IRON REAGAN was the kind of superband that you would easily expect how they will evolve and the records they will create. Consisting of members of MUNICIPAL WASTE, CANNABIS CORPSE, DARKEST HOUR, HELLBEAR etc., the band needed no introduction to the scene when they released their first record back in 2013. Since then, without forcing themselves, Iron Reagan release material whenever it is possible, always with the same goal on mind: to mock society’s normality.
Their latest release, ‘Crossover Ministry’, is a heavily political record. I dare to use the specific term, because records like this criticize society’s pathogens in a way that can influence and disturb. Crossover, thrash (not the modern one) and punk were always keen on that stuff. In ‘Crossover Ministry’, IRON REAGAN sound more punk than ever, from fast, furious vocals and screaming choruses, to rebellious riffs and narrowed-down songs.
“For the fans of punk and crossover, IRON REAGAN’s record may be the record of the year.”
Don’t expect to find any significant change or listen to something completely experimental here; Iron Reagan do not care about it. Iron Reagan is about being alive, being angry and trying to mess up with the system that has been destroying the poor and enforcing the rich and authority. While listening to the record, someone can find, besides the thrash metal influence, a vibe that could only be offered by the American punk rock bands, like DEAD KENNEDYS and BLACK FLAG. The band sounds heavily influenced by the California punk rock scene, but has achieved to sound metal as well, in order to honor the thrash metal roots of its creators. As a result, the bass and guitars are heavier than ever, providing the ideal background for Tony Foresta to express his rebellious mind in a lunatic crossover blast.
Concluding up, eighteen songs are squished up in a record, protesting about war, the clergy and authority, while expressing what we all feel about the world that surrounds us. ‘Fuck the Neighbors’, ‘More War’, ‘Megachurch’ and ‘Grim Business’ come to offer some ideal material to play loudly in your stereo, messing up with all the ‘normal’, family-men out there.
For the fans of punk and crossover, IRON REAGAN’s record may be the record of the year. Clever and massive, ‘Crossover Ministry’ is what anybody needs to fill up with courage, in order to withstand a crippled world around him.