Trash Deity – Cross & Divide

Grimy and glamorous

Trash Deity is Franke N. Nardiello (My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult frontman) and music producer and Industrial artist John D. Norten (Blue Eyed Christ). These two have come together and created an enjoyable debut album with a classic industrial sound. And while Cross & Divide has some cheesy and cliché vocals and production, the performances are fun, and the production hits hard and features some great grooves.

There isn’t a major label sheen on this album from a production angle, but the duo delivers some tasty danceable industrial beats anchored by Nardiello’s hair metal influenced vocal style. On the intro “Cross & Divide” the duo touches on the cultural divisions that plague the modern world under a hard-hitting industrial beat. “Fame Games” is another lyrical highlight, and “Frantic Child” shows off a nice change in production style with a great song structure and beat switches. The consistent rolling percussion sounds really heavy and techno-flavored in the best way possible.

The duo follows a formula but does try and explore different speeds and tones. This is seen on “Icons and Idols” with brighter, more guitar-dominant production and a solid acoustic drum groove. This lends to a classic hard rock sound even though the guitars sound a little flimsy. “Finger on the Trigger” is another punchy highlight, ready to turn up any grimy underground club. This is the duo’s most cohesive collaboration; the dramatic synth motifs complement Nardiello’s dark vocals.

Overall, Trash Deity does well by its roots and bring out the best things about its genre. The production lends itself well to Nardiello’s voice and while both sides of the equation can feel a tad amateurish, this is still a super fun album brimming with personality. Hopefully, Trash Deity stays alive and takes this classic industrial sound into more experimental areas and keeps pushing themselves to tour and smooth out rough spots.