IPECAC
Embattled, Mike Patton-fronted supergroup lives and seethes
NOBODY LOVES A supergroup, really. They rarely live up to their promise. But as Dead Cross’s 2017 self-titled debut amply displayed, there are exceptions to the rule. A spontaneous and scrappy explosion of 80s-style crossover thrash, it united heavy rock’s most versatile frontman Mike Patton with thrash metal’s heaviest pounder, Dave Lombardo. Retox’s Michael Crain and The Locust’s Justin Pearson filled in the blanks, and the results were one of the most surprising and satisfying debuts of that year. There were monumental barriers to it ever happening again – the pandemic, Mike Patton’s acknowledgment of his mental health struggles, Michael’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment – but like true thrash warriors, the boys laced up their white Hi Tops and got back to work.
Despite the pedigreeis a furious belching of ribcage, groin and spine. The sound remains rooted in the world of athletic, punk-inspired thrash metal, but there are surprising twists and turns to be found throughout, with nods to post-punk, deathrock, and even black metal along the way.
