Dead Cross – “Dead Cross” Album Review by R.G.B. Robb

Dead Cross—“Dead Cross” Ipecac Recordings; 08/04/17— Though labelled as a “hardcore” record, you can never expect something completely straight-up when it comes to vocalist Mike Patton … he’s incapable. Dead Cross and their self-titled debut is definitely hardcore, but there are way too many blast-beats and thrash-metal references—thanks to drummer Dave Lombardo—to classify it as that solely. The clap-alongs, punk sensibilities, and vocals (everything from hardcore crooning to scream-blasts) are so far removed from anything else that I could not possibly compare them to any other group. Of course, the lyrics must follow suit in this strange, macabre dance. “I took a pee and it came out red. I took a dump and it came out dead” from “Shillelagh” is the best illustration. Though these musical oddities will cause a few naysayers to try and compare Dead Cross to Fantômas or portions of Mr. Bungle, they would be missing the nuances found in not only the performances, but in the songs themselves. The cover of Bauhaus’s “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” is nothing short of inspired, and one of the best versions I have ever heard of the cut (even though it’s been heavily edited down to two-and-a-half minutes). “Obedience School,” “Grave Slave,” and “Church Of The Motherfuckers” are all tracks you could start with, and not be disappointed. But with a majority of the songs being less than three minutes long, if you are wanting something completely new, completely different, and that doesn’t inundate you with miasmas of sonic platitudes, then Dead Cross has what you need.—R.G.B. Robb