Transplants - In A Warzone (11/11/2013)
A few weeks prior to the release of Transplants latest release In A Warzone back in June (their third in 13 years), I was more than lucky to chat over the phone with vocalist Rob Aston.
During the interview, Aston stated that he believed this album to be the band’s best work. Now voluntarily beset with the task of reviewing the album, I feel bad that I can’t entirely agree with Skinhead Rob’s opinion.
This sucks both because I absolutely love the shit out of The Transplants and every band with which they are associated, but mostly because Aston was quite possibly the nicest dude I’ve ever had the chance of interviewing (and I’ve interviewed Matisyahu, for goodness sake).
That said, I far from dislike In A Warzone. On the contrary, it mostly kicks ass, and if the band’s primary goal beyond making good punk rock music was to ignite disdain for modern politics, the government, and social injustice in general, then this stalwart punk rock super-group have more than risen to the task. Nothing may top their self-titled debut from 2002, but when In A Warzone works, it comes damn close.
In a Warzone’s eponymous opening track comes out swinging. It’s a raw and volatile mission statement for the album to come. The dueling vocalists Rob Aston and Tim Armstrong helm a verse each, both rife with socially-conscious and ball-tearing despair. Call-and-return barks of the song title serve as a solid chorus, while Armstrong’s guitar, drummer Travis Barker, and new-comer bassist Kevin Bivona keep a savage D-beat rumbling throughout that would make any self-respecting Discharge fan nostalgically smile. Transplants have never been angrier - or arguably better - since Romper Stomper kicked everyone in the throat twelve long years ago.
Contrarily, See It To Believe It sounds more like a Ramones classic than a grimy thrash punk anthem. Finite observations of varying impending apocalypses and those who may have caused them are coarsely belted from Armstrong and Aston throughout. Easily one of the band’s more recognizable trademarks; the familiar combination of angry vocals and a catchy tune works pretty damn well.
Catchy, simple, and upbeat, third track Back To You is a cruisy punk rock number that’d be interchangeable on any of Transplants’ three albums. Followed by the equally chilled, and highly addictive album single Come Around. Although both decent songs, one may begin to wonder if all the relentless fuck-the-world aggression present in In A Warzone’s opening track had been left untapped for too long on the album.
Percussion-orientated Transplants fans in particular may agree that fifth track, Something’s Different, falls short of the song it could have been. This would be due to it’s omission of Travis Barker’s drum track from the pre-chorus rap bridge. What lies in place is a by-the-numbers electronic loop that any half-knowledgeable Pro Tools user could bust out in an afternoon. It stands out in the wrong way, and somewhat clams up the pace of the song, making the finished product sound contrarily unfinished. Perhaps the lack of Barker’s undeniably skillful drumming was nothing more than a hip-hop focused stylistic choice to compliment the vocal guest spots from rappers Bun B and Equipto. Whatever the cause, multiple listens to Something’s Different still left this reviewer underwhelmed.
If you’re listening to In a Warzone on vinyl, then Any Of Them is your welcoming track to Side B of the LP, and it’s an absolute winner. Mouthy, swaggering and a sure fire party starter, the song is that fun type of kick in the ear that In A Warzone was overdue delivering six tracks deep in to the album. Yelling in his unmistakable gravelly slur, Armstrong proclaims “No, I don’t give a fuck about you or any of them” in the choruses, which pack between well-constructed verses that justifiably defame an array of shitty people and things. These include vapid wall street businessman, punk rock nay-sayers, politicians, and the united states itself. A ripper song, and a huge highlight on the album.
Maintaining the aggression, the group slam through the blisteringly dark and raw Silence, and barely waver through the killer and anthemic All Over Again; one of the few North American songs from a popular group to pelt lyrics like “I’m saying fuck the cops, and I’m saying fuck the president” under an Obama leadership that I’ve heard to date. Refreshingly defiant stuff.
Guest rapper Paul Wall undertakes most of the vocal duties on It’s A Problem, a song entirely focused on the perils of substance abuse, backed by a riff that sounds like the introduction to Pulp Fiction. It’s a very grim number that may be close to the bone for some listeners, and more than certainly sucks some of the energy built by the previous couple tracks out of the album. Too grim? You, dear listeners/ readers/ homework procrastinators, be the judge.
Completely Detached borders on hardcore. It’s brutal, and evidently affected by Aston’s personal taste in music; Instagram followers of Aston will be familiar with his ever growing collection of barely known punk, thrash, hardcore, etc. vinyl. It’s a cool song that sounds closer to Aston’s other band Death March - or early Transplants for that matter – than anything you’d hear on the less aggressive Haunted Cities.
The album is rounded out in style with a hearty and speedy dose of realism with Exit The Wasteland. With lyrics like “No one in this mother fucker gets out alive”, “Nothin’ to talk about when nothing’s left”, and “Your government is fucking you, they play you for a fool. Dropping money in to terrorism, nothing in to schools”, it’s a song that forces you to be pissed off about the way the world works. It accomplishes its goal, and finishes In A Warzone echoing the anarchistic theme of the CD strongly.
Although it stumbles in parts in terms of a cohesive sound, Transplants have never bowed to convention, and In A Warzone is no exception. They nail a noise that engages a myriad of sub-culture genres, and are the epitome of an ever-shortening list of modern bands that actually don’t give a fuck about what people think. Anyone who’s a fan of the band, or any of the main Transplants trio’s other work, are usually die-hard or bust. It’s safe to say this album will more than satiate the thirst from the eight year wait between albums.
