"Spread the word because we want to come to your town!" Twenty Questions with Don Slater from Battlecross

Who are you, and what do you do?
My name is Don Slater and I play bass guitar for Battlecross!

Where are you?
About 15 minutes west of Detroit. Specifically, I’m at a desk surrounded by a bunch of people I don’t like and a few I like. Stupid day job.

What will the next food that passes your lips be?
A delicious, made-to-order, fresh from the farm three egg cheese omelette with a side of bacon. And if you believe that, I’ll also wash it all down with a glass of golden milk squeezed from a Unicorn’s teat.

If we’re speaking to you, it may well be because you’ve got something to sell – tell us a little about it.
Pursuit of Honor, our debut album on Metal Blade Records! The next best thing to come out of the Motor City since automobiles and murder! Featuring blistering tracks of metal that pay homage to our thrash metal forefathers, but never hesitates to embrace the technicality of modern metal progression!

What’s the best thing about being in your band?
Sharing my craft with the world and the fans that support us, new and old. There are few highs in life that compare to playing in front of strangers in a city you’ve never been to before, only to hear them erupt in cheer and applause. That alone inspires me to no end.

And the worst?
The smell of the van after a show...

Where would you most like to perform that you haven’t already been to?
Anywhere overseas, really. Anywhere relatively safe, that is! There are plenty of places here in the States that I’d love to play, but the viking blood in me commands me to explore.

 What is your favourite venue to perform in in the whole world?
That’s a loaded question.  Ask me again when I’ve been to every venue in the world! Right now, with my limited experience, I’d have to say the Machine Shop in Flint, MI. The beer could stand to be cheaper, but it’s definitely a metal head’s bar.

Who or what first alerted you to the fact that you’d like to be a musician?
Being a restless teenager and becoming increasingly bored setting things on fire, my friends Rich and Larry needed a bass plucker for the punk band they were starting. It was the outlet for angst that I needed, and I found something I was actually getting good at!

Who would win in a fight between a badger and a baboon? Why?
I’d place my bet on the baboon because of sheer power, but I wouldn’t count the badger out. Chances are, the badger suffers from SGS (short guy syndrome) and has a chip on its shoulder and something to prove. I’m still going with baboon, but if the bout goes longer than 5 rounds, he better watch his ass.

Motley Crue or Nirvana?
Motley Crue outnumbers Nirvana, so they’d totally kick their ass and (unfortunately) look pretty while doing it. Oh, wait.. which one do I like more? NEITHER. Slayer would come in and melt all of their faces like in Raiders of the Lost Ark when the Nazis opened the ark. So awesome..

 A genie grants you 24 hours as a member of another band – who do you join?
GWAR! I’m too skinny to be a good Beefcake the Mighty, but I’d have fun as a slave, or maybe a long lost brother of Beef, “Porkloin the Lean”.

Are Cds a dead medium for music delivery?
Yes and no. No one really uses CD’s anymore, everything can be obtained digitally. But we humans just love to have and show off any physical representation of what we own. Downloading music is a lot like downloading porn. Sure, you can see it and enjoy it and for the most part it works just fine with no afterthought. But sometimes you just gotta get the real thing, to hold it, to smell it, to feel it.. You know what I mean.

Any pre-show rituals you have to observe before going onstage?
Nothing unusual: grab a beer, maybe a quick smoke if I can, a series of stretches and check my tuning. High 5’s all around is always a plus!

What sort of music can you absolutely not abide?
Country. It reminds me of a certain wife-beating drunk, said wife being my mother, said drunk now living on the other side of States. Garbage music. Instant hate and headache for me when I hear a steel guitar.

Which of your songs would you like the cast of Glee to record?
Ha! I’d go with Misery first, then Better Off Dead second. It’s like getting a devout Christian to say “FUCK”!

 What one item of non-musical equipment can you not do without on tour?
Toilet paper.

Can you do a Hospital Corner?
...the sheet folding thing? No, I can’t. But I can stuff a mean pillow case!

Here’s one last chance to spruik your band/tour/album... What else should we know about it?
Our new album Pursuit of Honor is available for presale! Listening to our single Push Pull Destroy will leave a far better impression on you than my silly words! Visit the Metal Blade roster and give our name a click! Dropping everywhere in late summer, also available at any shows we’ll be playing in the future! Spread the word because we want to come to YOUR town! We’re hungry and ready to tour, and I need to get high (see Question #5)!!

20 questions was brought to you by?
METAL AS FUCK!!!!!!