Anti- Flag- The People Or The Gun (Sideone Dummy Rec)
After 7 albums and a brieft stint in the major label world, Anti-Flag are back in the indie scene, plugging away at their political punk rock anthems with the passion and ferocity they have more or less trademarked in the last decade.
Tearing through 10 songs (and a hidden track) in just over 30 minutes, these guys keep their time honored formula of loud, angry, anthemic punk rock going strong. A few tracks here are more on the rock side of the spectrum- atypical for these guys- but nonetheless still well written, memorable songs. All the energy, passion and grittiness these guys built their fan base on is quite prevalent, something long time fans thought was absent on their last disc.
Whether or not you like Anti- Flag's brand of melodic, political/social punk rock, you have to give these guys credit for their charity work and staunch DIY attitude. These guys could easily be radio stars, but instead fulfilled their RCA contract and left to do music on their own terms. In addition, portions of the proceeds of this disc will go to charity, as have many of their previous tours. That in itself is a good enough reason to pick this up.
This is how punk was meant to be played; rebellious rocknroll, music with a message, not just meant to entertain. Anti- Flag tackles issues like slavery, religion, exploitation, etc. and will certainly leave the listener with a fist in the air, angry at the ills of the world, head nodding, singing along....
