Die Kreuzen (/ˈdiːˈkɹɔɪtsn̩/) is an American rock band from

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

formed in 1981. The name, which was taken from a German Bible, is grammatically incorrect

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

for "the crosses."Larkin, Colin (1995) "Die Kreuzen", in ''The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', Guinness Publishing, They began as a

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 p ...

group and evolved musically to

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

History

Early years

Die Kreuzen was originally called "The Stellas". It consisted of Dan Kubinski on vocals, Brian Egeness on guitar, Keith Brammer on bass guitar, and Erik Tunison on drums. After contributing tracks to the ''Charred Remains'' and ''The Master Tape'' compilations, the band's debut release was the '' Cows and Beer'' EP.Sharpe-Young, Gary (2005) ''New Wave of American Heavy Metal'', Zonda Books Limited, Their 21-song eponymous debut album was released in 1984, and included new versions of the tracks from ''Cows and Beer''.Leland, John & Robbins, Ira
Die Kreuzen
, ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' The 1986 follow-up, '' October File'', saw the band move away from hardcore into slower, more conceptual work. Their third album, '' Century Days'' (1988), saw the band incorporate piano and a horn section.

Later years, side projects, and break up

In 1989, as a side project, Brammer joined the band Wreck. Other members worked on side projects, including Kubinski and Egeness's

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen a ...

tribute band Chick Treat. On April 1, 1992, Egeness left the band. Shortly thereafter, the rest of the band members formed the band Chainfall, along with guitarist Charles Jordan (of S.O.D.A and Nerve Twins). Kubinski and Tunison later played in Fuckface, while Brammer played with the Carnival Strippers. Kubinski went on to form a new band, Custom Grand. Kubinski now plays in Decapitado. Egeness has composed scores for the movies The Astonished Man (2008), Wake Before I Die (2011), and The Weather Outside (2011).Brian Egeness on IMDB
The majority of their records were produced by future

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...

and

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Ar ...

producer,

Butch Vig Bryan David "Butch" Vig (born August 2, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the drummer and co-producer of the alternative rock band Garbage and the producer of the diamond-selling Nirvana album '' Nev ...

. All of their records, with the exception of their first 7" on Version Sound, were released by the Chicago record label,

Touch & Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. Tou ...

Tributes and reunion

In 2005, a tribute to Die Kreuzen was released, ''Lean Into It - A Tribute to Die Kreuzen'', featuring covers of Die Kreuzen songs by

Napalm Death Napalm Death are an English grindcore band formed in 1981 in Meriden, West Midlands. None of the band's original members has been in the group since 1986. But since '' Utopia Banished'' (1992), the lineup of bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitc ...

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. Watt co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ...

, Voivod,

Season to Risk Season to Risk are an American noise rock/alternative rock band hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, United States. History Season to Risk formed in late 1989 from the ashes of the Kansas City punk bands Nine Lives and Curious George. Although Se ...

, and

Vic Bondi Vic Bondi is an American singer-songwriter and one of the founding members of political Chicago hardcore punk band Articles of Faith. He went on to form Alloy, and Jones Very after AoF's demise. At the time of AoF's original breakup Bondi was w ...

, among others.Tanzilo, Bobby (2005)
Long-awaited Die Kreuzen tribute arrives
, OnMilwaukee, July 14, 2005 The album features liner notes by

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Mo ...

, who states, "Man, there was a point there when Die Kreuzen were the best band in the USA". In 2011, Die Kreuzen were inducted into the

Wisconsin Area Music Industry Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) is an American volunteer organization founded in 1980, and based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its stated purpose is "to educate and recognize the achievements and accomplishments of individuals in the Wisconsin music ...

(WAMI) Hall of Fame. In their acceptance speech, they named a handful of current artists that they thought deserved consideration: IfIHadAHiFi
Northless
the Zebras, and

Zola Jesus Nika Roza Danilova (born Nicole Rose Hummel; April 11, 1989), known professionally by her stage name Zola Jesus, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her music has been noted for combining elements of electronic, industrial, ...

