CRISIS
Jeff Cross - Dane Thomson - Bret Desmond
Spawned in 1980, CRISIS was an anomaly. In the U.S. metal scene, circa early 80's, everyone seemed to emulate the polished Motley Crue , Ratt, Quiet Riot style. CRISIS did not. Their sound was revved up, raw and noisy. A lot of press at the time accused them of sounding punk but actually the band’s inspiration came from the likes of Rory Gallagher, Raven and Motorhead. It is no wonder that their biggest following was always in Europe. Their 1984 debut record Armed To The Teeth on England’s Bullet Records received remarkable attention from the European press but was virtually ignored in the United States. Kerrang! Magazine said CRISIS was better than anything coming out of Los Angeles at the time, and so they were.
Their second album Kick It Out was scheduled for an early 1985 release but Bullet Records went bankrupt and a long international legal battle ensued before the band could retrieve their master tapes. Consequently the album’s release was delayed until 1986. By that time CRISIS had lost much of its momentum and to complicate matters Kick It Out failed to secure European distribution and thus didn’t reach the band’s established fan base. These misfortunes proved to be frustrating for the band, which continued to build a dedicated following despite the trend toward hair spray and spandex metal in the U.S. The band continued to pursue their vision of aggressive music with strong hooks.
CRISIS struggled on for three more years surviving multiple personnel changes. They managed to record one more album called Rough Night that came out of the final mix so poorly that the band refused to release it except as a free gift to longtime fans. These gifts were nothing new for followers of CRISIS. A 7" single in 1985 was given away free to fans and a 1986 compilation album called Metal Warriors on Europe’s Other Records was also freely distributed to fans by the band who had received several hundred copies from the label as payment for their contribution of the tune “Keep Fighting” to the record.
In 1989, burned out and jaded, CRISIS threw in the towel having lived up to their name. Various members of the band went on to record solo projects most notably Jeff Cross who released a tidy collection of EPs and singles, both rocking and mellow. But somehow the muses of music kept bugging the members of CRISIS and in the mind 90’s like a guitar slinging Phoenix, CRISIS rose from the cinders of their own flare out and with the addition of Dan James on second guitar all three original members, Jeff Cross (guitar), Bret Desmond (drums) and Dane Thomson (bass, vocals) released a CD titled HARD BARGAIN and started from square one.
Today CRISIS still writes and records music while playing the occasional show. Dan James has left the band and long time drummer Bret Desmond has been replaced by Collin Surles. Original members, Jeff Cross and Dane Thomson remain in the band. They are currently in the process of writing and recording new music for a future CRISIS release. Thanks to Shadow Kingdom Records the CRISIS back catalog has been remastered and will soon be available once again. Enjoy.
Jeb Branin 2010
Editor, The Crass Menagerie