Todd Gingell
During the interview, Aston stated that he believed this album to be the band’s best work. Now voluntarily beset with the task of reviewing the album, I feel bad that I can’t entirely agree with Skinhead Rob’s opinion.
This sucks both because I absolutely love the shit out of The Transplants and every band with which they are associated, but mostly because Aston was quite possibly the nicest dude I’ve ever had the chance of interviewing (and I’ve interviewed Matisyahu, for goodness sake).
That said, I far from dislike In A Warzone. On the contrary, it mostly kicks ass, and if the band’s primary goal beyond making good punk rock music was to ignite disdain for modern politics, the government, and social injustice in general, then this stalwart punk rock super-group have more than risen to the task. Nothing may top their self-titled debut from 2002, but when In A Warzone works, it comes damn close.
In a Warzone’s eponymous opening track comes out swinging. It’s a raw and volatile mission statement for the album to come. The dueling vocalists Rob Aston and Tim Armstrong helm a verse each, both rife with socially-conscious and ball-tearing despair. Call-and-return barks of the song title serve as a solid chorus, while Armstrong’s guitar, drummer Travis Barker, and new-comer bassist Kevin Bivona keep a savage D-beat rumbling throughout that would make any self-respecting Discharge fan nostalgically smile. Transplants have never been angrier - or arguably better - since Romper Stomper kicked everyone in the throat twelve long years ago.
Contrarily, See It To Believe It sounds more like a Ramones classic than a grimy thrash punk anthem. Finite observations of varying impending apocalypses and those who may have caused them are coarsely belted from Armstrong and Aston throughout. Easily one of the band’s more recognizable trademarks; the familiar combination of angry vocals and a catchy tune works pretty damn well.
Catchy, simple, and upbeat, third track Back To You is a cruisy punk rock number that’d be interchangeable on any of Transplants’ three albums. Followed by the equally chilled, and highly addictive album single Come Around. Although both decent songs, one may begin to wonder if all the relentless fuck-the-world aggression present in In A Warzone’s opening track had been left untapped for too long on the album.
Percussion-orientated Transplants fans in particular may agree that fifth track, Something’s Different, falls short of the song it could have been. This would be due to it’s omission of Travis Barker’s drum track from the pre-chorus rap bridge. What lies in place is a by-the-numbers electronic loop that any half-knowledgeable Pro Tools user could bust out in an afternoon. It stands out in the wrong way, and somewhat clams up the pace of the song, making the finished product sound contrarily unfinished. Perhaps the lack of Barker’s undeniably skillful drumming was nothing more than a hip-hop focused stylistic choice to compliment the vocal guest spots from rappers Bun B and Equipto. Whatever the cause, multiple listens to Something’s Different still left this reviewer underwhelmed.
If you’re listening to In a Warzone on vinyl, then Any Of Them is your welcoming track to Side B of the LP, and it’s an absolute winner. Mouthy, swaggering and a sure fire party starter, the song is that fun type of kick in the ear that In A Warzone was overdue delivering six tracks deep in to the album. Yelling in his unmistakable gravelly slur, Armstrong proclaims “No, I don’t give a fuck about you or any of them” in the choruses, which pack between well-constructed verses that justifiably defame an array of shitty people and things. These include vapid wall street businessman, punk rock nay-sayers, politicians, and the united states itself. A ripper song, and a huge highlight on the album.
Maintaining the aggression, the group slam through the blisteringly dark and raw Silence, and barely waver through the killer and anthemic All Over Again; one of the few North American songs from a popular group to pelt lyrics like “I’m saying fuck the cops, and I’m saying fuck the president” under an Obama leadership that I’ve heard to date. Refreshingly defiant stuff.
Guest rapper Paul Wall undertakes most of the vocal duties on It’s A Problem, a song entirely focused on the perils of substance abuse, backed by a riff that sounds like the introduction to Pulp Fiction. It’s a very grim number that may be close to the bone for some listeners, and more than certainly sucks some of the energy built by the previous couple tracks out of the album. Too grim? You, dear listeners/ readers/ homework procrastinators, be the judge.
Completely Detached borders on hardcore. It’s brutal, and evidently affected by Aston’s personal taste in music; Instagram followers of Aston will be familiar with his ever growing collection of barely known punk, thrash, hardcore, etc. vinyl. It’s a cool song that sounds closer to Aston’s other band Death March - or early Transplants for that matter – than anything you’d hear on the less aggressive Haunted Cities.
The album is rounded out in style with a hearty and speedy dose of realism with Exit The Wasteland. With lyrics like “No one in this mother fucker gets out alive”, “Nothin’ to talk about when nothing’s left”, and “Your government is fucking you, they play you for a fool. Dropping money in to terrorism, nothing in to schools”, it’s a song that forces you to be pissed off about the way the world works. It accomplishes its goal, and finishes In A Warzone echoing the anarchistic theme of the CD strongly.
Although it stumbles in parts in terms of a cohesive sound, Transplants have never bowed to convention, and In A Warzone is no exception. They nail a noise that engages a myriad of sub-culture genres, and are the epitome of an ever-shortening list of modern bands that actually don’t give a fuck about what people think. Anyone who’s a fan of the band, or any of the main Transplants trio’s other work, are usually die-hard or bust. It’s safe to say this album will more than satiate the thirst from the eight year wait between albums.
Todd Gingell