| Whitecross | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Waukegan, Illinois, US |
| Genres | Heavy metal, Christian metal, hard rock |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | Pure Metal, Star Song Records |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Scott Wenzel Rex Carroll Michael Feighan *Benny Ramos |
|
Whitecross is a Christian metal band that formed in 1985 in Waukegan, IL releasing their first recording in the year 1987. Their early albums, which often invite comparisons to Ratt, are laced with fast, technical guitar work. In 1994, bandleader, primary songwriter and producer Rex Carroll split with lead vocalist Scott Wenzel. Scott retained the use of the name "Whitecross" while Rex went on to form King James with Jimi Bennett (see below). At this point the band's sound underwent a drastic change, until Rex and Scott rejoined in 2000.
Whitecross has won three Dove Awards with Triumphant Return (in 1990) and In the Kingdom (in 1992) winning "Metal Album of the Year"[1] and Come unto the Light from the Unveiled album winning "Hard Music Recorded Song of the Year" at the 25th GMA Dove Awards in 1994.[2]
In 1994 prior to work starting on the Unveiled album, guitarist Rex Carroll left to form the band King James and pursue other musical ventures. In 1998, singer Scott Wenzel took a two-year break to do mission work in South America. During this time, Whitecross went on hiatus before re-emerging at Cornerstone Festival in 2000 when Carroll and Wenzel reformed the "classic" lineup with Rex, Scott, Michael Feighan and newcomer Benny Ramos providing bass, keyboards and vocals. Finally having achieved a long-sought lineup stability, the band started performing on a regular basis.
In 2005, Carroll and Wenzel reunited to record Nineteen Eighty Seven, which featured re-recordings of nine of the ten songs from the band's self-titled debut album (You're Mine being the exclusion), as well as a re-recording of the song Love on the Line (previously unavailable on CD) and a new guitar instrumental by Rex Carroll.
On April 5, 2008, they played at the Legends of Rock festival in Ennepetal, Germany. Beginning in July 2008, they played the first of several short tours in Guatemala featuring shows in Guatemala City, Panajachel, Huehuetenango, among other cities.
On March 12, 2011, Rex made post on his Facebook page announcing that he is "working on some guitar tracks for new Whitecross songs" which is likely to be for their new album.[3]
Contents |
| Album | Year |
|---|---|
| Whitecross | 1987 |
| Love on the Line (EP) | 1988 |
| Hammer & Nail | 1988 |
| Triumphant Return | 1989 |
| In the Kingdom | 1991 |
| High Gear | 1992 |
| Nineteen Eighty Seven | 2005 |
| Album | Year |
|---|---|
| Unveiled | 1994 |
| Equilibrium | 1995 |
| Flytrap | 1996 |
| Unveiled (re-issue) | 2005 |
| Album | Year |
|---|---|
| At Their Best | 1991 |
| To the Limit | 1993 |
| By Demand | 1995 |
| One More Encore | 1998 |
| Mega 3 Collection | 2005 |
| The Very Best of Whitecross | 2006 |
| Their Classic Hits | 2009 |
| Whitecross | Hammer & Nail | Triumphant Return | In The Kingdom | High Gear | Unveiled | Equilibrium | Flytrap | Nineteen Eighty Seven | |
| Vocals |
Scott Wenzel |
||||||||
| Guitars |
Rex Carroll |
Barry Graul |
Quinton Gibson |
Rex Carroll |
|||||
| Drums | Mark Hedl | Mike Elliott | Mike Feighan |
Troy Stone |
Mike Feighan | ||||
| Bass | Jon Sproule | Rick Armstrong |
Butch Dillon |
Scott Harper |
Tracy Ferrie |
Brent Denny |
Rex Carroll | ||