Danger Cross

Despite of their studio output being limited to two demo tapes released within a short period of time (about 6 months), the Athenian Death/Thrash outfit DANGER CROSS belongs among the more well-known and celebrated Greek “cult acts” within the underground metal community. Not only because of the band members’ remarkably young age at the time, but by grace of the intense and groundbreaking nature of their music.

The band was founded way back in late-1985, originally playing covers of the big Heavy Metal bands of the time, but pretty soon transformed into a proper band, writing original material influenced by extreme Thrash acts like DARK ANGEL, SADUS, SEPULTURA and SODOM. They operated as a solid trio, consisting of John (vocals, guitars – SOUND POLLUTION, VARAHTRON), Nick (bass) and Mike (drums). As frequently pointed out, DANGER CROSS included members of very young age. In an interview with “Merciless Maniac Zine” dated to 1990, the current ages of the band members are stated as 17 (Nick), 16 (John) and 13 (Mike). Now, keep in mind that the band was formed in 1985, which would make Mike the drummer about 8-9 years at the time of formation!

Barring perhaps their older brethren in FLAMES, there were indeed not many bands like DANGER CROSS in Greece (or Europe, for that matter) who had yet adopted the kind of rabid Thrash Metal heard on “Recitation of Death” and “Art in Pain” (both 1989). “Art in Pain” (their debut demo/rehearsal recording) is the more straightforward of the pair, borne out of the early works of SODOM and North American extremity, mated with the kind of demonic intensity most frequently heard in South American releases of the 1980s.

Having cultivated their instrumental and compositional skills, “Recitation of Death” on the other hand brought a more refined, dynamic and technical approach, while still adhering to the violent creed of old school Death/Thrash. Which of the band’s releases that should be considered superior is of course subject to debate. There’s also a live recording from 1989 circulating among tape traders, entitled “Live at Maxim”, which contains material from both demo tapes.

After having participated on the seminal 2LP compilation “Greece Attacks” (1989) and a high-profile gig opening for DESTRUCTION, DANGER CROSS appears to have disbanded around 1989-90. This coincided with John joining yet-to-be Black Metal legends VARATHRON as guitarist and songwriter, with whom he appeared on both “Procreation of the Unaltered Evil” (1989) and “Genesis of Apocryphal Desires” (1990) as well as the “One Step Beyond Dreams” (1991) 7” and of course the iconic split LP with NECROMANTIA. He also played with his VARATHRON buddy Spiros “Captain Death” Papanastassatos in the Grindcore/Death Metal act SOUND POLLUTION, who put out the legendary split-7” “The Other Side of Life” together with ROTTING CHRIST during their Grindcore era. Unfortunately, we currently have no info on any further musical output by either Nick or Mike.

Compilation appearances:
* Decapitated Demo Compilation No 1 [Cass, Comp, Numbered: Decapitated Zine, 1988]
* Nuclear Disaster Compilation Tape Vol. 1 [Cass, Compilation, Numbered: Nuclear Disaster Zine, 1991]
* Long Live the Past – The Demo Collection [3LP, Comp, Limited (300): Floga, 2015]