Band : Strike Anywhere
Album title : Iron Front
Label : Bridge Nine Records
Distributor : Hard Life Promotion – Suburban
Release date : 06/10/2009
Release : CD

As this is the first time I’ve had to (hear me, like as if it’s a chore…) review an album by this Richmond (VA, USA) based Melodic Hardcore act, I thought I’d give you a short (or, ass short as possible) history of this politically influenced band.

After the demise of Inquisition in 1999, its frontman Thomas Barnett lost little time in starting a new band with guitarists/ backing singers Matt Smith & Matt Sherwood (the latter replaced by Mark Miller in 2007), bassist Garth Petrie, and drummer Eric Kane…taking their name from the Inquisition song by that title. Following the 2000 release of their debut EP Chorus Of One on Red Leader Records (issued on vinyl by No Idea Records) the band signed to Jade Tree for their 2001 full-length debut Change Is A Sound. Next came a couple more EPs (2001’s Bread Or Revolution on Fat Wreck Chords an that same year’s Underground Europe: The 1999 Demos on Scene Police) before sophomore album Exit English saw the light of day in 2003. When music by the band got featured in the soundtrack of the game Tony Hawk’s Underground that same year, they got increased attention from both media and fans (Tony Hawk was to again include music by the band in his 2005 games American Wasteland and Downhill Jam) Jade Tree ended its collaoration with the band when it issued a (rarities) compilation album titled To Live In Discontent in 2005 (which also included the Chorus Of One and Bread Or Revolution EPs). SA then joined Fat Wreck Chords again to release Dead FM in June 2006. Although recording-wize the band has since remained quite silent, the band has been touring the world a couple times over on a constant rhythm…and besides playing South America (Brazil & Columbia) for the first time, the band also did a European festival tour in the Summer of 2008!

As mentioned above, the band has a political stance, which can be seen as radical left or anarchistic. Lyrics talk about police brutality, anti-capitalism, woman’s rights, animal rights (they support a vegetarian lifestyle), and globalization. They’ve contributed songs to political benefit albums 1157 Wheeler Avenue: A Memorial For Amadou Diallo (2002, Failed Experiment Records) and Rock Against Bush, Vol.1 (2004, Fat Wreck Chords), and have changed from mere political slogans on their older releases towards “more sociological ideas about why these (events) happen” with their 2006 album.

The new album is dedicated to the originators of the Anti-Fascist Movement (whose logo SA based theirs on) from the early decades of the 20th century (in fact, a lot of the material was written while the band was spending time in Europe in the three years that separate us from their previous album), and recorded/ mixed during May & June by renowned producer Brian McTernan, whom has apparently been instrumental in keeping up the constant high pace and overall anthemic feel (enhanced by the plentiful backing vocals) of the songs (2 of which you can find full-length versions of at myspace.com/strikeanywhere, alongside 5 songs off older albums). Since recording their album, the band has gone straight out on the road again with Propagandhi during Summer for dates in North America (including Canada), to headline Bridge Nine’s first official US tour including labelmates Polar Bear Club, Crime In Stereo and Ruiner throughout October and November. Following the B9 Tour, SA headed to our side of the Atlantic for a month’s worth of gigging…and what with me getting this review through this richly late, I can only téll you that they already passed our region when playing Antwerp’s Trix on Dec. 12…and a couple of gigs in Holland the days before (for the remainder of gigs still coming in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, check the MySpace page). But weep not for chances missed, SA intend to spend 2010 touring the world all over again, until (in Barnett‘s own words and to his credit) the songs of Iron Front will have evolved having been played and sung and brought into people’s lives, adapting to the listener’s personal truths and perceptions (now ain’t that nice? – no pun, what-so-ever intended).

90/100

Tony.