Black Cross

After the breakup of By the Grace of God, the straight edge heroes of the '90s, vocalist Rob Pennington and drummer Thommy Browne launched a new venture in 2001 under the name Black Widows in Louisville, Kentucky. They recruited guitarists Ryan Patterson and bassist Evan Patterson, the brothers formerly of National Acrobat, issued the Stops a Beating Heart E.P. in 2002, and soon had to abandon the original name, leading to the formation of Black Cross. The group’s first release under that banner, 2003’s Art Offensive, sustained their longstanding hardcore approach, whereas the next year’s Widows Bloody Widows assembled the remaining material from the Black Widows era while also bringing in new drummer Sean Johnson.