MICHAEL CRAIN AND JUSTIN PEARSON TAKE YOU DEEP INSIDE THE HARDCORE PUNK SUPERGROUP’S LATEST RABID EFFORT, II
By Gregory Adams
MAKING DEAD CROSS’ sophomore album, II, was grueling for Michael Crain, but not because of the music. In the case of high-velocity nailbombs like “Reign of Error,” the guitarist barnstormed through a basic thrash structure the night before cutting it with bassist Justin Pearson (the Locust, Deaf Club) and former Slayer skinsman Dave Lombardo (Mr. Bungle’s Mike Patton added vocals later). Back when they began recording at the end of 2019, though, Crain was also enduring the painful process of fighting an advanced cancer diagnosis with rounds of radiation and chemotherapy.
“There was a good window of time when I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to survive,” Crain recalls, though fortunately his cancer has since gone into remission. “I remember this vividly — in that whole blur of nausea, fear and uncertainty, I was like, ‘Fuck this, I’m not going to die from this stupid shit; I want to make music with my friends.’ I’m not saying I willed myself to survive, but I do believe there’s a part of the human spirit that you can’t discount.”
Like Dead Cross’ 2017 self-titled debut, II’s “Reign of Error” and “Heart Reformer” determinedly drill into vintage crossover intensity. But the sequel also features a more pronounced dynamism via Crain’s penchant for echo-splayed minimalism (“Love Without Love”) and eerily melodic texturing — something he’d previously honed alongside Pearson in their Retox project.
“He does have this weird, surfy, [Dead Kennedys’] East Bay Ray vibe,” Pearson says of Crain’s aesthetic, the bassist adding of how he contrasts this with extra-ugly fuzz, “I think it’s rad to go, ‘Alright, you have this really killer, smooth, cruising riff; let me just give it the
