Crossingpoint was a South African-based

Hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band, formed in 1998. They are widely accepted as being the longest running South African

Hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

group, and have in turn inspired many more

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

bands throughout the South-African music scene. Today, they play a breed of heavy metal,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, combined with a positive message in their lyrics. The first incarnation of the band had lyrics by the founding vocalist Wesley van Eeden that dealt with

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primari ...

animal cruelty Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or Injury, harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...

and personal responsibility. Current vocalist Raymond Douglas sings songs that focus more on personal and spiritual issues that he has dealt with.

Popularity

Despite not being on a major music label, the band managed to become popular, not only in South Africa, but also internationally. As of July 2006, Crossingpoint have embarked on an American tour, with shows in

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New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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and

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. They have toured South Africa with international bands like :

Underoath Underoath (stylized as Underøath or UnderOath) is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton on November 30, 1997, in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional member ...

, Haste the Day, CDC, No Turning Back, and more. Crossingpoint also become (intentionally, or not) standard-bearers for the

Straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated sXe or signified by XXX or X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs, in reaction to the excesses of punk subculture. For some, thi ...

movement in South Africa - All members of the band are

straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated sXe or signified by XXX or X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs, in reaction to the excesses of punk subculture. For some, thi ...

. Furthermore, guitarist Brandon van Eeden appeared in South African youth magazin
Blunt
in an article detailing his

lifestyle, a life of abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Crossingpoint played their last show on 24 July 2010 (https://web.archive.org/web/20100720214647/http://www.crossingpoint.co.za/2010/07/24/the-last-show-durban-kzn-sat-24-jul-10/) A show review is here: http://www.speakerbox.co.za/content/feature.aspx?id=431{{Dead link, date=December 2023 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes

External links

Crossingpoint.co.zamySpace.com PagePurevolume.com Page
South African rock music groups Musicians from Durban Musical groups established in 1998