DEAD CROSS Feat. MIKE PATTON, DAVE LOMBARDO: 'II' Album Due In October

DEAD CROSS, the Southern California hardcore outfit featuring Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MISFITS), Mike Patton (FAITH NO MORE, TOMAHAWK), Justin Pearson (THE LOCUST, RETOX) and Michael Crain (RETOX, FESTIVAL OF DEAD DEER), will release a new album, "II", on October 28 via Ipecac Recordings.

The LP, while both a raucous hardcore collection, and at times, a politically charged opus, has its roots in friendship, with the band rallying together after Crain received a surprise cancer diagnosis.

"Words can't even begin to describe how much this album means to me. It's birthed of pain and uncertainty," explains Crain. "The slow, excruciatingly painful and nauseating recovery from cancer treatments were the catalyst for every riff and note on this album. However, my will to live and be with my brothers Justin, Dave, Mike and co-producer Ross Robinson got me out of bed and running into the studio every day to get it all on tape."

The news of "II"'s impending arrival is accompanied by the release of "Reign Of Error" and its Displaced/Replaced-created video.

"'Reign Of Error' was recorded almost as quickly as it was written and I believe there's a very good explanation for it," adds Crain. "I haven't told anybody this before, least of all the rest of the band or Ross, but I honestly felt a strong presence in the studio that day. Those riffs flew out of me and when Dave sat down at his kit it was almost as if we'd played that song a thousand times before. It literally just happened so fast. Bam! One take. I'm not trying to paint a dark or fantasy-like story either. Having just escaped death and still healing from my cancer treatments I was incredibly sensitive to energy and the other side. There was someone else there. Not evil but benevolent and inspiring. I honestly believe it was Dave's old bandmate and friend Jeff. I think he just wanted to jam with his friend again and perhaps did so through me. There I said it. Whether people believe it or not I really don't care. I'm just grateful that I had that experience."

Album pre-orders are available now, with "II" available on several limited-edition physical formats;

* CD digipak
* Counterfeit gold vinyl
* Indie retail exclusive glass coffin vinyl
* Ipecac webstore exclusive pee tape vinyl (limited to 500)
* Three One G webstore exclusive Ash Wednesday vinyl (limited to 500)
* Revolver exclusive upper crust vinyl (limited to 300)
* Black cassette (limited to 400)
* Gold cassette (limited to 100)

"II" track listing:

01. Love Without Love
02. Animal Espionage
03. Heart Reformer
04. Strong And Wrong
05. Ants And Dragons
06. Nightclub Canary
07. Christian Missile Crisis
08. Reign Of Error
09. Imposter Syndrome

The "II" album cover was created by Eric Livingston and can be seen below.

Regarding how he decided to move forward with "II", Patton told Rolling Stone: "The other guys started recording it pre-pandemic. But our guitar player got Covid and then got diagnosed with cancer. What do you even say about that? It's like, 'Jesus Christ.' I thought, 'Okay, well, let's shelve this for a while until … ' But man, he was an absolute trooper. And he said, 'No, I need to make this record. It's going to heal me. It's going to make me feel better. It's going to be my cure in a way.' And goddamn it, he was right. And he beat it. And then I was going through some shit, too — not to skirt that — so basically, this record took way longer than it should have."

Asked what made him want to do another DEAD CROSS album in particular, Patton said: "Well, because the first one was so fucking good. We had such a good time when we toured, and it worked. And there are many other projects that I've done in a recording studio that maybe worked as a record, but we didn't tour; you didn't develop a camaraderie, a sense of team. With DEAD CROSS, it did. And it just made me think, 'Yeah, this is something that I got to keep doing.' And when they started recording, and they were sending me stuff, I was like, 'Oh, God. This is amazing.' And it's different. It's a little more nuanced. It's slightly more melodic. And there's more, I think, dynamism in it. And that's right up my alley."

The self-titled debut album from DEAD CROSS was released in August 2017 via Ipecac Recordings.

Five years ago, 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."

Photo credit: Becky DiGiglio