by Mely Duong
Rubicon Cross, a band known for its vibrant melodic core enhanced by ferocious and aggressive rifts, first began when CJ Snare, vocalist of Firehouse, asked Chris Green, guitarist of PRIDE, to collaborate. Honored, Green quickly agreed, allowing their solo project to yield not only a tight friendship but also a full blown band- Rubicon Cross. Despite the original intent of being “Firehouse style tunes” with some ballads and soft melodic based rock influence, the project evolved into a “heavy ball busting melodic opus,” with emphasis on the heavy. Rather than deceive Firehouse fans into thinking the music was along the same lines as Firehouse, Snare and Green decided that it was better to start a new rather than to fool them. “By creating a brand new band, it gave us freedom to go wherever we wanted sonically.”
The other band members that were reeled into the project included Simon Farmery on bass, Robert Behnke on drums, and Jeff Lerman on guitar. However, Snare and Greene are the main band leaders and do the majority of the work, including roles pertaining to social media, merchandise, and mailings. Even the origin of the band’s name was a unique story in and of itself. Green’s dad often utilized this phrase called “Crossing the Rubicon,” which was historically derived from Julius Caesar crossing the Rubicon river of Northern Italy in 490 BC. When Caesar crossed the river, he was committed to battle as it was the “point of no return.” This bears significance to both Snare and Green as they felt that they would dedicate their all to this project.
Because the majority of the band comes from a melodic background, it becomes inevitable that this will influence the direction of the band. However, other influences include Boston, The Beatles, Alterbridge, and Mastodon. As fans of progressive rock/metal, those genres also affect the outcome of the music Rubicon Cross produces and plays. When asked to describe their specific genre, Green refuses to pigeon hole the sound of Rubicon Cross as he pays little attention to the segregation of rock music as a whole.
“There was a time when I’d walk into a rock club and if you had long hair and tattoos you were into rock music, now it’s Djent vs Math Metal, Norwegian vs Swedish Black metal, Metal core vs Emo. I mean, come on, you’re using the same formula, guitars, vocals, bass, drums- you’re all just expressing yourself through some kind of rock and roll,” says Green.
In general, he believes that Rubicon Cross is a rock band. That’s it. Although he did mention that the band’s typical sounds is “melodic legible vocals over heavy guitars with crunching bass and fast guitar solos.” Furthermore, the lyrics are influenced by real life situations that every single person has been through. These songs provide the audience with perspective and a good message regarding situations such as horrendous breakups, relationship revenge, loss of family, and hope.
The band has an admirable work ethic, stopping at nothing to truly push the name Rubicon Cross and their music to new heights. After all, they stand for hope, determination, and relentless passion wherein they believe that music is a venue of saving people, who would otherwise drown when swimming against the world’s currents. It’s difficult to make it in the music industry, that’s a no brainer, but Rubicon Cross has seen much success over the last year due to their hard work and borderline obsession. Their debut single off their album was “Bleed with Me,” which was received extremely positively by the fans. This was further enhanced when the band created a video that truly captured the message and insinuations of the audio. However, not all the of the band agreed with “Bleed with Me” as their debut single. Every song meant something to the band members, and it was a difficult choice.
Want a fast love solo or lyrics about revenge on a past lover? Listen to “You Will Remember Me.” Want a song about people not understanding your life? Listen to “Movin On.” Want some hope and inspiration? Listen to “Shine.” Coping with death? “Save Me Within” addresses that grief. Psyched for some event? Try “Locked and Loaded.” Point of the matter is, there’s something for everyone on this album.
Last but not least, Rubicon Cross pays HUGE thanks to their fans, and when they say that, they truly mean it. Their songs have not only impacted them personally but have impacted fans. They hope that their music can get fans through some rough times, as that is one of their prides and goals.
