REVIEW: Iron Reagan & Gatecreeper, "Split"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 02/03/2018

Label: Relapse Records

“Split” CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Iron Reagan, “Warning”

2. Iron Reagan, “Paper Shredder”

3. Iron Reagan, “Take the Fall”

4. Iron Reagan, “Proudly Unaccountable”

5. Iron Reagan, “Burn for This”

6. Gatecreeper, “Daybreak” (Intro)

7. Gatecreeper, “Dead Inside”

8. Gatecreeper, “War Has Begun”

The Review:

               

Splits are regularly some of my favorite releases – so much so that in my yearly rundown I tried to highlight some of the real standouts in a growing field of collaborative metal albums.  With grind splits, you can end up with several bands spitting out double digit tracks and not break the twenty minute mark, or, in the case of Fister & CHRCH, you can have two sludge powerhouses spewing out 15-20 minute odes to suffering.  Maybe my favorites are those cross-subgenre cage matches, like the latest split between punky crossover thrashers Iron Reagan and decrepit death conjurers Gatecreeper.  Aside from rock solid production and rugged intensity, these two metal standouts have little in common.  But like a particularly memorable basement show, the disparity actually makes this brief hunk of aggression amount to more than its scant eighteen minutes would suggest.

               

Iron Reagan need no real introduction at this point – the members have been responsible for some of the best death, crossover, thrash and hardcore of the last few years.  The five cuts they contribute are like a little tour through classic hardcore punk and 80s thrash – opener “Warning” has a bright, SoCal hardcore tone that, at first listen, almost sounds like a massive Hammond organ.  Paper Shredder ups the LAxHC antics, with a tapped out intro lead, Anthraxindebted gang vocals, and palm muted builds to full on mosh breaks.  “Take the Fall” swaps coasts as the most classically Bay Area thrash metal cut on the record – the chugging rhythm work is the real standout, while the lead flourishes are pure Hammett worship.  “Proudly Unaccountable” is the briefest outing on the record (at a pummeling 45 seconds), but the strange rhythm changeups had me thinking of midperiod Black Flag with blast beats.  “Burn for This” may be my favorite cut on the record, a brutal little number that practically sounds like skatepunk.  I could certainly imagine it blasting behind a Bones Brigade tape.  The whammy bar work walks a thin line between Slayer divebombs and East Bay Ray surfer leads.  As a closer, it’s a rad sendoff that speaks volumes to how Iron Reaganis far more than a nostalgia act – these guys whip up a punky metal cocktail with their own signature on every riff, every breakdown, and every shouted lyric.

               

Gatecreeper somehow slipped under my radar until this split and, boy, am I ready to delve into their surprisingly large catalogue (especially for a band only formed in 2013!).  Vomiting out filthy, nihilistic death, the Arizona five-piece inserts the right amount of punk rhythm into their crushing metal riffs.  Drummer Matt Arrebollo slides just enough punk fury into his galloping double-kick attacks to keep things from ever getting repetitive.   Intro track “Daybreak” is a neat instrumental pummeling, but one-two punch of the abysmally downbeat “Dead Inside” and the apocalyptic “War Has Begun” made me crave a lot more of what Gatecreeper has to offer.  Wagner and Garrett’s occasional harmonic flourishes really had me hooked into their old school death metal, while the rhythm is gut churning in all the right ways.  If I had any complaints about the release, it’s that Gatecreeper didn’t have five tracks of death to counter the five bursts of enervating crossover thrash from Iron Reagan.  Like the best splits, this left me craving more… I suppose for now another spin of this excellent record will have to suffice.

“Split” is available here

Band info: Iron Reagan|| Gatecreeper

ALBUM REVIEW: Oozing Wound - "Whatever Forever"

By: Charlie Butler

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 14/10/2016

Label: Thrill Jockey

Oozing Wound take the listener on a wild ride during the course of “Whatever Forever”.  A perfect balance of no-nonsense, metal mayhem and off-kilter complexity, it’s an album that sometimes strokes its beard but always bangs its head.

“Whatever Forever” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Rambo 5 (Pre-Emptive Strike)

2). Diver

3). Deep Space

4). Mercury in Retrograde Virus

5). Weather Tamer

6). Everything Sucks, and My Life is a Lie

7). Eruptor

8). Tachycardia

9). You Owe Me, Iommi

10). Sky Creep

The Review:

If Saviourscrashed their van into a pool of radioactive noise rock sludge, the monster that emerged would sound a lot like Oozing Wound. The Chicago trio’s new LP “Whatever Forever” is a potent blend of raw thrash and weird excursions into the unknown that rocks hard at all times.

