The Music Factory in Battle Creek, Michigan.

On Saturday, December 16, an onslaught of heavy metal came to the Music Factory in Battle Creek Michigan. Local bands Accuser of the Brethren (Lansing), Implicator (Kalamazoo), Killcrown (Battle Creek), Let it Rot (Lansing) played alongside newer deathcore heavy weights Filth, coming out of North Carolina. Tons of friends, tons of moshing, and great times were had by all.

Accuser of the Brethren

First up, Accuser of the Brethren took the stage with their combination of brutal, deathcore vocals by Keato alongside chunky riffs and slow breakdowns, reminiscent of Beatdown Hardcore. Accuser of the Brethren has always impressed me with their vocals. I mean, with tracks such as “Random Acts of Violence” and “Buried Deep” what more would you expect out of a budding deathcore band? Dustin West, the bassist of the band, shredded. Blast beats emanated from the drums being performed by Brandon as well as super slow breakdowns fueled intense moshing in the rooms. Bodies thrown everywhere; people swaying back and forth like trees in a breeze. Accuser of the Brethren always hits right. 

Next up on the roster was Kalamazoo Michigan’s own, Implicator. They are a more traditional deathcore band with frenetic paced drumming, distorted guitars, and demons vocals. Brian Storch, the bassist of Implicator, shredded. The vocal performance for this band was insane as well. I love the energy Implicator brought to the Music Factory stage…it was almost like the moshing never stopped.

Let it Rot

Once Implicator delivered their unique brand of face melting metal, Let it Rot took the stage and blew me away. I had always heard of the band, but never had a chance to see them. Until this night. And they didn’t disappoint. Brandon Hartman is a top tier vocalist. Alex Torress, the lead guitarist of Let it Rot (as well as Son of Scylla and newly formed Sever the Crown) shredded like no one else the entire show. Let it Rot had amazing energy, equivalent to some of the best bands I’ve ever seen live, and I know they will become big. It’s only a matter of time. Not to mention that the band are some of the nicest people you could possibly meet. Bodies fell to the floor and were picked back up. And Rockso the Pit Clown hyped of eveyone in the pit as best as he could; it was a night I’ll never forget. Pictured below is Brandon from Let it Rot.

Killcrown

Killcrown, brainchild of Steve Maple (Michigan metal fest fame) created a band this year entitled Killcrown. Their first ever show was October 28th at the music factory. A Halloween show. This was their second show, where they showcased new, unreleased songs as well as ending their set with their new track, “Psycho”. “Psycho” is an amazing song, as were all the songs Killcrown played during their set. This band genuinly impressed me with Steve’s harsh, brutal vocal performance, the brutality of the distorted guitars, the angry, aggressive drumming that pounded through the room. Decibels of sound emanated from the speakers on either side of the stage, bouncing off the walls of the small venue. Steve’s powerful voice boomed through the microphone as his harsh, unforgiving screams pierced our ears. Pictured below is Steve Maple from Killcrown. 

Filth

Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Filth took the stage. They’re a deathcore band from North Carolina that has a unique blend of hip hop elements, combined with deathcore screams, shredded guitars, and aggressive drumming techniques. The moshpit got crazier during Filth, bodies thrashing around, falling down, being picked back up again. Dustin of Filth’s vocal performance was insane, and I genuinely do not understand how he made those noises. The gutturals and lows were absolutely brutal and insane. When the bass dropped for their final song “Gutter Gang” everybody lost their minds, myself included. In this track Dustin actually raps for a bit over a trap beat mixed with loud, angry guitars, and slow, beatdown breakdowns which makes this a rather unique deathcore track. 

All in all, it was an amazing night of live music with amazing friends from all over. Including Dustin Noell from Ghost Media Entertainment, and Scott Hakes of Bloodlust Media.