IRON REAGAN - Crossover Ministry
There ain't a lot of people that will understand the difference between crossover, thrash, thrashcore, metallic hardcore, and hardcore punk. But if you're reading this, chances are you do. Iron Reagan is indubitably a crossover band. While you can find vocalist Tony Foresta and guitarist Landphil Hall in modern thrash institution Municipal Waste, Crossover Ministry clearly owes more to Leeway and Cryptic Slaughter than it does to Exodus or Slayer.
One of the hallmarks of crossover is a political bent in the lyric department, and with their namesake and some songs on previous albums The Tyranny Of Will and Worse Than Dead, IR have fulfilled that duty. On Crossover Ministry, however, the focus seems to be more on circle pits, partying and humor (see: "Fuck The Neighbors" and the lyric to 7-second banger "Parents Of Tomorrow", 'Mom's on the Internet!'). There are still plenty of digs at those pesky cultural institutions though; the album's name comes from a nearby church in IR's Richmond neighborhood, and some of its most memorable songs ("More War", "Blatant Violence") make no bones about their inspiration.
Crossover Ministry succeeds when it finds the sweet spot between headbanging and moshing. "Shame Spiral" starts off with an evil thrash mid-tempo riff before giving way to some speedy D.R.I. pit-inspired runs. "Grim Business" recalls Years Of Decay-era Overkill with its stop/starts, nimble solo and prominent bass in the mix. "Bleed The Fifth" is as good a representation of Iron Reagan as you'll find: fast, heavy, fun and over before you know what happened.
Like any crossover/thrash/etc band worth its existence, Iron Reagan lives and dies by its live show. They've toured relentlessly since forming in 2012, and with an appeal to a broad array of metal genre fans, they can jump on with just about anybody (Poison Idea, GWAR, Skeletonwitch) and fit right in. Do they add up? Just read any of the comments on their Youtube videos, and you'll see variations on a common thread: 'They made themselves a new fan after last night's show.' That's really the only review that counts.
Don't take our word for it: catch Iron Reagan with fellow crossover thrashers Power Trip and various other mosh-ready acts on their upcoming tour.
02/24 Houston, TX – Walter’s
02/25 New Orleans, LA – Siberia
02/26 Birmingham, AL – Saturn
02/27 Raleigh, NC – King’s (feat. Genocide Pact)
02/28 Richmond, VA – The Broadberry (feat. Genocide Pact & Concealed Blade)
03/01 Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage (feat. Genocide Pact & Concealed Blade)
03/02 New York, NY – The Marlin Room (feat. Concealed Blade & Krimewatch)
03/03 Pittsburgh, PA – Spirit Hall (feat. Concealed Blade & Protester)
03/04 Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class (feat. Concealed Blade & Krimewatch)
03/08 Montreal, QC – Les Foufounes Electriques
03/09 Ottawa, ON – The Brass Monkey
03/10 Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground
03/11 Detroit, MI – Marble Bar
03/12 Chicago, IL – Reggie’s
03/13 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
03/14 Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews
03/16 Kansas City, MO – Riot Room
03/16 Oklahoma City, OK – 89th Street Collective
Crossover Ministry will be available on February 3. Preorder the CD/LP/cassette from Relapse HERE and get the digital release on Bandcamp HERE.
