They may be on a hardcore label, but Premonitions of War originated when the band began to lose interest in the hardcore scene.

“We felt that we’d written enough hardcore riffs that we didn’t want to become stagnant. We started to lean toward much more heavier stuff,” Meyer says. “I don’t want our music to be counted as anything other than destruction — we’re not trying to do anything other than write super-heavy music.”

After an EP and a full-length release on the Canadian Good Fellow Records, Premonitions of War had built enough hype to attract the attention of several bigger independent labels.

The band decided Chicago-based label Victory Records would good for their unique style of heavy metal laced with strong hardcore influences and a few touches borrowed from other genres, such as grind.

“Right off the bat, we knew quite a lot of people on the label,” Meyer says. “They just seemed like the best thing for us, and they’re a hardcore label.”

Signing to Victory gave the band unexpected opportunities, such has being able to focus on the band full-time, which Meyer says wasn’t able to happen until the beginning of January. The band also had Erik Rutan of Morbid Angel notoriety produce their Victory Records debut, “Left in Kowloon.”

“[I don’t think he influenced us] musically, but definitely attitude. We’re all on the same page with Erik in terms of music,” Meyer says. “It was a lot more easy going with Erik than it might have been with someone else.”

Musically, “Left in Kowloon” is just what would be expected from Premonitions of War. Lyrically, the band has changed slightly, due to a 2003 lineup change that saw the addition of a new bassist and a new vocalist.

“Lyrically we ask [Bradley] to write about things that are very dark,” Meyer says. “A lot of the things he writes about are being lost in a metropolis, where you’re kind of flipping in and out of the crowd. Kind of being alone and surrounded at the same time.”

With the record completed and in stores, Premonitions of War has begun touring nationwide in support of “Left in Kowloon.” The shows the band members have lined up illustrate their broad appeal to fans of several different genres of music.

Meyer says touring with a straightedge hardcore band like Embrace Today and then switching gears to support death metal mainstays like Morbid Angel is something with which the entire band is satisfied.

Even though they’ve gained larger and larger audiences through past tours, Meyer says the byproducts of fame, such as autographs, are still a little strange.

“Every time that it happens, I’m like, ‘Come on!” Meyer says. “It’s like, embarrassing, surprising and flattering all in one.”

Who: Premonitions of War, Embrace Today, A Perfect Murder, Still Crossed, The Days After

Where: Botanical Center,909 East River Drive, Des Moines

When: 7 p.m., Friday

Cost: $7