Last year, I made a goal to attend and photograph at least one show a year with bands that I am not all that familiar with so I could expand my musical landscape even wider. This year I made the promise to try a different genre of metal that I do not normally listen to quite often. So, when I saw the announcement for The Big Team Battle Tour, my significant other sent me an invite on Facebook to the event being held at The Masquerade (Atlanta). Truthfully, I was not familiar with any of the bands on the Big Team Battle Tour as I do not normally listen to the genre termed deathcore much in my rotation. So, I did some research on the bands and I was intrigued by their collective discography. This curiosity grew into a passionate desire to get in the photo pit for this tour when it rolled through The Masquerade in Atlanta on March 3rd, 2023. So, sit back and let me take you on a journey to that night at The Masquerade through my camera lens.

Bodysnatcher

Bodysnatcher is a deathcore band from Melbourne, Florida which formed in 2014 and features Kyle Medina (vocals), Kyle Carter (guitars), Kyle Shope (bass), and Chris Whited (drums). Currently, they are signed to Stay Sick Recordings and have released three (3) LPs, one (1) EP, and three (3) singles. Their latest LP, Bleed-Abide, was released April 22, 2022. This band really knew how to command the crowd with a powerful and fierce performance. Like many times during each of the performing band’s sets, the crowd enjoyed singing along to all Bodysnatcher’s set. Plus, the excitement on everyone’s face was very noticeable as I looked around at everyone in the crowd. I could tell why this tour was selling out across the United States.

Bodysnatcher

Check out the setlist from this evening’s set:

· “Bleed/Abide”

· “Absolved of the Strings and Stone”

· “Black of My Eyes”

· “Value Through Suffering”

· “Take Me To Hell”

· “E.D.A.”

· “Wired For Destruction”

· “Dead Rabbit”

· “Exterminate”

· “Break the Cycle”

· “Behind the Crowd”

· “Twelve/Seventeen”

· “Kings of the Rats”

Curious about Bodysnatcher? Then follow this link to check out Bodysnatcher’s Official Bandcamp page today! Or head over to Bodysnatcher’s YouTube Channel today and show some support!

AngelMaker

AngelMaker is a deathcore band from North Vancouver, British Columbia and have been active since starting as a band in 2011. The band consists of Cole Rideout (bass), Colton Bennett (guitars), Casey Tyson-Pearce (vocals), Mike Greenwood (vocals), Matt Perin (guitars), Johnny Ciardullo (guitars), and Steven Sanchez (drums). The two-lead singer dynamic was unique and had me hooked from the first song. I was not sure what to expect at first but was pleasantly delighted at how well this band performed together on stage.

Check out the set list from AngelMaker’s set at The Masquerade below:

· “Slaughter”

· “Vengeance”

· “Godless”

· “Gutless”

· “Bloodthirster”

· “Day/Day”

· “Hollow Heart”

· “Leech”

You can follow this link to check out AngelMaker’s Official Bandcamp page and show some support! Also, you can follow this link to AngelMaker’s YouTube Channel and see all their posted content today!

PaleFace

Paleface is a deathcore band from Zurich, Switzerland that consists of Zelli (vocals), Yannick (guitars), Tommy (bass), and CJ (drums). Paleface has released two (2) LPs and two (2) EPs in which, Fear & Dagger, is the latest LP release from March 25, 2022. Not only was this my first time seeing Paleface, but it was more than likely everyone else who came as well. This was Paleface’s first tour in the United States, and they were ecstatic to perform for their devoted fans. Paleface is another band that came on stage and demanded the crowd’s attention for the entire duration of their set. And what a brutal set it was!

You can check out Paleface’s set list below:

· “Pain”

· “Deadtouch”

· “Curse Us”

· “Best Before: Death”

· “No Room Left in Hell”

· “Dead Man’s Diary”

· “The Orphan”

Follow this link to Paleface’s YouTube Channel and watch some of their video content.

Distant

Distant is a down-tempo/deathcore band from Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Bratislava, Slovakia. Distant has released three (3) LPs and four (4) EPs since becoming a band in 2014. The band consists of Alan Grnja (vocals), Nouri Yetgin (guitar), Elmer Maurits (bass), Vladamir Golic (guitar), Eise Smit (guitar), and Jan Mato (drums). I feel like a broken record when discussing the bands, but Distant was another band that came to conquer as soon as they took the stage. From the first note all the way to the last chord, the crowd was fully entranced and sang along to just about every song in their set.

You can view Distant’s set list below:

· “Paradigm Shift”

· “Born of Blood”

· “Exofilth”

· “Hellmouth”

· “Heritage”

· “A Sentence to Suffer”

· “Hiers of Torment”

Head over to Distant’s Official Bandcamp page today and give them a follow! You can check out Century Media’s YouTube Channel for some of Distant’s video content.

Currently, you have only one chance left to catch this tour until their last date March 29th at the Palladium in Worcester, MA. These shows are all sold out except for Brooklyn, New York’s date (The Brooklyn Monarch - March 27th), so do not sleep on buying tickets if you live in Brooklyn or around the five boroughs.

Wed, MAR 8

89th Street - OKC

Oklahoma City, OK