Anti-Flag
For Blood and Empire
Contributor: Valentine
RCA, as in a major label? That was kind of weird to see on an Anti-Flag CD, but whatever. It didn’t really change the content. For Blood and Empire is everything I would have expected from an Anti-Flag album and nothing more. That isn’t really a bad thing, though.
I have liked Anti-Flag since hearing Die For the Government, and I even got the next album, A New Kind of Army. I enjoyed them to the extent that I could. They are both hook-filled punk rock. For Blood and Empire is no exception, even if the sound has changed a little bit over the years. I have no idea what happened between A New Kind of Army and now, but it seems that Anti-Flag has followed along with every other punk band and gotten a little bit harder and a little less poppy.
Not to say that Anti-Flag were ever pop-punk but I always thought that Anti-Flag were definitely not “pop” in the way that pop-punk bands were. The vocals weren’t bubblegum sweetness; instead, everything was raw. It still is. You don’t get the impression that these guys are trying to sing sweet melodies, but they still hook you. Ninety-nine percent of this stuff will get you singing along. “One trillion dollars can buy a lot of bling.” Who says that? Yet I find myself humming that and “Fuck the world/fuck your mom” as I make my way down the halls at work.
I probably just picked the worst example of Anti-Flag’s lyrics to discuss for a review, but it’s my review. Besides, I am in the choir that these guys are preaching to. Yes, they are still talking a lot about how bad things are and how messed up politics are, but I know that. I agree. I think most fans of Anti-Flag do too.
Maybe that is why this album is being released by RCA. It doesn’t seem that a major label hurt the musical or lyrical content in any way for these guys. The cooperation with RCA might allow for better exposure and help get their message out there. I know I’ve been hearing them on the radio recently. Well, whatever their reasoning, I’m glad I got their new album. It’s not my favorite punk-rock record, but I still like it a lot better than 90 percent of the other “punk rock” out there.
Review from Agouti