While revivals come and go like the weather, thrash has never needed one because it has always been there. Some bands reach more success than others, but there is always a high quality of music coming from the underground. Iron Reagan are one of the leaders of the new generation of thrash bands and, with their third album, they invite you to take ‘Crossover Ministry’.
Understandably, they have drawn a lot of comparisons to the members of other bands such as Municipal Waste and Cannabis Corpse, but ‘Crossover Ministry’ stands out more than Iron Reagan’s previous releases. It is an 18 track whirlwind ride of crossover thrash, hardcore, and solid punk rock that well and truly kicks you square in the face without remorse.
It has become apparent over the last few years that Iron Reagan is a vehicle for a more serious side of vocalist Tony Foresta. Even with the fun, fast and frantic ode to partying ‘Fuck The Neighbours’, and the several tongue-in-cheek stabs at organised religion, most notably on ‘Dogsnotgods’, Forsesta is, for the most part, pissed off.
Recorded in the midst of the heated US Presidential election, anger and frustration has clearly spilled over into ‘Crossover Ministry’. “Welcome to the tragic end of all life,” screams Foresta during ‘Dying World’, before lambasting the powers that be on ‘Grim Business’. Unless you know the humour of Iron Reagan, you would be forgiven for thinking ‘More War’ was an anthem for rallying violence, when, in reality, there’s no underlying malice in the sarcastic narrative.
Musically, it is the most refined Iron Reagan have sounded to date. Not that they needed to ‘find their sound’ or anything, they know what business they are in; they have just perfected it. ‘Crossover Ministry’ is driven by the power of the almighty guitar riff. There are blitzkrieg moments’ fury such as the 14-second ‘No Sell’, and the even shorter ‘Parents of Tomorrow’. They set up the longer – by Iron Reagan’s standards – ‘Condition Evolution’ and ‘Bleed The Fifth’ respectively, both of which pay homage to classic thrash with an added modern groove.
Don’t be fooled by the heavy number of tracks, thinking this is going to be a prog-metal epic with soaring compositions; this is thrash, and it careens by at a blink-and-you-miss it rate of knots. It follows a time-honoured tradition of a hard-hitting delivery as laid down by the godfathers of the genre, and Iron Reagan are now among the royalty. Once you join the congregation at ‘Crossover Ministry’, you will be a convert for life.
GLEN BUSHELL