IN DEFENCE:
Party Lines and Politics: CD
I’ve teetered on both sides of the fence with these guys. The first release, a split with Guns ‘n’ Rosa Parks, did fuckall for me. The next one I came across, Don’t Know How to Breakdance, was a tad more appealing, but ultimately swayed me in neither direction. This one has me grudgingly admitting that yes, they are pretty good at what they do. The metal is ratcheted up much more than I remember it being prior, which is usually a detriment with me. In this case, however, the result is an album that comes off as a less quasi-xenophobic heir to SOD’s Speak English or Die, tempering pointed commentary about things like Monsanto’s attempts at copyrighting and monopolizing the process of growing food, homophobia, and the corporate-welfare state with humor, as well as odes to old ‘80s new wave bands and gay heavy metal heroes (cf. “The Police Are Fuckin’ Rad!” and “Reinventing Rob Halford”). Lotsa good, zippy, angry fun to be found here. For what it’s worth, you’ve won me over, guys, and yes, your allegiance to tacos played an integral part in my conversion. Play often, play loud. –Jimmy Alvarado (Profane Existence)