Let's take some time in this post to continue playing catch-up with St. Ignace, Michigan deathcore band Heavy Lies The Crown, so what have they been up to since we last left off with them two weeks ago? On April 15th, frontman Brandon West posted this video to their Facebook page, but unlike his usual vertical "talking to the camera" uploads, it features him singing (and growling) part of Crossfade's "Cold". Seemingly uploaded more for laughs, as I don't recall many instances of H.L.T.C. covering songs, it would be interesting to see them seriously tackle "Cold" live, but give this brief clip a watch below to judge for yourself!
Two days later, the guys announced a new concert for May 30th, which saw them and three other bands open for Buffalo post-hardcore band The Bunny The Bear at the Diesel Concert Lounge in Chesterfield Township (outside of Detroit, 5 hours south of the Soo). Hopefully that show went well for all involved, but they hit the stage closer by beforehand. On April 19th, they took part in "The Invasion Of 420" at The Delft Theater in Escanaba (3 hours west of here) alongside seven other groups, one being Hannahville metal band Ghidora, who local fans may recall seeing at last year's 2nd Street Music Festival in St. Ignace. Two videos from Ghidora's set were uploaded by H.L.T.C. afterwards, but nothing from their own set was uploaded in the immediate aftermath beyond photos. Hopefully things went well in Escanaba! That same day, the band hinted again that they're interested in adding a full-time DJ or turntablist to their lineup.
As you may recall, drummer Blaze Beairl's debut with the band in May of last year in Pontiac was as a DJ, before he moved behind the kit permanently. If they found someone full-time, it'd sure be a unique addition as local bands go! On April 21st, Heavy Lies The Crown strongly hinted in this picture that they'd be working in studio with guitarist/ex-drummer Jaxon Massaway now that he was back in the active fold. One week later, they announced another May concert, which saw them return to the Influence The Band Headquarters in Taylor (also outside of Detroit), this time as the headliners at "Pat's 3rd Annual Birthday Bash". Things sounded like they went well when H.L.T.C. debuted there at the Theta show last month, so hopefully their return was a hit! They also teased that they may have "a surprise thing happening" during their next concerts, so what were they getting at there?
On May 3rd, the guys asked on Facebook if fans would be interested in "YouTube exclusives for early productions", specifically raw demo tracks to show progression of new songs. Hey, if they're not vertical, have at 'er! As of May 12th, Heavy Lies The Crown were "waiting on some audio files to come back so we can share some new stuff, and we can hear a teaser of said "new stuff" in this video from their Facebook page on May 13th, which features 20 seconds of a new song via its tracking computer, with Jaxon seen at the end playing along with it. No comment on the very incomplete song yet, but check it out for yourselves below!
Among other short recent videos from Heavy Lies The Crown (including re-postings and non-musical ones), let's close with new update videos from Brandon from last month. The May 13th video (filmed outside in the sun) has Brandon hyping that the band has tickets on sale for the Chesterfield Township show on the 30th, while also plugging the next day's I.H.Q. show in Taylor. Eight days later, "Heavy" (well, just Brandon again) reports from his vehicle in this video, noting updates as to band merchandise orders and availability and their growth and new streaming numbers on Spotify. Embedded below is the longest of this batch of Brandon's solo update videos, from May 27th, which was uploaded in two chunks. It starts with Brandon reflecting on the growth and lineup changes in the band after listening to their early original "Knucklebutter", transitioning from there into his musical upbringing and learning how to write and record music.
Brandon wraps up the first half by looking upon the challenges of being in a small touring band, and we get more of the same in part 2, with reflections on long trips to play short sets for the love of the music. This isn't the first time that he has spoken to fans in a raw and honest way like this for reasons beyond "come see/listen to us and buy some merch", and it is neat to see him open up about life and experiences in a band like this, especially coming from the angle of a local band who aspires to be more than that. Check out Brandon's solo update videos from last month above & below!
When we next touch on Heavy Lies The Crown, we'll be thick in the weeds of their May-ending concerts in the Detroit area, complete with a surprise lineup variation, so stay tuned for all of that on the site soon. Thanks everyone!
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