I've only recently found out about Dead Cross, but I already cannot wait to have its music in my life. The band consists of ex-Slayer Dave Lombardo on drums, Retox guitarist Mike Crain and The Locust vocalist Gabe Serbian and bassist Justin Pearson. The band was announced through Noisey yesterday and Lombardo could not seem more excited about the band if he tried.
A chance meeting with producer Ross Robinson last week saw the storied former Slayer drummer cross paths with an old acquaintance, Justin Pearson, whom he knew from a previous tour with Fantomas and Pearson's old noise grind band, The Locust. As Lombardo told me over the phone earlier today, "Justin's guitar player from his new band, Retox, was there as well, so we caught up on some stories, and I told them the situation that I was in, and they were very excited to help and put something together and do these shows. Ross was really excited to see our camaraderie and enthusiasm, too, and said, 'When you guys get music together, come on in and let's record it. It's really a surprise to me how fast it all came together; it's mindblowing, I couldnt belive it. We've been rehearsing now for three days, writing music."
Lombardo said the band is a punk band and the music will be pissed off, which is pretty much exactly what you'd want from members of Retox and The Locust.
"It's just straightforward brutal punk— metal-esque, but it's definitely not metal. I think it definitely leans more towards the punk style, because I feel that the way things are in the world, a punk attitude is definitely necessary to help you along with the shit that's going on. There’s no time to sing "We Are the World," or all this bullshit, we’re all pissed right now, and there’s no better way to release anger than to be in a punk band and write punk music."
The band is solely a live act right now and at will be playing at The Roxy Theatre on December 2 and at The Glass House Concert Hall on December 3, both of which are in California.
