The new album from Dead Cross, II, out Oct 28 on Ipecac Recordings, combines galloping punk and metal sensibilities and feels like getting dragged by a sprinting horse while a hardcore group frenetically performs in the background. No surprise, given Dead Cross is comprised of individuals with long histories in music, from Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle) and Justin Pearson (The Locust, Retox) who handle vocals and bass, to guitarist Michael Crain (Retox) and drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer).
You can hear the experience shared among these musicians. II sounds commanding, as though instrumentally chronicling the story of some lord of the wreckage (whatever source those ruins may have) looking over their kingdom with self-assured purpose. The rowdy, life-affirming music evokes images of defiantly and gleefully crashing through a live set in a welcomingly cramped venue. It’s tightly constructed yet demolishing in its intensity. You could imagine behind the hardcore band there’s an explosives crew hard at work, hurling massive chunks of stone and barely missing you.
While maintaining similar styles throughout II, Dead Cross prove unpredictable. The new record stays fairly fast, but smooth shifts in tempo and rhythmic direction define the trek and getting swept—or hurled—along for the music’s ride seems easy. The album runs on a sense of unhindered impulse. What previously lingered as unexpressed tension is now bursting like a geyser, and on II, the mood is energizing amid its snarling approach. The blasting drums alongside revving guitars and bass suggest it’s a fight—and guess what? You’re winning.
The new record features a formidable range of musical ideas. Was there a tidal wave of inspiration for you guys in the process of crafting it?
Well, we had two or three of the songs written, I think, as early as 2018, 2019, and me, Justin (Pearson), and Dave (Lombardo) were jamming them and kind of working them out already. And then we all got busy, and then I got sick, and then we were obviously on hiatus for a while. And then COVID hit. So there was really a tidal wave of obstacles.
But I had a lot of those riffs and parts, and some of the arrangements, written already in my phone. I’m always recording stuff. I’m always trying to birth parts and ideas. So we had a good supply that we could turn to, to sort of arrange the rest of the songs. And we did the majority of them in the studio with Ross Robinson. Ross was a huge influence on a lot of those arrangements as well. And then we sent it all over to Mike Patton, who in turn brought ’em all to life, honestly.
So, you guys have obviously known each other for a while. Do you think the connection between you all as musicians played an important part in how this record came together? It sounds so strikingly cohesive.
I would absolutely say so, yes. Obviously Justin and I have known each other since we were really young and have always had a musical admiration and respect for each other. And then when we started playing together in Retox, we really got an understanding of each other’s styles. And then when we first met Lombardo with Ross, I immediately locked in with Lombardo, which was insane and also fascinating, to say the least, because he was an idol of mine. I mean, I grew up listening to Slayer. When I first started jamming with Lombardo, it was almost as if I’d already been jamming with him my whole life. I locked in with him right away. But I also grew up playing with drummers. My dad was a drummer, so I learned to jam with my dad when I was a little kid, which I’m super grateful for.
So yes, it felt really natural with Justin, Dave, myself, and Patton. I mean Patton in my opinion is—and I’m not saying this because I’m in a band with him, but he is a genius. He has a natural—He has a crazy gift. He’s able to kind of weave everything together in an interesting, vocally driven way. It is all glued together really well and seems really smooth and cohesive and has flow. Honestly, I’m not a hundred percent sure why, other than the fact that we all do play well together, number one, and care about each other as human beings and are close. So maybe all those factors kind of play into it. I’m not sure.
Personally, do you feel as though this album provided for some kind of catharsis in the process of dealing with the recent health issues you’ve experienced?
I would say absolutely, yes. And also it’s funny because that wasn’t really brought to my attention until just recently when we did the photo shoot, when we were all here—Justin, Dave, Mike, and myself—and we did a listen-through, which was really fun. We hadn’t done that yet. We were all finally in the same room together post-COVID and listened to the record together, and it was so fucking magical. It was so much fun. It was so fun to just crank it up through the studio monitors and be like, hell yeah, this is fucking rocking. And it was great, but they brought that to my attention. They did. And all three of the guys were like, dude, your guitar-playing on this record—It sounds like you were sick; it sounds like you were battling cancer and trying to live.
