CROSS EXAMINATION
The Hung Jury
Organized Crime
7.5 / 10 Track listing:
01. Awesome Party Intro
02. Party Squad Unite
03. Omen of Prophecy
04. The Hung Jury
05. Mortal Kombat
06. P.A.C.P.
07. The Foodening ($3.49 Mark of the Feast)
08. Kill Yourself
09. I Shot the Devil
10. Barnraiser Intro/Barefoot, Toothless and Pissed (Demo)
11. Bring me the Head of Beatle Bob (Demo)
12. Omen of Prophecy (Demo)
13. McClitty for President '04 (Demo)
14. The Foodening ($3.49 Mark of the Feast) (Demo)
Shouldn't more people, specifically lovers of old school crossover thrash, know about Missouri's CROSS EXAMITION? Of course they should. Inspired by the usual suspects (D.R.I., SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, S.O.D., etc),and walking the same path tread by bands like MUNICIPAL WASTE, CROSS EXAMINATION whips up a party thrash frenzy with the 14 tracks (and 15 minutes of enhanced footage) of nutty bliss on "The Hung Jury". The enhanced disc contains material from "The Hung Jury" seven-inch, including demo tracks, and bonus tracks from the 7" recording sessions. It's a wild ride and an outlandishly good time.
After the aptly titled "Awesome Party Intro", the thrash machine fires up with classic chainsaw guitars, raucous group vocals (by the "Awesome Party Squad") and the friggin' insane lead vocals of "Daniel". That he can even keep up with the constant barrage of musical madness on tunes like "Omen of Prophecy" and the comical "The Foodening ($3.49 Mark of the Feast)" is amazing enough, but he does it as though breathing is an afterthought. His one mission is surely to collapse in a stinking heap of troubled youth and vomit by the time the proceedings have drawn to a close. Rather than coming off sloppy or amateurish, the boys manage to remain tight as a rat's anus while charging full speed ahead, offering a sonic brew that is both calamitous and fabulously comedic.
The band has a few things to say too. The lyrics to "Mortal Kombat", a song about the roaming Karate kickers at hardcore shows, raise an issue that's been annoying long-time headbangers more and more these past few years. Case in point: "The one thing I can't fucking stand / when I'm at a show watching a band / is careless ninjas in the place / that kick me right upside the face / before you bring it the show / perhaps more work at the dojo." It's good advice for you all you budding hardcore kiddies.
Finally, in a grand statement of the group's perfection of this old school style, the covers of "Kill Yourself" (S.O.D.) and "I Shot the Devil" (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) are performed without flaw, blending right in with the band's original material. Let's be honest here. Don't we all need bands like CROSS EXAMINATION to continually remind us what terms like "thrash" and "crossover" really mean?
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