Review Summary: Inconsistent Yet Still Determined to Pulse
Chaotic supergroup Dead Cross return with their sophomore record continuing their ‘scorch the earth’ approach to hardcore music utilizing numerous influences from other sub-genres whether it be the pulsing terror of thrash metal, the vibey/bouncy jolts of industrial and even touches of avant-garde to spice up the palate. While this record certainly feels like a continuation of the fury from their debut, it does a solid job at differentiating itself, creating a new feral animal drenched in raw production touches and ferocious instrumentation. All the elements seem poised for an amazing record yet even with all the puzzle pieces present in the box, only a few seem to connect well with the others remaining scattered.
Take the opening track “Love Without Love” which seamlessly weaves the chaotic hardcore nature of the band's sound with slower melodic almost haunting clean sections featuring Mike Patton’s signature snarls. This is an example of these elements melding well, starting the album off very strong but later in the track list these attempts to combine influences becomes rather disjointed and sloppy along with awkward production choices especially with the vocals. One of the singles “Heart Reformer” uses similar tactics opening with pure rage, fast drums, straight-forward hardcore riffs but eventually slows down in the back half and awkwardly meanders in this pocket. While the instrumentals aren’t bad per-say, they feel a bit jerry-rigged together rather than having that natural seamlessness of the opening tune.
The debut record featured some of my favorite Mike Patton performances from his entire career combining his signature fry screams with his theatrical melodies. While this record showcases his skill as well, I can’t help but be letdown by his lack of focus. His full ‘kitchen-sink’ approach to delivering the lyrics on this record does become a bit much and the downgrade in quality lyricism hurts as well. The track “Reign of Error” spells it out bluntly with the lines “We are the retarded klan shaking with a closed hand/Spewing with a stupid band.” While Patton certainly isn’t known for his tact, these sorts of lyrics just feel a bit cringey and unnecessary. Justin Pearson led “Christian Missile Crisis” is a bit more focused lyrically and features a lovely vocal performance from Pearson as well and remains my favorite track on the record.
It also goes without saying that the drum work from Dave Lombardo is as frenetic as ever and plays a vital role in establishing the sound of the band. I do however find his choices to be a bit one dimensional and typical at times whereas his dynamics shone-through much better on the debut. Songs seem to start or lead into very similar passages rather than having a unique identity from each other. It’s certainly not typical of hardcore records to do this but having higher expectations from a band with virtuosic players leads me to believe that these individuals could have worked on these songs with a bit more creativity to at least match the range and calculation of the debut.
While this record is certainly not bad and features a multitude of great tracks, i.e., “Love Without Love, “Christian Missile Crisis,” the gorgeously acrobatic “Strong and Wrong,” and even the potent closer “Imposter Syndrome,” its weaker points tend to bog down the flow and cohesion of the record. It’s inconsistent quality vocal choices and lack of coherent songwriting at times also prevents this record from reaching its full potential especially when considering the talent that makes up the cast. It’s a still a recommended listen for fans of prior work but the warning remains.
