Iron Reagan - Dark Days Ahead

I was honestly kind of groaning at the prospect of another Iron Reagan release this year, after their split with Gatecreeper left a lot to be desired, but to my pleasant surprise, this very short five-track EP is a pretty good outing from the band. It could very well be the band keeping their stay short that helps this album’s enjoyability, but it does seem like on these super quick tracks, the group are able to focus a good density of musical ideas, and not so erratically (and not in the way that compliments their sound) as they often have in the past.
The (relatively) low-tuned riff that kicks of the introductory track, “Authority”, sounds so much more inspired by modern thrash than old school punk and crossover thrash, and the crossover thrash affair the band dive into immediately afterward with is well supplemented by this riffage.
The main riff, the smart transitions, and the prominent wordless gang vocal melody of the minute-and-a-half title track are probably enough to cement this one into the band’s live performances pretty consistently.
The third, and longest (two minutes), song, “Patronizer”, also packs both slow chugs and rapid thrash riffing into a tight two-minute package that highlights the band’s more leering, mid-paced approach well.
The following track, “The Devastation”, continues this integration of riff variety and quick song linearity that makes crossover thrash so dynamic and exciting at its best.
The last song, “Watch You Die” is definitely an old-school thrash-inspired bit of indulgence that sounds more along the lines of the band’s usual shit, a treat I supposed they’ve earned with the previous four tracks at this point.
This quick little EP was, again, a pretty pleasant surprise for me, not that I’ve been super upset with the band’s output, but I feel like the vibrant punk energy they’ve poured into their music and made a key feature of their identity has often led to them repeating themselves a lot over course of longer albums. And perhaps with less room to do so, they end up making a more captivating listen.

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