Review: Dead Cross - II

Upon first hearing about Dead Cross, I was immediately intrigued. Members of Faith No More, Slayer, and The Locust playing punk? Count me in. Their first outing exceeded any expectations I had, and it wasn’t just another Mike Patton release that the main showcase was him. All members brought a certain energy to it.

5 years later and they’ve graced us with album two named II, of course. While the debut was mostly a hardcore punk outing with Patton flares, this one takes those sounds and fleshes them out further into some post-punk territory. Unbeknownst to me, singer Mike Patton was dealing with an agoraphobia diagnosis and guitarist Michael Crain a cancer diagnosis. Perhaps it’s wrong to suggest, but that all seems present within this recording. Hopefully, it was cathartic in that manner for all.

II sees the band taking what they presented on the debut, solidifying it, and furthering it into a sound of their own. Yes, it’s rooted in hardcore punk, but it would be wrong to simplify it down to just that. You have 4 members that clearly grew up under an umbrella of punk and each have branched out in their own ways throughout their careers. Bringing that all together makes for some amazing results.

With the dark times it was written during, personal lives of members and the world going to shit, it really comes across in the music. Dark, brooding, chaotic, and angry all in the best ways. This is an easy one, if you like anything under the genres of metal, hardcore, and punk, be sure to check it out. 

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