Dead Cross

American rock supergroup Dead Cross unites multiple seasoned players in a blistering assault of hardcore punk delivered at relentless velocity. Dave Lombardo, known for his work with Slayer and Fantômas, assembled the project in 2015 by enlisting guitarist Mike Crain of Retox, bassist Justin Pearson from the Locust, Head Wound City, and Retox, plus vocalist Gabe Serbian, likewise tied to the Locust, Head Wound City, and Retox, all united by the goal of a pure hardcore punk outfit. Their first offering, the single “We’ll Sleep When They’re Dead,” appeared online the next year. Serbian departed in mid-2016 after laying down vocals for the planned debut album, prompting the remaining members to scrap those recordings entirely and bring in Mike Patton of Faith No More and Fantômas for a fresh start. Within twelve months the revised lineup completed its self-titled debut album under producer Ross Robinson, whose credits include Korn, Deftones, and Sepultura, and whose guidance preserved the record’s signature frantic drive. A lone single arrived in 2020: an impassioned reading of Black Flag’s “Rise Above.” Two years later the band unveiled its second album, the aptly titled II, an intensely felt and politically pointed effort whose release overlapped with Mike Crain’s cancer diagnosis; he entered remission shortly afterward.