Cross Examination
Menace II Sobriety
Organized Crime Records
Jeff Karbow
I have already praised the Awesome Party Squad from St. Louis Missouri for their EP, "The Hung Jury" and as soon as I heard the intro, "Return of The Shredder" open up with a sample from the first, original live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie I knew this was going to be good, no scratch that, great!
It is no surprise to those that know their shit are aware that crossover and thrash have seen a revival over the last couple of years, especially since the re-emergence of Municipal Waste (man, I wonder if these guys are sick of hearing that name yet [I'm sure they are]). And it's hard to deny the similarities between Cross Exam and Municipal Waste, I mean they both play crossover and they both have a love for beer and the entertainment side of things. Like Municipal Waste, these guys have a penchant for beer bongs, neon signs encouraging circle pits, and just downright drunken debauchery. So naturally you are going to have people say this band is nothing more than a gimmick but they would be missing the point entirely. These guys sure as hell don't seem to be trying to get rich off what they do, which they wittingly make fun of in the track, "Thrashin' for the Cash In (Royalty Check)", and they definitely seem to love what they do without those big fat wallets.
These guys definitely improved upon their song writing for this 12-song rager. They still retain the thrashy, crossover sound that will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Municipal Waste (sick yet?), D.R.I, and Suicidal Tendencies, it's just that things are a bit more intricate this time around, especially in terms of the lead guitar work. Granted, the technicality displayed here won't be dropping any jaws but it is nice to see that these guys are aiming to improve themselves musically. Complimenting the improved musical prowess of the band are the movie samples that the band injects throughout the CD. And they do it wisely, they don't simply drop a sample in for the sake of dropping in a sample.
Like "The Hung Jury" the main attraction here are the lyrics. I mean let's just run through the song titles of the album: "Return of the Shredder (Intro)", "Maximum Overchill", "Necroponics", "Unlimited Chainsaw", "Arson Party Squad", "Collateral Jam-age", "Thrashin' for the Cash In (Royalty Check), "Raid Your Fridge", "Menace To Sobriety", "Blackout", "Operation Devastation", "The Wimp Chipper (Outro)". If you can't sense the awesomeness by that list alone, well, I don't know what to tell you.
The layout for "The Hung Jury" was sweet as hell but this is just...well, fucking awesome. This time the band enlisted the services of Jeff Worm to do the cover art. And the shit just explodes off of the gloss finished booklet. What's more metal than a zombie skeleton drinking from a beer foam hat as he suffers the wrath of the electric chair? Not fucking much. Except for maybe the awesome comic book that accompanies the first press of this CD. Jeff Worm did an exceptional job of bringing out the visions of the band in "Tales From The Keg #1". It is a 24-page, gloss booklet that is comprised of two stories: "Necroponics" & "The Omen of Prophecy". The first story, "Necroponics" is derived from the third track of the album which just so happens to be called "Necroponics"! It is a wonderful tale of marijuana that was grown atop a nutrient rich corpse that was eventually found by the band members. It definitely has that gangster ass Scooby Doo feel (wow, did I just say that?). The second comic "The Omen of Prophecy" is based off of the lyrics from the song "Omen of Prophecy" that appeared on "The Hung Jury". The song (comic book piece) is about a misunderstood dragon that somehow found his way to St. Louis, MI. For more details, buy the CD.
Rating: 4.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: "Necroponics", "Thrashin' for the Cash In (Royalty Check)" & "Maximum Overchill"
Synopsis: The Awesome Party Squad is back, stronger than ever. They have honed their chops, sharpened their tongues, and crushed beer bongs throughout. If you like crossver thrash and good times, pick this up ASAP!
Note from writer: I wrote this review the best way possible, under the influence of 2 Olde English quarts plus 8 and a blunt. If you don't like it, go cry to momma.
Cross Examination
The layout for "The Hung Jury" was sweet as hell but this is just...well, fucking awesome. This time the band enlisted the services of Jeff Worm to do the cover art. And the shit just explodes off of the gloss finished booklet. What's more metal than a zombie skeleton drinking from a beer foam hat as he suffers the wrath of the electric chair? Not fucking much. Except for maybe the awesome comic book that accompanies the first press of this CD. Jeff Worm did an exceptional job of bringing out the visions of the band in "Tales From The Keg #1". It is a 24-page, gloss booklet that is comprised of two stories: "Necroponics" & "The Omen of Prophecy". The first story, "Necroponics" is derived from the third track of the album which just so happens to be called "Necroponics"! It is a wonderful tale of marijuana that was grown atop a nutrient rich corpse that was eventually found by the band members. It definitely has that gangster ass Scooby Doo feel (wow, did I just say that?). The second comic "The Omen of Prophecy" is based off of the lyrics from the song "Omen of Prophecy" that appeared on "The Hung Jury". The song (comic book piece) is about a misunderstood dragon that somehow found his way to St. Louis, MI. For more details, buy the CD.