On January 23, 2014, Battlecross, The Party and Crimson Shadows rocked The Agora Ballroom and Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Party (Canton, OH.) came out to an upbeat, almost Techno type intro soon to be abruptly cut into a heavy breakdown. This often happens throughout the show and brings a different feel to the scene than a typical hardcore band. These guys have an awesome stage presence and are about everything you would imagine a band being called “The Party” would be about. Songs such as Get Nasty and Party Like a Kennedy are crowd favorites, and by the middle of the first song they had the entire buildings attention.
Following The Party and on their first international tour came Crimson Shadows, hailing from Toronto Canada. Opening their performance with their intro/Freedom and Salvation. Everyone at the show that night actually got a special treat from them as they performed two brand new songs they had never performed live; Rise to Power and Darkened Sky. Momentum building intros and heavy breakdowns are what these guys are about. The lead guitar players seemed to feed off one another and the crowd loved it. Overall they were very good and surely expanded their fan base.
Finally it was time for Detroit Michigan’s very own, Battlecross. They were everything everyone expected. This was Hardcore metal at its finest. Opening their set with their number 1 XM Radio hit, Force Fed Lies followed by My Vaccine quickly had the crowd moving. Mosh pits were not a surprise at this show, and as soon as the first scream was let out for the song Flesh and Bone, a wall of death was crashing down. This would not be a Battlecross show without favorite Push Pull Destroy, and that’s what they closed their set with. Lead singer, Kyle Gunther, was very friendly and fan oriented fellow that was quick to hang out at their merch table after the show to chat and snap pictures with everyone.
This was overall a very successful show with a lot of good talent. I would highly suggest taking any opportunity to see these bands. They all killed the stage with their performances and I would absolutely recommend seeing them.
Review by: James Lizer/ Anthony Powell
Battlecross
Crimson Shadows
The Party
