Pittsburgh Punks Anti-Flag returns with the pinpoint political bullet of their latest album ‘ 20/20 Vision’. The bone-chilling voice of Donald Trump ushers in the opening knockout cut ‘Hate Conquers All’ which strains the vocal sinews while pummeling the limp body bag containing the cartoonish, yet deadly, American leader. Next up is the incendiary, catchy and unrelenting ‘It Went Off Like A Bomb’ to clear the head like a menthol nuclear lozenge and two songs in it’s apparent that Anti-Flag has lost none of their tuneful anger. Title track ‘20/20 Vision’ initially eases off the gas but the lighter sound creeps up behind you and stoves your skull in with a recycled coke bottle. Anger is restored with the double standard rejecting ‘Christain Nationalist’ and prayers should be said as the ending lyric “we all know who you are” resonates like a deep burning threat rather than a throwaway statement. The strong mid-album trio of ‘Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down’, ‘Unbreakable’ and an infectious ‘The Disease’ keep the left-wing fuelled wheels churning and turning. Anti-Flag are often overlooked in the mainstream media as their “Punk” peers are far more palatable for daytime radio and TV. However, along with Bad Religion (amongst others), they continue to produce top-notch heartfelt Punk with a message that avoids drunken snogs with your best friend’s girl, skateboarding, faux gangster ditties and (it seems) they utterly reject the lemonade sidewalk sales, happy days, hot dogs with mustard, flag-waving media interpretation of the USA. A spat out ‘You Make Me Sick’ marches to a post-Grunge beat and incorporates an unneeded “woh-oh-oh-oh” chorus filler before the acoustic Green Day-Esque campfire rasp on ‘Un-American’. Final cut ‘Resistance Frequencies’ flirts with MTV Ska-Punk without removing its chequered vans. ’20/20 Vision’ is a diamond cut of genre splitting Punk as it slices through the rotten Washington apple pie pairing of disbelief and despair.
ANTI-FLAG
20/20 VISION
Spinefarm Records International
8.5/10