Cross To Bear

Album: Extremist (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This pandemonium inducing end-of-world soundtrack is the most uncompromising song on Extremist. Ryan Clark commented to Decibel magazine: "Not an ounce of melodic singing. It follows the same kind of style as songs like 'Storm The Gates Of Hell, 'The World Is A Thorn' and 'Crucifix,' which are about as fast and heavy as you'll find on any of our albums. And although we've often started records out with a song like this, to essentially "come out swinging," it felt best to reach this point later on this record."
  • Clark rewrote the bulk of the lyrics for the song around three times before he was satisfied with them. He said: "I had the chorus first, and I knew I'd be shaping the rest of the lyrics around that, but I found it hard to say what I was trying to say. In the end, I think it all works."
  • Clark liked so much the small guitar walk-down, which happens at the top of the bridge (it's derived from the pre-chorus riff), that he ended up building an outro from it. He said: "It has a nasty Pantera-sounding drive that I just felt we had to emphasize, so we essentially took this repetition, and built it bigger and bigger as it progresses."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Leslie West of Mountain

Leslie West of MountainSongwriter Interviews

From the cowbell on "Mississippi Queen" to recording with The Who when they got the wrong Felix, stories from one of rock's master craftsmen.

TV Theme Songs

TV Theme SongsFact or Fiction

Was a Beatles song a TV theme? And who came up with those Fresh Prince and Sopranos songs?

Rosanne Cash

Rosanne CashSongwriter Interviews

Rosanne talks about the journey that inspired her songs on her album The River & the Thread, including a stop at the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.