A passionate batch of chaotic compositions

Dead Cross is a hardcore punk supergroup featuring members Michael Crain as guitarist, Justin Pearson as bassist, Dave Lombardo as drummer and Mike Patton as the vocalist. The band dropped their sophomore album on October 28, aptly titled II. The new record serves as a follow up to their debut self-titled album which was released back in August of 2017. The thrashing LP is a half-hour headbanger full of nine fast-paced tracks. Leading up to the highly anticipated release of II, Dead Cross dropped three singles: “Christian Missile Crisis,” “Heart Reformer” and “Reign of Error.” 

“Heart Reformer” shows up as the album’s third track. The piece opens with Lombardo’s rhythmed clunks before the other three musicians sweep in at a breakneck speed. The song lyrically features themes of yoga, which provides a funky clash to its dominating musical qualities: whiplash rhythm, crackling yells, and muddy strings. The lyrics feature clever wordplay like “Humble warrior, puppy pose” as nods to yoga positions and the ironic shouts of “Namaste.” 

Before settling into a steady shredding and drum pattern, “Christian Missile Crisis” scrambles like an instrumental radio searching for stations. Patton layers his textured, throaty screams after a raspy howl for two measures. Every piece of the song – such as the tattered drums or vibrating strings – bustles and shrieks in its own fashion.

“Reign of Error” is especially intense in aspects such as instrumentation, vocals and lyrics. Crain’s tumultuous strings alternate with a grungy bass and burst of drums. They play off each other before the spookily reverberated repetition of “It’s us,” a lyric later revealed as the band’s answer to their subsequent question: “Who is the problem?” Patton’s vocals continue to address this theme, with a list of imaginative descriptions as to why “We are the problem.”

II isn’t necessarily controlled, but sensible chaos; it’s turbulent with a purpose. The record’s spirit is energetic and edgy, with each musician featured freely. Behind every lyric is wit and an aggressive spark. Overall, the album is rich in vigor, sometimes with an eerie twist from an instrument or vocal effect.