quit after one tour. Oh 00:13:35.929 --> 00:13:38.049 my god, just imagine being Tony inherent. You 00:13:38.049 --> 00:13:39.870 rate these songs, you've been doing this since 00:13:39.870 --> 00:13:41.730 you were teenagers, and you cannot keep a guy 00:13:41.730 --> 00:13:44.649 on the drums duel to save your life. It completely 00:13:44.649 --> 00:13:47.710 destroys a band's chemistry. You have to reteach 00:13:47.710 --> 00:13:50.429 the entire set list every three months. You have 00:13:50.429 --> 00:13:52.789 to learn how the new guy plays. Does he rush 00:13:52.789 --> 00:13:55.669 the tempo? Does he drag? Do we lock in together? 00:13:56.049 --> 00:13:58.669 It is mentally and physically exhausting. Who 00:13:58.669 --> 00:14:00.710 finally stuck around? Well, they brought in Alex 00:14:00.710 --> 00:14:04.190 Bent for a bit in 2014. He is a monster player, 00:14:04.210 --> 00:14:06.389 and he completed their first real headlining 00:14:06.389 --> 00:14:08.950 tour with them, but he left in 2015. Finally, 00:14:09.049 --> 00:14:11.970 later in 2015, they found Brian Zink, and he 00:14:11.970 --> 00:14:14.529 actually stayed until the end. Plus Brian Zink. 00:14:14.789 --> 00:14:17.669 Truly. But think about that timeline. That is 00:14:17.669 --> 00:14:20.230 five or six different percussionists in the span 00:14:20.230 --> 00:14:22.990 of just two years, right during their most critical 00:14:22.990 --> 00:14:25.009 growth period. And yet they somehow released 00:14:25.009 --> 00:14:28.909 a third album, Rise to Power, in 2015. And it 00:14:28.909 --> 00:14:31.450 was a fantastic album. It featured the single, 00:14:31.669 --> 00:14:34.169 Not Your Slave. They managed to keep the quality 00:14:34.169 --> 00:14:36.590 incredibly high despite the revolving door in 00:14:36.590 --> 00:14:39.299 the rhythm section. And this era... Right around 00:14:39.299 --> 00:14:42.779 2014 and 2015, looking at the logs, this is where 00:14:42.779 --> 00:14:45.500 they went truly global. Yes. This is where the 00:14:45.500 --> 00:14:48.000 work ethic really paid off internationally. Yeah, 00:14:48.139 --> 00:14:50.279 I see the download festival in the UK on here. 00:14:50.539 --> 00:14:52.960 Donington Park. That is the holy land of heavy 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:54.799 metal. If you are playing download, you have 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:57.340 officially made it on the global stage. And they 00:14:57.340 --> 00:15:00.080 went south, too. Mexico City. They played their 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:03.320 first concert in Mexico City in 2014 supporting 00:15:03.320 --> 00:15:06.340 Black Label Society. Then they did a massive 00:15:06.340 --> 00:15:08.940 South American tour supporting Killswitch Engage 00:15:08.940 --> 00:15:11.220 and Memphis Mayfire. I just want to pause and 00:15:11.220 --> 00:15:13.360 appreciate that image for the listener. You are 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:16.139 from Canton, Michigan. You grew up watching the 00:15:16.139 --> 00:15:19.039 snow turn to gray slush in the winter. And now 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:21.659 you are standing on a stage in Mexico City or 00:15:21.659 --> 00:15:24.340 South America, thousands of miles from home. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:26.899 And thousands of people know the words to the 00:15:26.899 --> 00:15:29.220 songs you wrote in a garage. That is the peak. 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:31.840 That represents the absolute payoff for those 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:34.899 12 years of relentless grinding. But as we know 00:15:34.899 --> 00:15:37.360 with the music industry, gravity kicks in eventually. 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:41.960 We get to 2016. And the touring logs just start 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.039 to thin out. They do. They went out on a really 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:46.840 solid tour with Soilwork and Soulfly in 2016. 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:50.399 But after that, the updates just became sporadic. 00:15:50.559 --> 00:15:53.559 The momentum slowed. In 2019, they posted an 00:15:53.559 --> 00:15:55.779 update indicating they were working on new material. 00:15:56.019 --> 00:15:58.299 The classic, we're in the studio, don't worry 00:15:58.299 --> 00:16:01.210 post. Right. It keeps the fans engaged. But we 00:16:01.210 --> 00:16:03.490 never actually heard that material. And then, 00:16:03.529 --> 00:16:06.250 obviously, 2020 happens. The global pandemic 00:16:06.250 --> 00:16:08.190 completely shut down the entire live touring 00:16:08.190 --> 00:16:10.710 industry. And for a band that entirely relies 00:16:10.710 --> 00:16:12.909 on the road to pay the bills? Yeah. That is a 00:16:12.909 --> 00:16:14.909 death blow. Absolutely. So there's basically 00:16:14.909 --> 00:16:18.110 silence for two years. And then we get to December 00:16:18.110 --> 00:16:21.570 2022. The Battle Christmas Show on December 9th, 00:16:21.570 --> 00:16:23.490 2022. What was Battle Christmas? They used to 00:16:23.490 --> 00:16:25.769 do this annual hometown holiday show in Michigan 00:16:25.769 --> 00:16:28.230 for their local fans. It was a tradition. But 00:16:28.230 --> 00:16:30.039 this time, the announcement had a very different 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:32.419 tone to it. They explicitly announced that this 00:16:32.419 --> 00:16:34.460 would be their last show for the foreseeable 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:37.460 future. Marking the start of an indefinite hiatus. 