Cross Examination

If the wonderfully brief hair metal revival a few years back was indication that music appreciation is cyclical — and we’d come to full circle to the ’80s — then The Hung Jury is the next evolutionary step. It’s time for crossover to rear its ugly head. Consider this a hair’s breadth away from Municipal Waste; a precursor if you will as The Hung Jury hits the point where crossover was slightly more metallic than punk and as goofy as it was overbearing. Complete with tinny production that makes the guitar sound like it’s rattling around in a tin can, shrieking singer flailing about and disgustingly short, ridiculous songs such as "MC Clitty For President” and "Mortal Kombat,” this is a sincere homage to dirty metal. Even the rip-offs are hilariously blatant: witness covers of S.O.D.’s "Kill Yourself” and Suicidal Tendencies’ "I Shot the Devil,” a general co-opting of the speed and cacophony of Cryptic Slaughter and M.O.D.’s Gross Misconduct album art. However, it’s all done so well that one must adore them for it.