Article and Photos by: Jason Robey

TEMPE, AZ — Veteran metal vocalist Mike Patton and ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo brought their new hardcore supergroup, Dead Cross, to the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, on one of the first dates of their first tour. The four-piece also includes bassist Justin Pearson, of The Locust, and guitarist Michael Crain of Retox.

The evening began with a half-hour set by the Baja California hardcore punk group, Silent. Following their short, ten-song set, the crowd got a few minutes break, before the heavy-hitting, one-man industrial act, Author & Punisher, brought his unique act to the stage. A & P, the stage name of Tristan Stone, performs from inside of a cage-like setup of contraptions. (On one side, there is a giant lever controlling a droning, electronic bass sound, while the other side has a large handle that he punches back and forth to trigger kick and snare drum sounds.) All this while screaming into the microphone. He played 30 minutes from his enclosure, before leaving the stage for the evening’s headliners.

Dead Cross kicked off their 45-minute set with the frantic “Seizure and Desist,” the first single off their self-titled debut album. Patton screamed through the song as the crowd moshed wildly around the room. They wasted no time after the final notes were played before tearing into the politically-charged “Idiopathic.” Pearson shredded his way through the track on his clear bass guitar, while Lombardo pounded his drum kit at breakneck speed.

Though they released two singles over the summer, Dead Cross’ debut album came out only one week before the show, making the bulk of the set previously unheard to most of the crowd. Patton made note of that, as he introduced one of the two even-newer songs of the show, when he told the audience, “this is a new one, but I guess they’re all new to you.” On the setlist, the song was simply called “New #2.”

Following the last song, “Church of the Motherfuckers,” the band left the stage to the sound of the audience chanting for more. They soon came back on, instruments in hand, played one single chord, and then left once again.

Catch Dead Cross on tour through the end of September.