Iron Reagan “Worse Than Dead” Album Review (punk/thrash)
Iron Reagan
“Worse Than Dead”
Magic Bullet Records/A389 Records
review by Denise Borders
Richmond, VA band Iron Reagan just dropped their debut full length, Worse Than Dead. The band consists of Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour members and has a hardcore, thrashy punk sound that is… um…. fucking rad. While vocalist Tony Foresta yells about partying and how awesome it is in Municipal Waste songs, this band explores a different lyrical side. I’m yet to hear one bad word about this “supergroup” so if you don’t believe me, then you can eat shit and listen to the record for yourself.
Available Now
Track List
01. Drop the Gun
02. Slightly Out of Focus
03. I Predict the Death of Harold Camping
04. Cycle of Violence
05. Eyes Piss Tears
06. Insanity Plea(se)?
07. A Joke A Fraud A Fake
08. Rats in a Cage
09. We Know You’re Hiding
10. Paycheck
11. Midlothian Murder Mile
12. The Debt Collector
13. I Ripped that Testament a New Asshole (Instrumental)
14. Bodies
15. Eat Shit and Live
16. Two Examples
17. Snake Chopper
18. Warp Your Mind
The album starts a fucking raging bang. Drop the Gun is a great intro to their sound. Fast, short and sweet like most of the tracks, you get the familiarity of Tony’s vocals with music similar to that of Waste but any fan can easily spot the difference. Slightly Out of Focus gives you a totally different sound right off the bat, which I LOVE. The band is showing you they aren’t a one-trick pony with 30 seconds of instrument chaos. Bang your head a few times and it’s over. I Predict the Dead of Harold Camping… I’m like WTF is this track about? Who is Harold and is Camping his last name or did he die whilst camping? THIS IS A MYSTERY. GET INTO IT. By this track, you see this band has a different direction that the member’s current bands and I am sincerely enjoying it just as much as their other shit. This song is a bit slower paced but still has a great thrashy sound that these dudes have clearly mastered.
Cycle of Violence is more metal than thrash, showing that they can do whatever your dead little heart desires. The political message shines through the main lyric, “The cycle of violence will never end” followed with a female news anchor voiceover clip. Look- they get drunk but they care about the news. You should, too. To move on, if I continue breaking down each of the 18 tracks, this will be way too long for any of you to read since I know most people have the attention span of a kitten. With that said, I will say that this record is a great listen for any metal or punk fan. This band is a delightful mix of thrashy chords and metal undertones and you can never go wrong with Tony’s vocals, which sound more punk to be than metal.
I am, however, going to mention my favorite track on the record, Eat Shit and Live. It’s nice and to the point and just a solid 50 seconds of great music. One thing I love about Waste is they’re a fun band, and while Iron Reagan has a little bit of a different message, I still think they’re a fun band that’s just doing what they love without taking everything too serious.
This is an excellent debut LP for these guys and I am stoked to see what else they have to come. If they ever tour on my side of the country, you bet your ass I will be there. Check out their links below to keep up with the band! You can stream Worse Than Dead on their bandcamp to check it out in its entirety. You can order the record from Magic Bullet/A389 Records now or purchase it from their bandcamp.
Iron Reagan Facebook
Iron Reagan Bandcamp
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
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