Anti-Flag - For Blood and Empire

With a record-releasing career now at a decade's length, Pittsburgh's Anti-Flag have not only solidified a place as one of today's most infamous and recognizable voices in punk rock. The infamy charge has varying degrees; detractors of the band have questioned Anti-Flag's credibility (the band had been strictly against major corporations in the past, though this record is an RCA release), others claim that the group is too much talk and not enough action or that the band isn't intellectually adept enough to warrant their lyrical content. Keep in mind, though, that The Clash heard some of these same things. For Blood and Empire is more or less what previous Anti-Flag releases have been--hard-edged punk rock with a thin veil of pop intuition sprinkled on top. The latter statement is more prevalent here, as this is by far the catchiest Anti-Flag album I've heard but is no less scathing in its musical nor lyrical delivery. The political bent is overt and obvious, which will turn off listeners who desire something that offers more deep thought, but this doesn't make the band's intent any less respectable. On the other hand, Anti-Flag makes much of their politics easy to understand and relate to, which can only help the band's younger listeners understand what they're hearing. True, Anti-Flag has been railed for being too preachy, but For Blood and Empire isn't abstract in its aim, and listeners should have some idea of what's in store. The production leaves something to be desired, for at times the album comes across as too clean and smooth. The music itself sounds like early Strung Out trying to write Good Charlotte-type hooks but without the bubblegum image and lyrics. "One Trillion Dollars" relies on a folky punk delivery, like early Against Me!, whereas "State Funeral" is melodic hardcore along the lines of Strike Anywhere. But, Anti-Flag has been around longer than any of these bands, and overall, it just sounds like those same notorious punkers who are one of the most successful punk bands out there that actually touches on politics in their songs. As with former labelmates Propagandhi (whom you could say are a rougher, more mature version of Anti-Flag), the liner notes contain an abundance of resources for left-wing ideology and other organizations the band supports, and if the music doesn't offer that much to you, at least you'll learn something from all the other information the band presents. [www.anti-flag.com]