In the world of perpetual social blitzkrieg, there is no time for fucking around; sometimes you just need to get to the point. Forget the coffee filters and overcooked facts, there is no room in the stomach for all that sugar; it's time to spill reality onto the broken plate.

Candour is a thing of virtue. The ability to make a statement with the constraints of mere minutes is a powerful one indeed, and that is why music has become such a potent platform for personal and social outcry. Of course, few have used that platform as fervently as followers of Punk movement. Although their approach is not always the most profound, it is undoubtedly direct, and thus when you couple their outspoken formula with the incendiary reactionary properties of Metal, you are ready to serve the world with a dynamite suppository of few comforts...

I think it is safe to say that when it comes to modern crossover stars you'd be wrong to deny IRON REAGAN a spot on the polluted sky, and on their latest effort "Crossover Ministry" the band assure you of that sentiment with not a subtle thought in mind.

In short: "Crossover Ministry" is a work of hardcore art; a spiked beauty unburdened. Through a precise blend of Hardcore Punk and Thrash Metal the record delivers brief snippets of post-modern anarchy that almost seamlessly encapsulate the values and wit of the former with the glass-shattering dynamism of the latter. Tracks like "A Dying World", "Grim Business" and "More War" combine the relentless, riff-driven battery of early METALLICA (circa "Kill 'Em All") with the recalcitrant potency of AGNOSTIC FRONT, whilst numbers like "Dead With Friends" throw a wrench in the mechanism with Sludge-esque grooves before allowing more straightforward offerings like the title track "Crossover Ministry" to take a page out of THE OFFSPRING's book and make this record hospitable to the masses.

Highlighting certain tracks within such compilations is rarely an easy task, and yet the band's penchant for curious riffs and sturdy songwriting make for a varied and accessible record that plays like cool ride down the lane of pre-meditated chaos; and even though most of the songs rarely stretch beyond the 2-minute mark, each track leaves a lasting impression that will stay with you like a heavy, ever-so-slightly demented haiku.  Although the mix does tend to blunder at certain points, the production is top-notch and serves up a raw, vibrant recording without sacrificing the quality of sound; and the band's overall performance does a fantastic job of capturing the maniacal spirit of Hardcore with the precision of Metal musicianship.

Overall - this record is loud, abrasive, blunt and delightful. "Crossover Ministry" gets its message across without superfluity and posh tangents. Slightly rawer than MUCIPAL WASTE but perhaps a bit more accessible than SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, IRON REAGAN have created a record that will undoubtedly make it to the shelves of fans of both. With a strong head and a clear goal in sight, this is a near perfect crossover record in its own right.