ALBUM REVIEW: II – Dead Cross
It is supremely telling of just how rare a breed Mike Patton is that he considers DEAD CROSS a relatively straightforward hardcore project. Perhaps by his standards it is, but the band’s 2017 self-titled debut album struggled to hide the immense talent and vision of all involved. Drawing on the expertise of former SLAYER powerhouse Dave Lombardo, THE LOCUST vocalist Justin Pearson, and Pearson’s RETOX bandmate Michael Crain, it marked a work of chaotic, noisy thrashy hardcore, elevated as ever by the relentless mania of Patton himself. Now, they’ve come back to do pretty much the same thing with the long-awaited II.
Brought back together by Crain’s shock cancer diagnosis, and also marked by the recent death of former member Gabe Serbian (also THE LOCUST), DEAD CROSS have gone less for the darkly meditative fare one might expect from such circumstances and instead doubled down to produce one of the wildest rides you’re likely to get on this year. This is angular, frenetic hardcore, heavily informed by thrash, post-punk, noise rock and more. As recent single Christian Missile Crisis proves, it’s also charged with an abundance of political vitriol, with Patton’s lyrics taking aim at familiar foes in the religious right and the increasingly malignant powers that be. It’s exactly what hardcore should be, and for an idea of just how few prisoners DEAD CROSS are taking here one need look no further than what they do to the US Supreme Court in the music video for Reign Of Error.
As he often does, Patton steals a lot of the show. That isn’t to take away from the efforts of his bandmates, which we’ll get to in due course, but it should hardly prove controversial to say that the frontman cuts a dominant figure here. With a delivery that seems to fill every step on a staircase that climbs from menacing whispers all the way up to ear-piercing screams – there’s even a full-on wolf howl in the aforementioned Christian Missile Crisis – he leaves an indelible and instantly recognisable mark on each and every track.
It helps of course that the rest of the band are all grade A musicians in their own right. Musically, these nine tracks twist and turn so much that it definitely takes a few listens to get to grips with some of their finer points, and yet simultaneously there’s something of an instant adrenaline hit that endears this record to the listener from the off. The energy is invariably high, especially when Lombardo cuts loose with his typically furious footwork. Crain’s guitar work meanwhile often stands as more of a wiry counterpoint to the band’s thrashing energy, like if the DEAD KENNEDYS’ East Bay Ray had somehow found his way into a SUICIDAL TENDENCIES band practice sometime in the 80s.
Given the pandemonium at hand, there’s not loads of merit in digging too deeply into individual tracks here. II is a bit like some kind of tornado that’s tore through your house and is now just spinning in front of you while showing the occasional flash of something you recognise. The mesmeric chanting of opener Love Without Love; the theatrical driving punk of Animal Espionage; the thick, head-banging groove of Christian Missile Crisis; Reign Of Error’s sub-two-minute blast fest – moments like these may jump out in particular, but it is definitely best just to let the band strap you in and take you wherever they want to go for the next 33 minutes.
For some, that will be II’s undoing. It’s a lot to take in and may well require more listens than some are willing to give it, but if your idea of fun is letting your friends tie you to one of those wind turbines and seeing how long you can hang on for, then DEAD CROSS have a real treat for you here.
Rating: 8/10
II is set for release on October 28th via Ipecac Recordings.
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