Dead Cross, Dead Cross (Ipecac Recordings)
I won’t say this record heralds an entirely new genre, but the debut from this somewhat-supergroup definitely sets a high bar for unabashed-punk oi-metal, at least for this generation. Led by Faith No More’s Mike Patton and ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, this bunch really, really wants people to break stuff, leveraging a preaching-to-the-choir lyrical approach based around the Trump-hysteria noise, bolting Slayer sounds directly onto top-prime 1970s punk, and letting Lombardo jack the drums until they, too, want to break stuff. Patton wasn’t keen on doing this, so they say, but he fits right in, leaving the phony Cookie Monster vocal nonsense by the stoop and switching back and forth from several different “singing” methods, from Jello Biafra to Misfits to Tom Araya. Yes, this all adds up to your basic Exploited album, but Lombardo’s effort breaks the mold — just imagine all those years of laying down the percussion hammer for Slayer and then teaming that guy with Patton, whose genius is indisputable, on a 100-percent hardcore trip. Plus a cover of “Bela Lugosi’s Dead?” A no-brainer. A — Eric W. Saeger
