On Saturday May 3rd and Friday May 9th The Alrosa Villa and Fox28 hosted the 2014 Battle for Rock on the Range. Over two nights bands from different genre’s, scenes and parts of Ohio played the stage, trying to win over the crowd garnering support and votes to open the Jägermeister stage Saturday afternoon at Crew Stadium. Zombie Tapdance Productions was on hand both nights filming the battles. Of the participants 2013 alumni Cross Solder and Infidel returned to try again. Other competitors for the night included Life Within Us, Viper, Mayhem Like Me, Resistance 13, Ultimatum, Echoes of Empathy and Foxtrot. This year the rules changed as the winner would be determined solely by fan voting and the band with the most over both nights would win. To keep from over-voting, fans could only vote for their favorite on the day they performed. A wide array of talent and styles played including rock, 80’s, glam/hair metal, blues, thrash and even a few covers.
Since late 2012 there’s been Life Within as four guys from Lima rose Above You going for immediate superiority. The crunchy riffs of the show and battle opener took bassist Chris Storm to the floor, immediately trying to wow the crowd over. Guitarist Justin Claphan’s red/black striped guitar and brown fedora gave off a somewhat creepy feel but does every town really have an Elm Street? They got soft and pretty with the slower, We Won’t Stop, recorded at a studio in Michigan. Singer/guitarist Marc Foust sings/growls into the mic sporting vintage cut-off denim with patchwork for an old-school tribute. Your Demise is heavy but bluesy followed with a cute lil tune about puppies, rainbows and happy stuff called End the Suffering. The bell tolled as time marched on with a pretty recognizable tune from the early 80’s that many a metalhead wore on their denim and/or leather.
This is the Viper, from Mansfield with a bit of night-time road house, dirty rock and roll blues to keep the afternoon crowd going. Guns n Roses meets Motley Crue as lead guitarist, kiss fan/red scarfed Dizzy Cruz tore it up Kerry King meets Slash style, with a little over the head behind the back action. Singer Rikki Rayzor took the scene a few years forward sporting an Anthrax, We Come For You All shirt with flannel, filling the mic with a growling attitude, some country-tonk and rockabilly flavor with Rob Zombie meeting Scott Stapp. It’s rock n roll with a steady groove and swagger with King Tut on drums and Big Ern on bass and always… 100% balls out. The traveling road burner Come On Up And See Me, chases after the wrong kinda woman that’re ‘too’ available, with a little shot of Shoot To Thrill in the middle. I Am goes deep, digging the riffs out of the deeper, rougher guitar notes, chugging right along with the gruff vocals of Mr. Rayzor.
Columbus’s Mayhem Like Me started about two and a half years ago with the current flock holding steady at eight months. With former members of Peligro 614 and Blame It On Yesterday they combine a pop rock, high energy sound/delivery with some nice guitar shred and 80’s hair vibe. In true rock ego fashion they started with Headliner, a nice head-bopper rock number with Blake Soles clean vocals and Cooper Bourne’s shredding/shrieking solos, complemented by the technical prowess and tapping of Bharat Madhaven. While You’re Alive you might as well live life and hang out enjoying some great music supplied by MLM and the other talent. We got a nice drum beat opening for Therapy, hitting drums is healthier and cheaper than discussing violent tendencies anyway. They cover Your Betrayal and play new EP single Easylife. Then prove sometimes it’s easier to Fade away then burn out. Soles jumped into the crowd screeching with a few devoted fans. Bassist Tyler Viers has a ‘bit’ of a towering presence with a resemblance to a young ‘big’ John McCarthy. Viers, Bourne and drummer Luke Hatfield played their first show at 13 at the villa.
Resistance 13 started in 2010 they’re first EP Attention Citizens sold over 300 copies in under six months and they’re first full length Surviving The Fall’s sold 600 copies so far. They’re proving 13 is anything but unlucky, taking an aggressive, high energy in your face show with an unbreakably positive message with Jeremy Wrights rap rock, sung delivery, they were all a little dressed up for the occasion.
Always cheering for the underdog they open with Fallen Hero with Wrights POD delivery and strong body moving guitars from Brian Schneider/Ryan Husek. Second guessing yourself when This Moment is taking life away, everything keeps moving faster, look at tomorrow, not yesterday. They’re guided by this New Beginning with a little 80’s rock flavor and triumphant vocal attitude. Bryan Meeks bass opens Misguided, a mellow but rocking tune about lessons learned from multiple mistakes. Sympathize The Fallen, pray for those in need of help and love. Time to Build An Empire before they go.
Bellefontaine’s Echoes of Empathy (pictured up top) turn the metal back on with heavy hardcore progressive thrash. Mossy Stoltzfus brought out the screeching vocals with some death growls to get the rage going. Victim to Villain opens with plenty of hardcore mayhem. Ghost is dedicated to everyone who’s lost a friend or loved one.
Stoltzfus voice carries the energy and anger of punk. Drummer Wolfgang Amadeus McMurray stood in for the injured Aaron Litteral. They earned the night’s first pit during Push. They finish breaking out the sweaty, crowd pleaser Deciever with its Korn-like, funky neck wrenching, neck wrecking charm. The crowd showed support chanting one more song from the EOE.
Ultimatum brought out the covers starting with some Foo and a Monkey Wrench. They went old-school gloom and doom and got a little Paranoid before turning into a Basket Case via Green Day.
They’ve all had their Good Times Bad Times, we’ve all had our share. The best in the world might not be on our TV Monday nights right now but we still get some of Living Colour’s Cult of Personality. We go back to the early 80’s with the prince of darkness and hop aboard his Crazy Train. The Bellz ring again as time marched on.
Cross Solder Light Up The Sky as night hung over. Chad Lunn brought the Mustaine/Hetfield vocal muscle churning out good heavy hard rock with throwbacks of 80’s big four thrash. Looking a bit like Tom Cruise doesn’t hurt either.
It’s damn Shameless how they came up with the video for the country influenced rocking crash and burn ballad. They take some hard southern rock, mix in some ‘shine’ and got the Devils Eyes. They take a page from the Bay Area Testament writing their own Legacy with Down By The Road.
Foxtrot from Columbus brought a different vibe with their psychedelic sixties sound and some trippy guitar effects. Some angry blues and some Pulp Fiction, with an old school House of the Rising Sun feel. They play Sad Little White Girl, On Fire, A Little Harder Now and finish with Suckerpunch, a weird acid rock bath experience.
Infidel out of Columbus finished off the evening playing their version of American hardcore. The yells and screeching of Larry Coake ran over Hanging By A Thread. They got red faced and homicidal on Redrum, put ego aside or upfront on Justifide. The bass heavy beginning of Beg about destructive people around you is followed by night closer Nasty.
The winner would be announced next Friday after all bands had played. All bands were welcome back to play anytime with Echoes of Empathy, Cross Solder and Infidel having strong showings.
Life Within, Viper, Mayhem Like Me, Ultimatum, Echoes of Empathy, Resistance 13, Cross Solder, Foxtrot, Infidel photos by Mike Ritchie. Factor Project, Lungworm, Strayt Laced, Plain Old Henry photos by Kristofer Kotlarik.
