Dead Cross, the punk/metal supergroup made up of vocalist Mike Patton (Faith No More), drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Testament), bassist Justin Pearson (Locust) and guitarist Michael Crain (Retox) have ambushed the U.S. Supreme Court with a new song and video, and announced a new album to be released in the fall.
Dead Cross II will come out on Oct. 28, 2022, and contains the powder keg new single "Reign of Error." The violent, politically-charged, paper cutout animation video is brimming with messages and imagery railing against the Supreme Court and their decision to overturn Roe V. Wade.
Members of the band are represented in cutout figures along with protesters holding signs saying "No Male Ejaculation," "Pubic Hair Causes Crime" and "Your Priest is a Liar," along with many, many other messages. Members of the Court are depicted as grotesque mutants. As the video progresses, you see members of the band raid the courthouse, rolling eggs, chasing a lactating Jesus with breasts, and even juggling fetuses.
It. Is. INSANE. It only clocks in at a minute and 45 seconds. (Any more might have been too much!) Watch it below.
The sum of the members of Dead Cross have faced some difficult health challenges of late. Patton just opened up about his mental health struggles which caused tour cancellations with Faith No More. He says he was diagnosed as agoraphobic, an anxiety disorder which causes fear in crowds and other places. "At the beginning of the pandemic, I was like, 'This is fucking great. I can stay home and record.' I’ve got a home studio. So I was like, 'Yeah, what’s the big deal?' And then something clicked, and I became completely isolated and almost antisocial [and] afraid of people."
A press release from the band also reveals guitarist Mike Crain's 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.”
Secretly, Crain says "he felt" a supernatural presence may have aided in the rapid recording of the album. “’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... 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.”
Check out what the band calls a "savage" commentary on the U.S. Supreme Court in their "Reign of Error" video below. You can pre-order Dead Cross II here, which includes a few vinyl options.
Dead Cross "Reign of Error"
