ION INDIE MAGAZINE October 2015, Volume 17 | Page 75

but I appreciate what you guys do up there, and how tight the music is.’ So, I think that’s how we can come
across with any sort of band we tour with. We get up there, and it’s no bullshit--it’s straight to the point. We
give off this vibe that to me, is very honest and very real.”
That same air of hard-wrought intensity the
band delivers nightly is the same aural punch
that Deraniyagala and Asta--along with
vocalist KYLE GUNTHER, bassist DON SLATER
and drummer ALEX BENT--dominate on the
new “Rise To Power” record. With a couple of
studio records under their belt, it’s interesting
to pose the question of how the band
undertook the writing and recording process as
a now-experienced studio machine.
“I wouldn’t say ‘easy’, but I will say it was
natural and organic,” admits Deraniyagala of
the work that went into the new album. “We
didn’t really go in and beat our heads against
the wall and say, ‘We’ve got to do this, or we
want it this way.’ It all came very natural and
sort of flowed during the writing process. We all
collaborated, and there wasn’t one particular dynamic on one song--we didn’t hold back on anything. We
let our influences shine on this record, and I honestly feel this is our best record to date.”
The band was assisted in the studio by producer JASON SUECOF--who’s worked with notable names across
the metallic spectrum like DEATH ANGEL, TRIVIUM and DEVILDRIVER. Suecof, it seems, helped to bring out
a newfound sense of artistic maturation within the band.
“We knew going into the studio that we’d sort of grow and develop from there,” says Deraniyagala on the
anticipated outcome of working with Suecof. “Going into the studio really did help to mature the songs and
trim the fat. Jason helped bring them to life; what we were really going for--and also bring out things we
weren’t going for. Jason really has an insight into the music. You know, there was a little bit of that stress
that normally goes into any process where it’s your third album--you get a little more pressure from the label
and the industry. It’s like, ‘Ok, what can you do on this, your third album? Is it better than what you did on
the second album?’ You need to keep that momentum going. I think we learned to put that pressure behind
us and say that we trust ourselves to do what we do best.”
Battlecross is a Metal band that, while paying homage to the classic thrash of bands like METALLICA,
MEGADETH and SLAYER, manages to incorporate fresh ideas into the mix--such as groove elements, time
signature switches, and manic riff-bursts that identify as their own. This is something Battlecross has
cultivated along the way, never specifically planned or even given much attention.
“We knew we wanted to take in the influences of what we liked--we were really just writing riffs,” explains
Deraniyagala of the bands formative period. “We were trying to construct songs that were cool. We definitely