DEAD CROSS DEAD CROSS Ipecac Recordings Hardcore Punk, Thrash Metal. Listening Format: Digital & CD Dead Cross is a brand new "supergroup" featuring Mike Crain, Justin Pearson, Dave Lombardo and Mike Patton. So that's members of Faith No More, Slayer and Retox to say the least. This self titled debut album is packed with 10 very short and fast songs that are loud, crass and showcase a blend of Thrash and Hardcore. It very much sounds like these gentleman took a fun little vacation inbetween all their other bands and just decided to go mad and have some fun. The album is indeed a lot of fun, in fact it is an absolute breeze to listen to and probably has some replay value in there. Dave Lombardo definitely channels the kind of performance he put in for Slayer's classic 'Reign In Blood', with fast and unrelenting speed metal drumming. Even the riffs occasionally reference Slayer with a mixture of straight up Punky power chords, and twiddlier fret shredding. But in all honesty it is Mike Patton's diverse and eccentric vocal performance that really makes this album come to life. I get this nagging feeling that, without Patton on board, this would sound like a fairly generic and outdated affair instrumentally, that doesn't quite keep up to the insane standards of the newer younger Hardcore/Thrash crossover acts such as Municipal Waste, Power Trip and Havok. And although Mike Patton does pull out all of the stops, with crazy howls, chants, screams, shouts... Well you name it... What CAN'T this man do with his vocals?!?! But he doesn't quite do anything he hasn't already done better many times before in his vastly exciting discography! 'Shillelagh' is a huge standout with this weirdly catchy chanting chorus, but this kind of sounds like Dillinger Escape Plan crossed with Tomahawk only not as abstract or fleshed out. A cover of Bauhaus' classic 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' is the only true sore thumb on the album. The classic original is a slow 10 minute Goth dirge, whilst this version is two and a half stuttering minutes of nothingness. No matter how hard Mike Patton tries to be wild, abstract and straight up crazy on this album, it never seems to quite come together for Dead Cross. Instrumentally it just isn't that crazy. In fact it's pretty standard and even inoffensive at times. So no matter how barmy Patton gets here, it just seems like he is trying too hard to be eccentric and it comes off very forced and flat. Dead Cross is certainly enjoyable on some level, and an easy listen, but it feels strangely "normal" in the bizarre canon of Mike Patton. And if you are coming at this as a Slayer or Retox fan, there is even less that is going to really strike you here. Even Patton's more accessible projects like Faith No More and Peeping Tom have gone far deeper, wilder and stranger than what is presented here. 'Dead Cross' is an admirable bit of fun, but all the players efforts here are so vastly overshadowed by their previous discography highlights that this one will barely scratch the surface. 6/10.
CONVERGE I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT PAIN Post-Hardcore, Mathcore, Sludge Metal. Epitaph / Deathwish Inc. Listening Format: Digital Converge have just dropped a new EP out of the blue yesterday (as of publishing), the band's first release of new material since 2012's excellent 'All We Love We Leave Behind' album. This marks the largest gap in their career of new music, although the band have toured relentlessly in that period. The band also performed their classic, groundbreaking album 'Jane Doe' in full and released it is a live album earlier this year. There is still no explicit news of a full length album, so it will be interesting to see if either of these new tracks will feature on their next full length, or whether it will be a stand alone release. Since I don't know the answer just yet, I can only assume this is a stand alone EP and I will be reviewing it as such. There are two tracks featured here. 'I Can Tell You About Pain' is just shy of two and a half minutes and is an absolutely ferocious beast. The track reminded me of the title track of 'No Heroes', as it opens with this absolutely pounding Hardcore groove, with Kurt Ballou's trademark twiddly guitar licks thrown in. Jacob Bannon in particular delivers a vicious and fiery vocal performance here that is truly one of his best to date, right down to the vocal production. Converge have always had a knack for delivering outstanding opening tracks that grab you by the throat and this is no exception. But it is the second and final track of the EP that really blew my me away. 'Eve' combines elements of Ambient, Post Rock and Sludge Metal over a seven and a half minute epic. Again slightly reminiscent of a track from the album 'No Heroes' (their most experimental to date), 'Grim Heart / Black Rose', as well as having a strong Neurosis vibe. This track is the complete antithesis of the opening track. It is slow, and has clean singing vocals in the opening verses. The opening minute of the track actually sounds reminiscent of Stars of the Lid, with these gorgeous floating Ambient swirls. When the dreamy verse suddenly explodes into furious pounding riffs around three minutes in, it made the hairs on neck stand up. I can't express just how good Jacob Bannon is sounding on this EP. The use of dual vocals on this track takes it to the next level and it is clear that Converge are still experimenting and daring to go to new places. The overall production on this track is astonishing. So punchy, so textured, and yet as raw and primal as you would expect from Converge. In a way I kind of hope that these tracks do appear on the next Converge full length album. 'Eve' in particular is hands down one of the finest tracks the band have EVER made. Converge formed in 1990, and even 27 years into their journey, they are still at the forefront of Hardcore, Sludge, or Atmospheric Rock or however you want to label them. They keep daring to take risks and push their sound, writing and production further and further forwards. It comes as absolutely no surprise that the response to this gift of an EP has been so overwhelmingly positive. 9/10.