“Rambo 5 (Pre-Emptive Strike)” kicks things off in furious fashion with a whirlwind of riffage and unhinged fretboard abuse. If Rambo 5 does get the official go-ahead, the producers would be foolish to have anyone else but Oozing Woundprovide the soundtrack. This track sets the bar for excellent song titles throughout the album too, beaten only by “You Owe Me, Iommi”, a brief clean guitar interlude before the closing burn-out of “Sky Creep”.

If Oozing Woundwere simply a thrash band they would still be awesome but it’s their epic forays into stranger territory that provide the highlights on “Whatever Forever”. “Mercury In Retrograde Virus” and “Weather Tamer” are both eight minute monsters that showcase what the band are capable of when they slow their assault down a touch and let their exploratory capabilities take over. The mid-section of “Mercury in Retrograde Virus” particularly highlights the skills of bassist Kevin Cribbin as the bass becomes the lead instrument while guitarist Zack Weil lays down a solid foundation of riffage. This makes the low-end impact all the more powerful when Cribbin and Weil revert to their traditional roles. “Everything Sucks and My Life is a Lie” demonstrates another facet of the band’s sound, a driving voyage with a melodic, spacey edge courtesy of some delayed guitar that recalls Cave In’s more cosmic moments.

Oozing Wound take the listener on a wild ride during the course of “Whatever Forever”.  A perfect balance of no-nonsense, metal mayhem and off-kilter complexity, it’s an album that sometimes strokes its beard but always bangs its head.

“Whatever Forever” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Suicidal Tendencies – “World Gone Mad”

By Theron Moore

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 30/09/2016

Label: Suicidal Records

 

It flows in a virtually flawless manner and I do believe “World Gone Mad” will be remembered as one of their best records, ever.  This one’s a home run with a bullet. 

 

“World Gone Mad” CD//DD track listing:

 

1). Clap Like Ozzy
2). The New Degeneration
3). Living For Life
4). Get Your Fight On!
5). World Gone Mad!
6). Happy Never After
7). One Finger Salute
8). Damage Control
9). The Struggle Is Real
10). Still Dying To Live
11). This World

 

 

The Review:

 

This record’s a battleship.  The crew, Suicidal, are armed and ready.  The waters they navigate are treacherous in a “World Gone Mad.”  I’ve listened to this record three times so far, this is what we’ve been waiting for -- a rock solid return to their punk roots and a celebration of their metal soul.  Most of all, though, I feel like “World Gone Mad” is a document of our times. 

 

The record drops at the end of September, right in the middle of a crazy presidential election, at a time when terrorism is at its screaming worst, and racial tensions are at an all-time high.  And this record reflects all of that. And more.  “World Gone Mad” has a dark and ominous tone that creeps through the record.  Track four, “Get Your Fight On”sums it up lyrically – “…just look around, the world’s gone crazy…if you’re waiting on a hero we’ll all be dead…”  This record has heart and soul.  There’s a vibe of continuity that’s almost unsettling here, guiding the listener in very calculated fashion.   It has purpose and direction.  This is S/T at the very TOP of their game.

 

“World Gone Mad” is a proper return to the sound they perfected in the 80’s that straddles their punk roots ala their debut record and the metal edge coupled with Muir’s critical humor and societal eye of “Lights…Camera…”  The band sounds fresh, tight and reinvigorated with the addition of Dave Lombardo on drums.  I say this for a reason.  The drumming stands out on this record like an exclamation point and at times rallies the band with a cohesiveness I haven’t heard in quite a while.

 

“Clap Like Ozzy” sets the tone for the rest of the record:  Warpath.  Mosh fest.  Fast punky guitar and drumming the way it used to be.  Overall, the songs on this record, especially “Clap…” and “Living for Life” seem like polished versions of songs that could’ve been on their first, self-titled record.  I can’t emphasize this enough.  Muir and band have reconnected with S/T’spast in a way I didn’t think would happen again.  And it sounds real, not forced, genuine. 

 

“The New Degeneration” might be the most honest indictment of today’s kids I’ve heard so far.  Where’s the rage and anger?  Where’s the demand for change?  Why the canned rebellion and not a call for action, true action instead of slaving to social media and the like?  You can hear Muir’s questioning, Muir’s anger in this song.

 

I mentioned “Living for Life,” before.  It stuck with me because it has a Dead Kennedy’sgroove to it, S/Tstyle.  Again, a song that could’ve easily been on their debut record.  Lombardo’s drumming makes this song and it shows.  This is where the band rallies around Dave, taking the lead and setting Muir up to go in for the kill.

 

 

I could keep describing songs but the truth, is, there’s not a bum track on this record.  It flows in a virtually flawless manner and I do believe “World Gone Mad” will be remembered as one of their best records, ever.  It’s already made my best of 2016 list.  Band chemistry is killer with this lineup.  This one’s a home run with a bullet.  Buy it.

 

“World Gone Mad”is available to pre-order here

 

Band info: official || facebook