FAITH NO MORE's Mike Patton made his live debut as the singer of DEAD CROSS last night (Thursday, August 10) at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California. Video footage of the concert can be seen below. The self-titled debut album from DEAD CROSS, which is rounded out by drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MISFITS), bassist Justin Pearson (THE LOCUST, RETOX, HEAD WOUND CITY) and guitarist Michael Crain (RETOX, FESTIVAL OF DEAD DEER), was released on August 4 via Ipecac Recordings. The effort was helmed by producer Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with KORN, DEFTONES, SEPULTURA and LIMP BIZKIT, among others, and was mastered at Golden Mastering in Ventura, California. "Dead Cross" features a glow-in-the-dark cover (CD/LP) created by Eric Livingston, with vinyl available in a limited-edition gold and a clear/red/black swirl. Patton told Rolling Stone that he got involved with DEAD CROSS after reaching out to Lombardo to see if he could release the band's album on Ipecac. After getting a text from the drummer asking him to join the group, "my jaw dropped," the singer said. "I was like, 'Who, me? Hmm …' And I think it took like all of 30 seconds, but in a sarcastic way, I'm like, 'Yeah, of course. I can do this. Are you sure you want me?' So I kind of second-guessed him a little bit. And he said, 'Man, you'd be our dream vocalist.' And then it was just a matter of logistics. I decided to record it here in my basement, which is fitting. It shouldn't sound too polished." Regarding DEAD CROSS's musical direction, Patton said: "To me, it is a traditional hardcore record. It is very pointed, direct and visceral. Like, I wasn't going to play keyboards, add samples or any kind of orchestration. It was like, 'Yo, just go for it.' In some ways, it reminded me of stuff that we had collectively all grown up with and loved when we were like teenagers — bands like the ACCÜSED, DEEP WOUND or SIEGE, stuff that was just brutal, uncompromising and right to the point. I was listening to all those bands again before this came to be, so it was already back infused in my blood. And now I got a chance to do a pencil-in-your-eye record." Lombardo concurred, telling Rolling Stone: "The album is only 28 minutes long. And the funny thing is [SLAYER's] 'Reign In Blood' was 29 minutes. This album carries so much anger and frustration. You hear it in my drumming. It was the perfect birth of a hardcore album. It's one of the most brutal albums I've ever done." Joining DEAD CROSS on the bulk of their North American tour is SECRET CHIEFS 3. The San Francisco-based outfit, who describe themselves as "an ever-unfolding musical vision," features Patton's former MR. BUNGLE bandmate Trey Spruance. "I have no idea what kind of chaos it will conjure on stage or in the audience," said Lombardo of the five-week outing, continuing, "but I know it's going to be a hell of a good time." DEAD CROSS last year parted ways with singer Gabe Serbian.
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