Punk rock is a genre I have lost quite a bit of interest in over the last few years. I still recall my first Warped Tour in 04 being so excited to see The Bouncing Souls, Bad Religion and most importantly Anti-Flag. Since than, my taste in music has changed quite a bit, but I still enjoy a very small bit of Anti-Flag here and there. Anti-Flag is famous for their catchy riffs blended together with top of the industry bass lines, accompanied by a solid rhythm section, and most importantly, their distinct vocal delivery and lyrical subjects. Anti-Flag stresses two main things; unity and change. Boring it seems but wait until you see how it is presented.
Anti-Flag is...
Justin Sane - Vocals and Guitar
Chris #2 - Bass and Vocals
Chris Head - Guitar
Pat Thetic - Drums
One thing you will notice as the record begins is the bass is quite present. The second thing you will notice is it is great! Chris #2 lays down some great lines which complement the guitars very nicely. Anyone who was worried about a crazy sound change due to their major signing will be pleasantly surprised that this is not the case. It is just Anti-Flag as they have been for the last few albums for the most part; as Justin said, their major signing was a way to get their message heard louder and clearer.
The opening riff in
I'd Tell You But" proves this to be very true. A darn catchy riff opens this song alone, as the rest of the band comes in a few seconds later. The dual vocal patterns in the verse work excellently as the song keeps in fast flow throughout. After the first chorus a solo whips through. Guitar solos are not often found in punk, but Anti-Flag has used them before to the fullest extent. The solo fits the song flawlessly. The second verse slows down a tad but its pace quickens as the chorus comes through for the final time. Chris #2 shines as his bass thumps through the outro. The first song ends with a bang, all that in only a mere 2:10.
The Press Corpse brings more classic sounding Anti-Flag to the table, nice chord progressions are played over number 2's line. It is not often that a guitar can play rhythm for a bass and pull it off but than again Anti-Flag is not your every day punk band. The bass is just absolutely fantastic in this song. The lyrics are presented in a very catchy manner about hiding lies.
But when the truth escapes the night and crawls into the day
We find the picture still askew
They don't want to... talk talk talk talk talk about it
They wanna tiptoe, walk around it
Wave the flag and mindlessly salute
They don't want to talk about it
They wanna tiptoe, walk around it
Wave the flag and cowardly salute
Once again the backing vocals are very present adding a great addition to the sound. Pat fills in with some great rolls and the whole band just seems to be rolling on this tune. It's almost impossible to not be impressed with this song's catchiness or to not hear its message loud and clear. Once again a great song.
The pace slows as
Exodus comes into play. This song seems a little like filler to me. The lyrics could have been written a little better, especially in the chorus where it gets way to repetitive. It just comes off as more annoying than striking. No real guitar riffs are present but some cool little bass fills are in mix and they are about the only redeeming factor in this song.
Ah back to classic Anti-Flag style.
"It's a gut check of what you believe" or just
The Project For A New American Century . A nice riff is played in the intro. While the tempo is slower than the first two tracks, it works much better in this song. The lyrics are once again to their potential. They are about honesty in yourself and not being ashamed of it.
And it's a gut check of what you believe
Will you stand up for democracy?
or a New American Century?
Endless...
Endless violence, endless hatred
Endless empire tyranny
Will you make a stand for human dignity?
Or never ending hate?
The bridge for this song is pretty cool, made up of some hand claps and vocals. With something a little new working quite effectively, good lyrics, nice guitar work, and drums holding everything together tightly,
The Project For A New American Century proves to be a great song.
The next few songs have a slightly different feel to them. They are more downbeat than the openers and even incorporate acoustic guitar, noticeably standing out in
One Trillion Dollars . These tracks stand out as a little something different from the band, which is a good thing. In OTD the lyrics remind me of Alkaline Trio almost, very mellow sounding in terms of the way they are presented, and than realize how it is just masking the angst in the lyrics. Basically presenting sorrow in as cheerful of a way as possible. Once again Chris #2's bass stands out especially towards the end. The middle of the album really does not drag that much, despite its diverse pace from the beginning of the album.
From the opening notes of
State Funeral you know the pace is going to quicken. #2 gets high up on his bass again, his tone is so great and his playing is truly a treat.
The chorus while appearing quite simple works very well.
A dead ringer for Armageddon
Dead ringer dead!
This State Funeral, we do not mourn
Once again the dual vocal pattern works great. They sure do know how to compliment each other and play of off each other's strengths, making this seemingly dull chorus a ride.
Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man is a pretty good track. The drums to a great job here, the fills are very memorable and well placed.
And it goes on and on and on and it goes on and on it goes
The iron fist for blood and empire, will make you move
And it goes on and on and on and it goes on and on it goes
The iron fist for blood and empire, will make you move
So dance with me
Ala, the album title in a song, pretty cool lyrics and a nice riff follows. The only flaw in this song is that it sounds very similar to what has already been done in the album. Aside from a little repetitiveness this is a good listen.
War Sucks, Let's Party! brings a new sound to the table. The guitar riff sounds danceable and synth like, adding a nice new flavor to the song. The lyrics are reminiscent of the subject of the Underground Network album.
It's unbelievable
It's unbelievable to watch the system crumble
This political shakedown, coming correct from the underground
This political shakedown, coming correct from the underground
We've been cut up
We've been shut up
For far too long, yeah!
It's always nice to find a new sound towards the end of an album as it keeps the listener entertained and shows the band"s diversity. While the chorus is presented in a catchy way, some of the verse lyrics don't have a very good flow to them and could be written better.
The W.T.O Kills Farmers sounds fairly standard for the band. There sure is some great bass playing going on throughout the song. Drums and guitar are all pretty basic but in the end work alright. The song does not bring a whole lot new to the album, but one noticeable factor is its bridge. It slows down per usual and Pat does a great job with the build up back into things before a little bass section. Overall this is not one of the best songs on the CD at all.
Cities Burn is a little predictable, the whoa ohs at the beginning, the drums rolls and the entire song for the most part. It feels like an average punk band until about halfway through when a very nice riff compliments some vocals. While the riff is good, it sounds very similar to the previous songs. The palm muted guitar breakdown/bridge was seen from a mile away, as were the whoa oh's until the songs end. A this point in the album I have realized two things.
1. I am starting to lose interest
2. Wow, I just listened to 12 straight songs from a punk band for the first time in years.
The fact that a genre I have lost major interest in has kept my interest for more than four songs is amazing. The fact that it is in double digits is out of this world.
Depleted Uranium Is A War Crime closes the album, the riffs over the chorus sound a different than some the previous. The guitar solo here is really something; once again a characteristic Anti-Flag can exercise quite well into a song. They have a lot of cut points in the song, where only bass, faint drums, and either newsflash"s or speeches or present. Nothing new that they haven't done before, but flows alright in the song as the album comes to a close.
This album surprised me very much. I used to be pretty into this band and than they seemed to fade away off of my playlist. This album will change that, especially when I am in the mood for the genre. There are plenty of redeeming qualities found in this album.
Pros...
+great bass playing
+guitar solos and riffs are well constructed
+Anti-Flag's signature tone and style is very present throughout
+this 13 track and almost 40 minute punk album kept my attention
+you do not have to be anti-bush or anything like that to enjoy this album
Cons...
-while riffs are well done, they are repetitive
-some filler songs are found
-towards the ends the album altogether gets a little replicate
Conclusion...
The pros outweigh the cons and I cannot stress enough how off guard this album caught me, mainly for in its genre. If you are into punk you most likely have picked this up already. If not and a punk mood strikes you, this album will not disappoint, this is a great album and is recommended.
Final Rating: 3.5/5
