Sunday, January 29, 2017

Iron Reagan – Crossover Ministry


Crossover Ministry” is the very appropriately titled third album from American thrashers Iron Reagan. Given that the band features Municipal Waste’s singer (and their bassist on guitars), it’s no surprise that Iron Reagan has a similar sound. In this band, however, it feels like the music leans more towards crossover, whereas the Waste is a bit heavier on more traditional thrash elements (particularly on later releases). Nonetheless, “Crossover Ministry” is going to appeal to anyone with an appreciation for short songs, vocals that are absurdly fast and consist entirely of shouting, and music that is trying to make a statement in its lyrics. The band is often at their best when they write their simplest work. Songs like “More War” and “Dogsnotgods” have brilliantly catchy choruses that are great for shouting along to. Even the 14-second “No Sell” manages to stand out because of its clear focus.

The weakness of “Crossover Ministry” is that it doesn’t really have any pit-inducing riffs. The guitar work is certainly adequate for thrash, but this album shows the importance of Ryan Waste to Municipal Waste, because the quality of the riffs is really the major difference between the two bands. This record still thrashes with sufficient conviction throughout, but isn’t quite an upper-tier release. On “Megachurch”, things go totally off the rail when some weird nasally vocals are used for parts of the song, but that is the only time on the album where the band really steps outside of their comfort zone. The album as a whole is an enjoyable listen, but unlikely to be one worth repeating for years.

Be sure to check out and like Iron Reagan on Facebook!

Highlights
"You Never Learn"
"More War"
"Dogsnotgods"

Final Rating
3.7/5 or 74%. 

Written by Scott

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