Anti-Flag : "Lies They Tell Our Children"

These guys have been at it for thirty years , but sound as young as most of the kids out there. There is more of a pop punk feel to the opener , before bringing things down with a more urgent tension on "Modern Meta Medicine". Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage lends his voice to create a more Myspace era of hard core sound. Sometimes the more modern emo tinge that wants to bring back the 90s works and sometimes it sounds more derivative. This album is ripe with guest spots from the bands who flourished since the MYSPACE like Silverstein, Rise Against and Bad Religion. The impact of most of these is minimal so I am not going to go out of my way to pick those part. 

It is interesting to hear how the big production that now is a staple of this kind of thing is supposed to be marketing it as punk, when it lack a great deal of the organic reckless nature of what punk is about. at times if you told me this was a Poppa Roach album, I might as well believe you. with "Imperialism" they try to adopt enough Cockney swagger to convince you they are punk. Sometimes they try to sell you on this with big Green Day like anthems that have enough Americana in the melody to bring the Dropkick Murphys to mind. They continue to prove themselves as effective songwriters, but the massive production makes them sound like they are trying too hard, and often less would have been more. Some of the more dramatic elements driving these youthful anthems make them sound more relevant  in terms of what kids are listening today.  It works really well on "Shallow Grave", which might be the album's best song. 

There is almost an AC/DC feel to the riff of "Work Struggle" which is more punk than the more blink 182 like leanings of their sound. 'NVREVR" is oddly more pop punk.There  is a marginally darker mood on the last song, though the chorus are intent on being big anthems which makes it hard for them to also be dark in the way they swing for the fences. they are obviously very well aware of the current trends in punk music and could have stood to have taken a page from AFI in this regard. I will give these guys credit for adapting  to the times and give this album an 8.5, as it is well made and accomplishes what they set out to do.