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Battery
: Their
music represents some of the best of what passes as “Pinoy
Rock” nowadays, which is pretty unusual since the guitarist/vocalist,
a tall white dude with an American twang, doesn’t speak
our native tongue. At first glance, their bassist looks more
like a bespectacled computer geek rather than the virtuoso
player that he turns out to be. And their drummer - well,
he looks too shy to be in a rock band of this caliber. Of
course, these are but a few misconceptions hounding Battery,
composed of Michael Turner (vocals/guitars), Chris Salva (bass),
and Patrick Dy (drums).
The other fallacies become quite obvious in their self-titled
debut album under Rock Records which has lyrics like “You
come to me when I can’t see/You come to me when I call/You
come to me when I can’t see/You comfort me when I fall”
(from "Come to Me"). Or “In a world where all
kinds of people have to live/Life becomes a hell for those
who’d rather take than give” ("Toxic Hate").
The trio still
manages to play the meanest rock there is these days while
surviving the phrase “Preachers of Rock” due to
their Christian background. Mike Turner, former guitarist
of The Breed, quickly points out the phrase should be “Reverends
of Rock”. But
whatever label you stick them with, Battery will choose to
shrug these off for their carefree and honest belief that
“music is music”. And this, through careful observation,
gives them that incredible tightness when they perform on
stage. We find that tightness off stage as well when we tagged
along for an evening rehearsal at the Victory Christian Fellowship’s
studio in Pasig. Even
with unusual covers like the BeeGees’ “Staying Alive”
and James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain”, Battery
never seems to lose their verve. Whether or not this verve
is the root to the so-called “devil’s music”
that they perform is really up to the listener. And besides,
they really don’t mind the holy name-calling. Mike quips,
“You should hear our Sunday service.”
Article : Philmusic.com
 _.:Battery
Official Site
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