Mark Morton, guitarist of the metal band Lamb of God, has just released his second single for his upcoming solo album. The song, titled “Cross Off,” is special due to the fact that the vocals are performed by the late Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. Morton’s upcoming album is titled Anesthetic and will be his debut as a solo artist. While this will be his first solo project, Morton is one of the more experienced members of the modern metal community and has worked on Lamb of God for twenty years. The first single from Anesthetic was titled “The Truth is Dead” and released last month. One of the fundamental aspects of the album is set to be the various features and artists that accompany Morton on many of the songs; “Cross Off” seems to have one of the largest features, with Chester Bennington being one of the most popular rock musicians of the 21st century.
Bennington’s death in the summer of 2017 shocked both fans and members of the rock community, as his work with Linkin Park had such a large influence over people. Chester Bennington’s death was determined to be suicide, which once again brought the issue of mental health to the forefront of the media. One of the most influential and successful rock bands of the past 20 years, Linkin Park is iconic for songs such as “Numb” and “In the End.” The death of one of the band’s most prominent members prompted responses from fans and friends around the world. Linkin Park has done various tribute shows and performances in honor of their former friend; on the anniversary of his death they released a heartfelt letter honoring Bennington and encouraging those who feel they may need help to reach out. Bennington will continue to a have lasting legacy on the rock community and thanks to songs like “Cross Off,” which was recorded before his death, fans have some new material from the late artist.
Mike Morton’s “Cross Off” is a strong song, with the veteran guitarist proving himself yet again.The track is founded by Morton’s powerful guitar playing and topped with a fantastic vocal performance by Bennington. It comes out as the second single of Anesthetic, following the release of “The Truth Is Dead” featuring Randy Blythe and Alissa White-Gluz. “The Truth is Dead” has White-Gluz, of the band Arch Enemy, and Lamb of God member Blythe performing vocals. Each brings a unique element to the track, with White-Gluz performing in a very different style to the heavy, distorted, vocals of Blythe. The track is once again founded on Morton’s guitar playing, relying on him to carry most of the instrumental power of the song. Anesthetic is set to release on March 1, 2019 and will contain a total of 10 tracks. The full tracklist and a link to “Cross Off” can be found below.
UPDATE: Yesterday morning, Morton released the music video for this track. The video, which can be found below, flashes between scenes of a man falling to unknown forces in a a parking garage and the band performing the track. In order to pay tribute to Bennington, the creators of the video placed a microphone with no vocalist alongside the band.
Tracklist:
1. “Cross Off” (feat. Chester Bennington)
2. “Sworn Apart” (feat. Jacoby Shaddix)
3. “Axis” (feat. Mark Lanegan)
4. “The Never” (feat. Chuck Billy + Jake Oni)
5. “Save Defiance” (feat. Myles Kennedy)
6. “Blur” (feat. Mark Morales)
7. “Back From The Dead” (feat. Josh Todd)
8. “Reveal” (feat. Naeemah Maddox)
9. “Imaginary Days”
10. “The Truth Is Dead” (feat. Randy Blythe + Alissa White-Gluz)
Photo Credits: Shareef Ellis
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