Barren Cross

Although they never achieved as much notoriety as their Orange County neighbors Stryper, Los Angeles' Barren Cross were among the best-known Christian (or "white") metal bands to emerge in the 1980s. Formed in late 1983 by singer/guitarist Mike Lee, guitarist Ray Parris, bassist Jim LaVerde, and drummer Steve Whitaker, Barren Cross rehearsed assiduously before performing their first concert six months later at, of all places, a home for juvenile delinquent girls. Shortly thereafter, the boys used their Christian connections to approach producer Dino Elefante (whose famous sibl...