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Strike Anywhere - Iron Front

Rating

RIYL

Rise Against
Kid Dynamite
Propaghandi

Release Date

10/06/2009

Label

Bridge Nine

Tracklist

1. Invisible Colony
2. I’m Your Opposite Number
3. South Central Beach Party
4. Failed State
5. Hand Of Glory
6. The Crossing
7. Spectacular
8. Blackbirds Roar
9. Omega Footprint
10. Summerpunks
11. First Will And Testament
12. Western Scale
13. Postcards From Home

Users Rating 5 ratings	Your Rating Create an account or log in to rate this album
Recent Ratings
papakos	Stephen Harris
Max	Rick Gebhardt
Aaron Yarborough

It’s about time Strike Anywhere readied a new album. It’s been 3 years since Dead FM and, you know, the band’s running-of-the-bulls-speed melodic punk is an easy thing to miss. Yeah, we’ve had Rise Against albums to sort of hold us over in between, but none of those have really been able to replace the first-class brew of “catchy” and “fist-pumping” that was Dead FM. Well, the wait is over, Iron Front is just around the corner.

When you get to pop in the disc, Pamplonian drums and Thomas Barnett’s screams will bowl you over. Iron Front comes out shrieking and unashamed, just like every other Strike Anywhere album ever written. Barnett and company aren’t shy to let listeners know there’s still something wrong with the government and the world, that it hasn’t been fixed, and that they don’t like it. And it’s not even so much the lyrics that let you know they’re pissed, though, granted, they are peppered gloriously with “shits” and “fuck yous.” It’s more so that the music speaks for itself. A casual listen is enough to understand that everything about Iron Front protests dissatisfaction at the state of affairs, from the ominous riff in “Failed State” to the persistent drums in “Hand of Glory” to the bolting “Omega Footprint.” Then you can go back to the lyrics and confirm that they are indeed criticizing society (“I’m Your Opposite Number” goes as far as to demand, “lower the flags!”).

There’s not a generous progression here from what Strike Anywhere have done in the past. Seeing that this is the band’s fourth full length with no monumental evolution from their grassroots sound, Iron Front does beg the question of whether they’ve reached their peak. Still, I would stall that thought. While we are being treated to the same addicting punk melodies and hardcore outbursts present since Change Is A Sound, the songs here nevertheless carry the most robust and potent vigor of their discography yet.

They say the youth today are apathetic about politics. Well shelve your psychology textbooks, because the solution is staring you in the face. You want political and accessible? Ignite the kids with Strike Anywhere. And as long as the band keeps churning such extraordinary punk, I’ll keep rooting for them. ‘Bout time indeed.

--Matthew Tsai

Author

thetsaiguy

Last updated: 10/03/2009 01:10PM

Comments

Max

09/15/2009

02:10PM

Location
London, UK

Probably too early for me to give this a rating yet but I like what I've heard so far.

Currently listening to:
Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster - Exegesis
Suspyre - Suspyre
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