Anti-Flag - For Blood And Empire (2006)

Since punk rockers are an argumentative bunch of boojies under any circumstances, I’m sure that the major label defection of indie hardcore stalwarts Anti-Flag has already been chewed over and spat out on dozens of chatrooms and message boards across the star-spangled ‘net. Maybe the Reverend is too old for this sort of hijinx, or maybe I just don’t give a damn. These ears honestly can’t hear much diff between For Blood And Empire, Anti-Flag’s controversial major label debut, and the three or four other AF CDs that rotate off my shelf and onto the music box from time to time. Let’s take a peak at some of AF’s new major label concerns, shall we? Anti-war? Check. Anti-racist? Check. Anti-corporate? Check. Anti-WTO, Big Media and social injustice? Check, check and checkmate.

The music on For Blood And Empire still blisters and peels, the guitars cut all the way down to the bone, and frontman Justin Sane’s vocals still spit out venomous lyrics with an admirable fury. Is Anti-Flag signing with Sony BMG to reach a wider audience with its radical agenda any different than Bad Religion releasing albums through WEA? I say that Justin and crew should grab the cash and hightail it back to Steeltown before the Germans running RCA wake up and realize what they’ve done. In the meantime, all you young punx relax…Anti-Flag still kicks ass and For Blood And Empire is the balls. The Reverend sez so…. (RCA Records)

(Click on the CD cover to buy For Blood And Empire from Amazon.com)

Anti-Flag - The Terror State (2004)

Anti-Flag has never been hesitant about wearing its left-leaning political tendencies on their collective sleeves. Frontman Justin Sane brings a folkie's sensibilities and lyrical sense to the band's musical onslaught, Anti-Flag eschewing empty political rhetoric in favor of a good, old-fashioned, meat-and-taters anarcho-leftist perspective. The Terror State, the latest broadside by the working class heroes from Pittsburgh, hits with all the impact of a high-octane Molotov cocktail looking for a match.

It would be no stretch of the imagination to suggest that Sane and crew won't be voting for Bush next election day, a notion reinforced by The Terror State's opening track, "Turncoat." A sort of "Emporer's New Clothes" recounting of the President's many crimes against humanity, Anti-Flag brand 'W' as a "turncoat, killer, liar, thief." With dynamic vocals and incendiary lyrics backed by three, maybe four explosive chords and a monster beat, the song sets the stage for that which follows. "Rank-And-File" is a call-to-arms for the working man and woman while "Post-War Breakout" is an eerie reading of Woody Guthrie's prophetic tale of a returning soldier. The powerful "Wake Up," its lyrics supported by a fast-n-furious wall-of-sound, is an attempt at shock treatment for the ignorant and uninformed that might just be too damn late to help. "Death Of A Nation" is an anthemic obituary set to scorched earth instrumentation, Sane's passionate vocals bringing an Orwellian clarity to this hardcore dirge.

Free-trade treaties, the war in Iraq, the loss of civil liberties, immigration, corporate welfare and social policies that further the interest of a wealthy minority, all subjects that provide fuel for Anti-Flag's poetic fire. Unlike many political punks, however, Anti-Flag provides justification for their rage, offering suggested reading and contacts to get more information on the issues they sing about.

Musically, Anti-Flag are unabashedly punk, punctuating Sane's intelligent lyrics with a no-frills blend of the Clash and Minor Threat. The Terror State was produced by Rage Against The Machine's guitar wizard Tom Morello, an artist who knows something about mixing politics, protest and powerful music without getting burned. Morello's skilled work on the board adds more punch to Anti-Flag's songs, bringing an undeniable jackhammer dynamic to the band's sound.

It's a dangerous combination, to be sure, mixing erudite, anti-authoritarian lyrics with flammable hardcore punk rock, a tightwire walk that Anti-Flag does well. You can bet that if George W. has an "enemies list" (and do you doubt for a moment that an administration as paranoid as this doesn't have a list?), Justin Sane and crew are marked in red right near the top. With The Terror State, Anti-Flag has drawn a line in the sand and marked its territory with characteristic fire and fervor. There's more to punk rock than Good Charlotte, Hot Topic and cool T-shirts. Raise your I.Q. several notches with Anti-Flag.... (Fat Wreck Chords)

(Click on the CD cover to buy The Terror State from Amazon.com)