Dead Cross
II

I was anticipating the band at the turning point for several valid reasons.

Firstly, the health conditions of Patton, who suffered last year from serious mental disorders that painfully surfaced also due to the prolonged lockdown. I can reassure you: Mike is back, with his multifaceted voice, with the proverbial changes of vocal register within the same track. Ready to lash out once again against the Christian communities, the Supreme Court, and the star-spangled government. Nothing has changed since the debut.

And I was also curious to hear Lombardo’s work on the drums: I wondered, since good Dave has reached 57 years and a few months, if one could notice a decline in his performance, a certain slowdown due to age. None of that! Because he is always an infernal machine, with that double bass drum that reigns unchallenged for a good part of the duration. A sulfurous drumming, very precise; continuous tempo changes, without the slightest hint of weakness.

And with these premises, I don't have much more to add; the sound is monstrous, voluminous, compact, even excessively chaotic. They hit you with a shovel on the incisors, to put it briefly.

Hardcore, Punk, Thrash are drawn equally; with Grind added on top. A musical mash that razes to the ground, that clears the slate.

Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, Zorn: the benchmarks that came to mind from the very first listen.

I’ll mention only one track: the barely two fateful minutes of "Reign of Error".

Album of the year...LOVE WITHOUT LOVE...

Diabolos Rising 666.