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:40.799 Exactly. It wasn't an explosive breakup. No one 00:16:40.799 --> 00:16:43.019 threw a chair at anyone. No one sued anyone. 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:45.460 They just stopped. And look who was standing 00:16:45.460 --> 00:16:49.100 on stage for that final show. Tony Asta, Hiran 00:16:49.100 --> 00:16:53.440 Durrani Aghla, Don Slater, Gumby, and Brian Zink. 00:16:53.690 --> 00:16:56.049 the core friends, and the drummer who finally 00:16:56.049 --> 00:16:58.629 stayed. They finished the incredible run together. 00:16:58.850 --> 00:17:01.289 So let's unpack the why. Because reading this, 00:17:01.450 --> 00:17:04.569 it's natural to wonder, why stop? They were popular. 00:17:04.569 --> 00:17:06.829 They were tight. They had a really dedicated 00:17:06.829 --> 00:17:08.869 fan base. I think we have to go right back to 00:17:08.869 --> 00:17:11.769 the blue collar concept. Being a mid -level metal 00:17:11.769 --> 00:17:14.230 band is phenomenally expensive. You aren't flying 00:17:14.230 --> 00:17:16.569 on private jets. You are sleeping in a van. You 00:17:16.569 --> 00:17:18.589 are missing birthdays. You are missing anniversaries. 00:17:18.670 --> 00:17:20.890 You are missing your kids growing up. Right. 00:17:21.130 --> 00:17:23.269 Gumby's son, Caleb, the one he wrote that song 00:17:23.269 --> 00:17:25.849 about on the first record. Exactly. He is growing 00:17:25.849 --> 00:17:28.410 up while his dad is out on the road nine months 00:17:28.410 --> 00:17:30.619 out of the year. and eventually the math just 00:17:30.619 --> 00:17:32.680 doesn't work anymore. It doesn't. When you are 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:35.500 22 years old, sleeping in a van is a fun adventure. 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:39.099 When you are 35 or 40, it is a massive liability. 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:41.980 The modern music industry simply does not support 00:17:41.980 --> 00:17:44.779 the middle class of musicians very well. You 00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:47.660 are either mega famous or you are losing money 00:17:47.660 --> 00:17:50.579 to go on tour. Battlecross fought that gravity 00:17:50.579 --> 00:17:53.839 for 20 years, which is heroic, but eventually 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:56.809 real life wins out. That is a deeply sobering 00:17:56.809 --> 00:17:59.250 thought. It really is. So as we wrap up this 00:17:59.250 --> 00:18:01.450 deep dive into the source material, here is the 00:18:01.450 --> 00:18:03.569 big takeaway for me. We started with a couple 00:18:03.569 --> 00:18:05.910 of high school kids in the Detroit suburbs. We 00:18:05.910 --> 00:18:08.769 ended with a legacy of three killer studio albums, 00:18:09.269 --> 00:18:12.410 world tours, and a rock solid reputation as one 00:18:12.410 --> 00:18:14.910 of the hardest working bands in the modern metal 00:18:14.910 --> 00:18:17.880 scene. They absolutely proved that being Blue 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:20.079 Collar wasn't just a marketing gimmick. It was 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:22.359 quite literally the only way they knew how to 00:18:22.359 --> 00:18:24.539 operate. They bridged the new wave of American 00:18:24.539 --> 00:18:26.940 heavy metal into the modern era using relentless 00:18:26.940 --> 00:18:29.799 touring and radio support rather than just relying 00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:32.980 on viral social media fame. But here is the provocative 00:18:32.980 --> 00:18:35.579 thought I want to leave you with, listener. And 00:18:35.579 --> 00:18:38.509 it is kind of a heavy one to ponder. In an industry 00:18:38.509 --> 00:18:41.029 that relies so heavily on consistent touring 00:18:41.029 --> 00:18:43.809 and stable lineups, how much potential music 00:18:43.809 --> 00:18:46.910 is lost simply because life gets in the way? 00:18:47.309 --> 00:18:50.190 That's the real question. Right. Was the hiatus 00:18:50.190 --> 00:18:52.809 inevitable for a blue -collar band? How many 00:18:52.809 --> 00:18:54.769 incredible albums are we never going to hear 00:18:54.769 --> 00:18:57.190 simply because the artists couldn't afford to 00:18:57.190 --> 00:18:59.390 keep the lights on? That is the tragedy of the 00:18:59.390 --> 00:19:01.650 business model. Battlecross didn't run out of 00:19:01.650 --> 00:19:03.569 riffs, they just ran out of runway. But hey, 00:19:03.630 --> 00:19:05.630 they did say indefinite, right? Not forever. 00:19:05.799 --> 00:19:07.940 The door is always a little bit open in the metal 00:19:07.940 --> 00:19:09.799 world. We will keep our hopes up for a return. 00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:11.980 Thanks for exploring this deep dive with us. 00:19:12.180 --> 00:19:12.579 See you next time.