Battalion (Swiss band)
| Battalion | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| origin | Zurich , Switzerland |
| Genre (s) | Thrash metal , heavy metal |
| founding | 2006 |
| resolution | 2016 |
| Founding members | |
| Silvan Etzensperger | |
Electric guitar |
Cyril Etzensperger († 2010) |
| Samuel Riedener | |
| Dejan Terzic | |
| Last occupation | |
Vocals, electric guitar |
Silvan Etzensperger |
Drums |
Samuel Riedener |
Electric guitar |
Clode Hürlimann (from 2011) |
| Alexander Gubler (from 2012) | |
| former members | |
Electric bass |
Dejan Terzic (2006-2008) |
Electric bass |
Lukas Marti (2009–2012) |
Battalion was a Swiss thrash metal band from Zurich .
history
Beginnings
The band was founded in 2006. Silvan Etzensperger, Cyril Etzensperger and Samy Riedener organized some jam sessions, but still without a permanent member on bass. Towards the end of the year, the band released their first demo The Fight for Metal . Since the demo received good reviews in Switzerland, she played a few concerts on a national level, also without a permanent bassist. After a few concerts, Lukas Marti was introduced as an official member on bass in 2009.
First successes
A little later the band went into the studio to record their first album. Tommy Vetterli ( Coroner , Kreator ) could be won as a producer . The album, entitled Underdogs , was released on the Silverwolf Productions label in February 2010 and received mostly good to very good reviews from the trade press. Now, after numerous concerts in Switzerland, his first appearances abroad have followed.
In August 2010, the suicide of guitarist Cyril Etzensperger rocked the band. A band breakup was not up for discussion and so a temporary live guitarist was found in Leandro Pacheco. The band played in 2010 and 2011 at several smaller open airs as well as many concerts, including as the opening act for Destruction . In summer 2011 it was announced that Clode Hürlimann had joined the band as a new member on guitar. A small European tour has also been announced for November 2011. The band then announced that they would take a concert break of several months in order to record a new album, which will be released in September 2012.
While working on the new album, the band announced that Lukas Marti had left the band for personal reasons. In May 2012 Alexander Gubler was introduced as the new bass player. Battalion performed in England for the first time in the summer of 2012, at Bloodstock Open Air . The second album is called Set the Phantom Afire . The first single Buried Nation was released on August 1st along with a video clip. The album was released on September 29, 2012 as part of a release show. The band played many shows in 2013 and 2014, including as opening act for Slayer and Machine Head . In the summer of 2014 Battalion won the Swiss qualification for the Wacken Metal Battle and was able to perform at the Wacken Open Air in August 2014 .
In 2016 the band broke up due to internal problems.
style
The band's style is very similar to early Bay Area thrash metal . Influences from bands like Metallica or Testament can be heard. However, some songs such as Wings of a Demon also contain elements of classic heavy metal and power metal . The lyrics are often related to metal ( Thrash Maniacs, Headbangers ) or have a social or historical background ( Stalingrad ).
Discography
- 2006: The Fight for Metal (Demo)
- 2010: Underdogs (Album, Silverwolf Productions)
- 2012: Set the Phantom Afire (Album, Burning Phoenix)
- 2015: Generation Movement (album, self-distribution)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c battalionmilitia.com: BATTALION: THAT'S HEAVY METAL! ( Memento from May 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ stormbringer.at: BATTALION - Underdogs (CD)
- ↑ rocktimes.de: Battalion / Underdogs
- ↑ metal.de: Battalion (CH) - "Underdogs" - Thrash Metal
- ↑ wacken.com: Battalion at Wacken Open Air
- ↑ negativewhite.ch: Announcement of the dissolution