And I was like, holy shit, you’re right. I was—I mean, I literally was. While we were in the studio tracking, I was still really sick. My hair hadn’t grown back yet. I was in fucking pain, and I was constipated, and it was so brutal just to stand up. But now in hindsight—I mean, at the time I was just trying to get through it, but now looking back, I’m like, oh God, it sounds like it in my playing.
I mean, if you’re not busy living, you’re probably busy dying, and I am not interested in dying just yet. I’d like to keep creating and experiencing emotions, and love and pain and all of that, through the lens of artistic expression. To me, that’s life.
In an instrumental sense, was the high level of energy on the album important to you guys?
I don’t know if we intentionally set out for any particular sound. It’s just how we’re feeling that day, or how that song feels. Certain things, obviously—certain riffs and beats, we’re like, “Oh man, we’ve gotta speed that up; yeah, that sounds dope. Like a thrash beat typically sounds better a little faster, and then other beats, we’re like, let’s slow it down; that would be so cool. So it really just depends on the parts, but I think playing with Dave Lombardo, you are kind of expected to be at a certain tempo and deliver a certain sound or emotion, a certain style. Like, he’s so good. It’s so natural for Dave.
Alongside the other work you guys do, how important do you think it is to essentially have a good time while creating music? Sometimes, it seems like folks are missing out on that part of it.
It’s the most important thing, but it doesn’t always happen. You’ve gotta work for it. Obviously, there’s work involved. Writing, arranging, dealing with personalities, listening, being a good listener, being a good communicator, being patient, and also being persistent. I think all those things come with being in a band. It’s not just given to you; it’s not handed to you. The fun dial isn’t always turned up all the time. That’s just not life. That’s just unrealistic. So after having done all the work, you get to have fun playing it, but it also should be fun while you’re working. Obviously certain things are gonna be harder, personalities and such, but when you’re with the guys or whoever, your band, and you’re writing or jamming, that’s usually always fun. Because that’s the whole driving force behind it. It feels good. It feels right. It’s flowing. You know what I mean?
Playing live, after it’s all said and done, that’s the gift. That is the fun. That is the funnest, when you lock in, and you guys are just reliving those musical moments that you captured, like, that is where the fun is. That’s where the magic is, in my opinion.
Having been involved in music for a while, do you feel it’s easier these days to achieve that artistic flow?
Yes. I think life is the biggest inspirational factor. If you’re inspired, yeah. And then as you play guitar, or write, or jam, or whatever you do over the years, you get better at your craft. And so it becomes easier to express yourself, and then, if you’re playing with a certain group of guys for a period of time, and there’s good chemistry, then yeah. It definitely is easier to do.
Do you guys ever write within the context of Dead Cross in reference to particular genre or stylistic traditions? Punk and thrash metal can have such impressive traditions, although such a thing could also be limiting.
I don’t think we’ve ever had a (preconceived agenda). I’ve tried that in my earlier days, writing and recording and playing in bands. But at this point, like I said, with Lombardo, he’s so good at being himself, which is a particular sound, that the songs tend to just be pretty organic. The riffs are organic. I don’t think there’s ever really a forethought of: We should play it at this tempo, or whatever. It’s just typically when we start jamming, however it comes out, hopefully it’s honest.
Looking outward, is there a lot coming out lately that musically feels pretty inspiring to you? Not necessarily in a sense of directly impacting the way your own music is made, but just a general sense of excitement.
I really haven’t even been listening to a lot of heavy, hard music. That’s typically what comes out of me. It’s not what I put in. I listen to a lot of classic rock, a lot of disco, a lot of R&B. I mean, I think Quincy Jones said it best: there’s only two kinds of music, good and bad. Some artists I’ve been listening to: Curtis Harding, Bright & Findlay, Toro y Moi, Oliver Malcolm. Obviously a lot of Sabbath. It’s all over the place. Leon Bridges, a lot of John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix. Heart, ZZ Top. Like dude, if I feel it, I feel it. The Cure, I’ve always loved.
Photo courtesy of Digiglio Photography
