The Milwaukee quartet strike a blow for the old guard on their debut EP!
This may be the debut EP from Milwaukee quartet The Crosses, but these guys are no newcomers Vocalist Dan Kubinski is perhaps better known as the vocalist of veteran Midwestern hardcore crew Die Kreuzen, and the other members’ pedigree is similarly impressive.
With all due respect to the band as a whole, Kubinski is their secret weapon, having long since perfected both a raw-throated hardcore punk scream and a dramatic, clean singing style reminiscent of Anthrax’s Joey Belladonna – or even Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson. Musically, it’s a similar story, with elements of hardcore punk, noise rock and thrash metal all rearing their heads regularly throughout ‘Outlier’.
Lead track ‘Nails’ gets things off to a suitably abrasive start, encapsulating pretty much everything that’s great about this band. We especially like the breakneck-speed minute-long blast of ‘Hate Market’, which sounds utterly feral, and also the bout of metallic guitar shredding that cuts in halfway through ‘Nychthemeron’. Ooh, and that rumbling bass intro to ‘Natronium’ is gloriously sinister.
For good measure, they also romp through the old Die Kreuzen favourite ‘Man In The Trees’ and tip their hat to their Midwestern roots on a cover of Husker Du’s ‘I’ll Never Forget You’. Overall, the six tracks make for one hell of an opening statement for a band who could clearly teach today’s young pretenders a thing or two.
‘Outlier’ is out now – order the vinyl/CD/digital versions HERE.
Main Photo Credit: ANDREW FELLER
- Nails
- Hate Market
- Nychtheremon
- Natronium
- Man In The Trees
- I’ll Never Forget You
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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