Crossbreed (band)

Crossbreed

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1996
Headquarters	Clearwater, Florida , United States
Products	Industrial metal music, albums, EPs, singles

Crossbreed is a metal band from Clearwater, Florida, specializing in industrial metal, established in 1996. Initially signed to Artemis Records, the group parted ways with the label in 2003. Throughout their career before disbanding in 2010, they produced two EPs and three full albums. The band reunited in 2021, marking their return with two "rebirth" concerts. Their comeback featured the release of the single "N.F.G." accompanied by a music video in December 2022, followed by another single titled "The Killer Inside" on April 20, 2023.

Formation and Early Development

Crossbreed originated in 1996 as a quartet consisting of James Rietz, Chris Nemzek, Charlie Parker, and Travis Simpkins. In 1997, keyboardist Jason Troph joined but departed the following year to lead Orlando’s Irrational; Phil "Flip" Marquardt then took over keyboard duties. Their independently produced album .01 was launched in 1998 with a limited run of 1,000 copies and included a rendition of Chris Isaak’s "Wicked Game."

The addition of Dan "DJ" Izzo (known as "D.J. Balistick") in 1999 as a turntablist and secondary keyboard player enhanced their live performances through innovative use of black lights and glow paint, which helped attract industry notice.

Years 2000–2005

On April 29, 2000, Crossbreed performed at Tampa’s 98Rock festival Livestock, where they established a connection with the band Kittie. They handed Kittie their Babydoll EP, which eventually reached an A&R representative at Artemis Records. By the end of that year, Crossbreed secured a contract and released their first full-length album Synthetic Division nationwide on May 8, 2001. The track "Underlined" received airplay on MTV2 and MTVX, with its music video earning a nomination for a Billboard Music Award. During summer 2001, they toured across the United States and Canada alongside German group Rammstein and briefly supported Static-X. To date, Synthetic Division has sold more than 100,000 copies.

Following a performance on April 20, 2002, bassist Charlie Parker exited the band. In 2003, Crossbreed ended their association with Artemis Records. After playing with Orgy on May 2, 2004, bassist Bishop, keyboardist Flip, and drummer Simpkins all left the band; Izzo also departed later that year. James Rietz and Chris Nemzek maintained the band's continuity by recruiting new members.

Period from 2005 to 2010

With fresh personnel and management under Bill Aucoin—formerly known for managing Kiss—Crossbreed concentrated on songwriting and live shows within Florida. They supported acts such as Orgy, Mushroomhead, and Mindless Self Indulgence. On July 25, 2005, they self-released the EP New Slave Nation and joined Mushroomhead and Dope for the Midwest leg of the "Music for Freedom" Tour. In spring of the following year, they briefly toured with Nothingface and Silent Civilian, though this stint ended prematurely due to internal conflicts. Afterwards, they resumed touring with Mushroomhead as well as independently throughout the Eastern United States.

By May 14, 2008, Kem Secksdiin—who had previously toured as bassist for Celldweller—was collaborating with Crossbreed as co-writer and performer on their forthcoming album.

In July 2008, Crossbreed inaugurated their own audio-visual facility named "The Candy Factory" located in Downtown Clearwater, Florida; this studio served as the recording venue for their album KE 101.

In June of that year, Crossbreed signed with Driven Music Group, led by former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. Although KE 101 was initially slated for release in late spring or early summer of 2009 through Ryko distribution, delays occurred due to Ryko's collapse. Subsequently, the band affiliated with Crash Music—a subsidiary of Driven Music Group—and officially released KE 101 on September 15, 2009.

Crossbreed's last performance before disbanding took place on December 17, 2010 at The State Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Hiatus and Alternative Endeavors

Lead vocalist James Rietz conveyed the band's decision to pause activities:

"To begin, nothing is set in stone since nothing truly disappears forever. However, at this moment, Crossbreed and its members are shifting their focus toward other ventures. We've enjoyed an incredible journey, yet after all these years, some of us have not had the opportunity to explore beyond Crossbreed.

On a personal note, Chris and I (James) have been involved with this band on paper for 14 years without pursuing other paths. As many are aware, our studio will continue operating normally, but eventually, certain chapters must close to allow new ones to start.

I’m not suggesting that Crossbreed will never perform again; rather, the band will no longer serve as the main priority for its members moving forward."

James Rietz and Ian Hall teamed up with Tamara Kemp to create "Shu-Tang," releasing their EP titled Drink Til You're Hott on March 1, 2011. Later, in September 2012, they debuted a music video for the track "Dance Like A Zombie."

Kem Secksdiin unveiled his solo record [eMerGe-n-EvoLve] on January 12, 2010. The album includes guest appearances by James Breed on the song "Night (Replace The day)" and F@mu$ (also known as Famus) on "rEZuRekdEAD."

2021–Present

In 2021, Crossbreed reunited with original frontman James Rietz and keyboardist/programmer/vocalist Ian Hall returning for a live show held on July 3 at The Odeon in Cleveland. They partnered with Rick Thomas (from Mushroomhead/Ventana) and Dan Fox (Dope/Ventana) to bring the band back for what was called the 'rebirth show,' which was co-headlined by Ventana.

Current Lineup

• James "James Breed" Rietz – lead vocals
• Ian Hall – keyboards, programming, backing vocals

Touring Musicians

• JaKob SiN – keyboards, programming, backing vocals, percussion
• Keith Heisler – guitars, bass
• Julius Caeser Mendoza – drums
• Tamara Kemp – keyboards, percussion
• Daniel Cruz – percussion, vocals

Former Members

• Chris Nemzek – guitars, programming
• Charlie Parker – bass
• Travis Simpkins – drums
• Jason Tropf – keyboards
• Phil "Flip" Marquardt – keyboards
• Dan "DJ" Izzo – turntables, programming
• Bishop – bass
• Corey Floyd (deceased 2021) – bass
• Chris Morris – drums
• Travis Inskeep – keyboards, programming
• Angel Bartolotta – drums
• Kem Secksdiin – keyboards
• Mike Cais – drums
• Jay Diesel – drums
• Dan Fox – drums
• Rick "Stitch" Thomas – keyboards, programming
• Justin Kalenits – guitars
• Kriz D. K. – drums
• Dro "The Dro" Simoes – bass
• Jason Knotek – bass
• Joey Aceto – drums
• Derek Obscura – bass, guitars
• Chris "Manicotty" Maniatis – guitars, bass
• Mikey Glassel – keyboards

Studio Session Contributors

• John Sustar – keyboards, guitars, drums (studio)
• Sally Bartolotta – bass (studio)
• Jay Schmidt – guitars (studio)

Studio Albums

• .01 (1998)
• Synthetic Division (2001)
• KE 101 (2009)

Demo Releases

• 3-Track (Baby Doll) (1999)
• 5-Track (Blue Guy) (2000)

EPs

• 2Twenty2 (released in 1998)
• New Slave Nation (released in 2005)

External links

• Official Chris Nemzek Website