ARTIST: CROSS CHECK
ALBUM: OVER ANYALYZED
LABEL: INDEPENDENT
RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 16, 2013
GENRE: HARDCORE
RATING: 8.5/10
Anyone familiar with Pennsylvania and East Coast hardcore knows that Philadelphia and its surrounding areas deliver some of the hardest hitting, consistently solid albums time and time again. Following in that vein, Cross Check comes out of the gate swinging on their first EP, Over Analyzed.
The release is five songs long, clocking in at around twelve minutes. Each track is aggressive in a way that only hardcore is, getting straight to the point with meaty riffs, ferocious “true story” lyrics, and angry vocals, slowing down only for vicious breakdowns clearly meant to make crowds go wild.
Many of the tracks have movie quotes attached to them, each one making the album feel more dark and sinister with each moment. The opening track, “Held Back,” has a sound bite that goes on for over thirty seconds, and while it sets the tone for the album to come, it feels a bit lengthy. That is only a minor complaint, however, as the album never slows down after those first seconds.
Cross Check have set foot on the path to becoming a fixture on the hardcore scene with Over Analyzed. Every track is raw and the emotion pours off of each note, bass kick, and scream. Over Analyzed is pulsing with energy, losing nothing from the stage to the studio. Cross Check’s EP is a must for any fan of hardcore.
