Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, Jimi Hendrix, Prince. These are the names Kim Hyuk Gun (김혁건) has covered with guitarist Han Seung-ju since 2021. Anyone who remembers the high notes of "Don't Cry" in 2003 will find the roots of that voice in this list.
This piece lists the songs THE CROSS BAND has covered, with the original artists, the musicians who played on each, and the official videos.
01.Vocals, guitar and drums
THE CROSS BAND (Rockband Cross, 락밴드 크로스) is a rock band of Kim Hyuk Gun on vocals, Han Seung-ju (한승주) on guitar and Kang Sun-woo (강선우) on drums. Its roots go back to Rockband Cross, which Kim formed in 2005, and since 2021 he and Han have kept up a steady run of cover videos and live shows. Drummer Kang Sun-woo, who played with them at the 2024 Busan International Rock Festival, joined afterward.
Each cover video has its own line-up. Bassist Moon Jin-young (문진영) and keyboardist Hong Young-eun (홍영은) play on "Heaven and Hell," "Purple Rain" and "Lyric of a Deep Night." The band is introduced on the THE CROSS BAND page.
02.Heavy metal classics: "Heaven and Hell" and "Mr. Crowley"
"Heaven and Hell" is the title track of the 1980 album Black Sabbath made with Ronnie James Dio as its new singer. THE CROSS BAND's cover keeps the mood of the original and adds parts that had only been heard in live versions.
"Mr. Crowley" is an Ozzy Osbourne song. Kim Hyuk Gun covered it as a tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, with Han Seung-ju on guitar, Moon Jin-young on bass and Kang Sun-woo on drums.
03.Hard rock energy: "Burn"
"Burn" is a Deep Purple hard rock song. THE CROSS BAND left out the original's synthesizer and built the cover around the song's energy and aggressive groove.
04.Guitar and voice: "Little Wing" and "Purple Rain"
"Little Wing" is one of Jimi Hendrix's signature songs. Kim Hyuk Gun and Han Seung-ju covered it as a duo of voice and guitar, under the name Rockband Cross.
"Purple Rain" is Prince's 1984 song and the title track of the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The guitar part draws on Eric Gales's version, and dancer Lee Jae-min (이재민) took part.
05.A Korean rock classic: "Lyric of a Deep Night"
"Lyric of a Deep Night" (깊은 밤의 서정곡), by the Korean rock band Blackhole (블랙홀), is a Korean rock song covered by THE CROSS BAND. Han Seung-ju on guitar, Kang Sun-woo on drums, Hong Young-eun on synthesizer and Moon Jin-young on bass play on it. On stage the band has also performed "For You" (당신을 위하여), "Your Pain Beside Me" (내 곁에 네 아픔이) and "Say Anything."
06.The covers at a glance
| Song | Original artist | Musicians | Official video |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heaven and Hell | Black Sabbath | Han Seung-ju · Moon Jin-young · Kang Sun-woo · Hong Young-eun | Watch |
| Mr. Crowley | Ozzy Osbourne | Han Seung-ju · Moon Jin-young · Kang Sun-woo | Watch |
| Burn | Deep Purple | THE CROSS BAND | Watch |
| Little Wing | Jimi Hendrix | Han Seung-ju | Watch |
| Purple Rain | Prince | Han Seung-ju · Moon Jin-young · Kang Sun-woo · Hong Young-eun | Watch |
| Lyric of a Deep Night (깊은 밤의 서정곡) | Blackhole (블랙홀) | Han Seung-ju · Kang Sun-woo · Hong Young-eun · Moon Jin-young | Watch |
Each song also has its own article covering the story of the original, the original video and THE CROSS BAND's cover: Black Sabbath "Heaven and Hell" cover, Deep Purple "Burn" cover, Ozzy Osbourne "Mr. Crowley" cover, Jimi Hendrix "Little Wing" cover and Prince "Purple Rain" cover.
The cover videos are collected on THE CROSS's official YouTube channel, THE CROSS OFFICIAL, and subscribing to the channel is the fastest way to hear each new cover. To book THE CROSS BAND, use the concert and lecture booking page.
From Black Sabbath to Blackhole — THE CROSS BAND's list of covers traces the road through rock that Kim Hyuk Gun's voice has traveled.