BLEACHED CROSS

Formed between Chicago and San Diego in 2019, BLEACHED CROSS have spent the last several years building a distinct sound that merges blackened hardcore, post-punk, industrial noise, and darkwave into something both crushing and cinematic. Originally started as a remote collaboration between longtime creative partners Zak and Alex, the project quickly evolved into a full band with a foothold  in Chicago’s DIY music scene.

Following a series of self-recorded demos and a split with Shamewave, BLEACHED CROSS released their self-titled debut LP in 2022 through Protagonist Music, later following it with the 2024 collaborative release “Columns of Impenetrable Light” alongside Boston’s The True Faith. Since forming, the band has toured and shared stages with artists including Frail Body, Secret Shame, Black Magnet, Bongripper, Cloakroom, Deaf Club, Your Arms Are My Cocoon, World I Hate, Meth, and Pains, quickly earning a reputation for their overwhelming and emotionally charged live performances. Burning sage and all. 

Drawing influence from artists like Boy Harsher, Prurient, The Body, and Portrayal of Guilt - as well as the atmosphere and tension of horror and dark cinema - BLEACHED CROSS balance oppressive heaviness with massive melodic hooks and a strong sense of mood and narrative. Their sound exists somewhere between blackened post-punk, industrialized hardcore, and darker-wave, equally suited for dimly lit clubs and emotionally raw catharsis.

That vision reaches its sharpest point yet on “Wrath”, the band’s 2026 NMZ debut. Recorded with Andy Nelson at Bricktop Recording in Chicago, the album explores grief, downfall, death, and redemption across ten towering tracks built on noise-driven tension, cinematic production, and mournful songwriting. More than simply heavy, “Wrath” captures BLEACHED CROSS at their most focused and immersive. Directly resulting in music that feels as emotionally devastating as it is hauntingly beautiful.