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Crucifix | |
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| Origin | Berkeley, California, United States |
| Genres | D-beat,hardcore punk,anarcho-punk |
| Years active | 1980 (1980)–1984 (1984) |
| Labels | Corpus Christi |
| Past members |
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Crucifix was an Americanhardcore punk band from theSan Francisco Bay Area, active from 1980 to 1984. They were among the most popular acts of the San Francisco punk scene of the early 1980s. Fronted byCambodia -born singer Sothira Pheng, Crucifix were distinct among American underground bands for their strongD-beat musical characteristics andanarchist lyrical content and graphic design. The band's debut 1983 full-length albumDehumanization onCrass Records‘ offshootCorpus Christi Records, is considered by many critics and fans to be a cornerstone of political punk music.[1] After their breakup, Crucifix’s members went on to form the bands Loudspeaker and Proudflesh.
Crucifix was formed by three members of Subsidized Mess, a short-lived band fromBerkeley, California comprising vocalist Christopher Douglas, guitarist Matt Borruso, andCambodia -born bassist Sothira Pheng. His family had fled their homeland when theKhmer Rouge seized power. The band reconfigured themselves and changed their name to Crucifix with Pheng switching to vocals, Douglas taking over the drums, and Borruso sticking to guitar for the time being while Bryce Kanights joined on bass guitar. This lineup recorded the band’s eponymous five-song debut 12” EP, released by Berkeley-based label Universal Records in 1981.
By the following year, Kanights departed from the band and with the addition of Jaycee Frances Schmith on guitar, Borruso moved over to playing bass for the recording of the band’s second EP, a three-song 7” entitlednineteen eighty-four, released in 1982 on Crucifix’s own label, Freak Records.
Schmith then parted ways with Crucifix to be replaced by guitarist Jake Smith for the recording of what would be the band's only full-length LP,Dehumanization, released byCrass Records imprintCorpus Christi Records in 1983. This album proved a landmark effort for the band and is widely regarded to be their definitive work as well as a cornerstone of American political punk.[2]
AfterDehumanization’s release, Smith left the band and was replaced by formerAmerica's Hardcore guitaristDrew Bernstein. After lengthy tours of the United States, Canada, and Europe, Crucifix called it quits on July 13, 1984. A posthumous compilation album of singles and live tracks entitledExhibit A would later be released on Kustomized Records in 1997. When Corpus Christi eventually folded, their albumDehumanization was reissued on CD bySouthern Records and later Kustomized on LP, CD, and streaming formats.[3]
Matt Borruso and Christopher Douglas (appearing in credits as Christopher Faith) launched anindustrial music project called Loudspeaker and released a 12” single onFlux of Pink Indians’ One Little Indian record label in the UK. The duo later moved to New York City and reconfigured as anoise rock band with various musicians who had played inPussy Galore,Boss Hog, The Normals, Chrome Cranks, Circle X, Dustdevils, Drunk Tank, and Walldrug. Loudspeaker released several more recordings between 1990 and 1996 throughSympathy for the Record Industry and other labels.
Sothira Pheng picked up the bass again and did double-duty as vocalist in San Francisco punk/hard rock trio Proudflesh with ex-Crucifix guitarist Jaycee Frances Schmith. Proudflesh released the three-songPower Broker EP in 1988, which would later be included on the compilationThe Rise and Fall along with all of Crucifix’s early material. Two decades later, Proudflesh released their sole full-length album, a self-titled 2006 CD on Wired Gnome Records.
"Annihilation", the opening track from Crucifix’sDehumanization LP, has been adopted by several other musicians in the years since the album’s release. Brazilian death metal bandSepultura covered the song and featured it as a bonus track on their album Nation in 2001. The song was also recorded in 2004 byA Perfect Circle for their third LP,eMOTIVe, and the bandOrbital used vocal samples from “Annihilation“ for their own song, "Choice".
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