. Die Kreuzen resumed playing shows, performing a sold-out concert on May 26, 2012, at Turner Hall in Milwaukee. Thereafter they played th
2013 Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Holland
and the Afterburner show the following day. After their return to the states, Die Kreuzen played a secret show at a small Milwaukee club as a warm up to their May 25 concert at The Double Door in Chicago and their much anticipated return to Turner Hall on May 26, 2012. Die Kreuzen scheduled shows in Green Bay and Madison, WI and Minneapolis, MN (with Negative Approach, Mudhoney and The Melvins) later on in the summer of 2013. Die Kreuzen also played at McAuliffe's Pub in Racine, Wisconsin, July 17, 2013. A book entitled ''The Crossing: The Oral History of Die Kreuzen'' was in production with a tentative 2016 completion date.

Musical style

The band were initially a

band but took in elements of heavy metal,

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie ...

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming vol ...

and

. They have been described as "anticipating the grunge rock sound of the '90s" and were credited with bringing intelligence and lyrical diversity to the heavy metal genre.Woodstra, Chris " Die Kreuzen Biography, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

'', Macrovision Corporation In 1986, Robert Palmer of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' described Die Kreuzen as "one of the new bands recasting the legacy of 70's Gothic-metal (

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

, etc.) for this modern age".Palmer, Robert (1986)
Pop & Jazz Guide
, ''The New York Times'', September 26, 1986

Discography

Albums

* '' Die Kreuzen'' (1984) * '' October File'' (1986, CD included first album) * '' Century Days'' (1988) * ''

Cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel (aggregate) together. Cement mixe ...

'' (1991) * ''Internal'' (1993) (promo-only)

EPs

* '' Cows and Beer'' (1982) * '' Gone Away'' (1989)

7" singles

* "Gone Away"/"Different ways" (live) (1989) * "

Pink Flag ''Pink Flag'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Wire. It was released in November 1977 by Harvest Records. The album gained Wire a cult following within independent and post-punk music upon its initial release, later growing to be hi ...

"/"Land of Treason" (1990) * "Big Bad Days"/"Gone Away" (acoustic) (1991)

Demo releases

*''Demo Tape'' (1982)

Compilation appearances

*''Charred Remains'' compilation tape (1981, Version Sound): "Pain", "Hate Me" *''The Master Tape'' LP (1982, Affirmation): "On the Street", "All White", "Fighting" *''America's Dairyland'' tape (1983, Last Rites): "Think For Me", "Enemies", "Rumors" *''Code Blue'' tape (1984, Last Rites): "Fuck Up", "Live Wire", "Champs" *'' Sugar Daddy Live Split Series Vol. 5'' split 12" with the

Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appe ...

Negative Approach Negative Approach is an American hardcore punk band, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1981. The band is considered among the pioneers of hardcore punk, particularly in the Midwest region. Like most hardcore bands, Negative Approach was little known ...

and

Necros Necros was an early American hardcore punk band from Maumee, Ohio, although they are usually identified with the Detroit music scene. They were the first band to record for Touch and Go Records. History Necros was formed in mid-1975 by then-t ...

(2012, Amphetamine Reptile Records): "In School"

References

External links

Official websiteBrian Egeness's Official websiteBrian Egeness on IMDBDecapitado official website
*
American Hardcore
' - film containing early footage of the band

at '' Perfect Sound Forever'' *Albini, Steve (1986)
DIE KREUZEN: PUTTING WITH POTATOES
(interview), ''

Forced Exposure ''Forced Exposure'' was an independent music magazine founded by Jimmy Johnson and Katie The Kleening Lady (Goldman) (zine). It was published sporadically out of Boston from 1982 to 1993, edited by Jimmy Johnson and Byron Coley. It was printed on ...

'', Issue No. 10 *Trofobya, Klaus
''Die Kreuzen'' Review
, Head Heritage
Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal Episode 106 - Keith Brammer (Die Kreuzen)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kreuzen Alternative rock groups from Wisconsin Hardcore punk groups from Wisconsin Musicians from Milwaukee Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Touch and Go Records artists