Fueling the Flames of Revolution
N. Ulanowski | CHicago, IL USA | 04/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Originally, other than the song "Babylon" I was pretty disappointed with this CD. Mainly because it wasn't really what I expected at all. But then the sound grew on me and I then realized just how all around fantastic this CD really was. For the most part this CD is exactly the way you'd expect it to be by seeing they're band picture on the back of the CD (don't mean to sound like a fashion p0ser but it's true). It is a perfect blend between street punk and hardcore. At times in fact you could actually more truthfully refer to it as street death metal! Which is something that obviously would come out sounding like outright noise to the majority. However, if the idea of crossing a band like The Casualties or Unseen together with one more like Agnostic Front or Madball and lyrics that fall in the name of bands like Discharge and Crass, sounds appealing to you then this CD is a must have! The only thing that I personally disagree with is the whole abolishment of government (anarchy) thing and where they blame Christianity for a lot the fascism and racist hate crimes in this country in the song "Twisted Cross".The lyrics are outright amazing (which is something I always thought since I first got this CD). These are some of the most rebellious, cynical and well punk, political lyrics around! It's all here folks. Extreme Anti-government, extreme anti-war, extreme anti-capitalism, anti-religion, anti-racism, anti-society, anti-nationalism and anti-everything that punk is against; then on the flip side, pro-revolution, pro-anarchy and pro-peace. The only thing this isn't really covered here is sexism and homophobia. Since, they are anarchists, you would expect the most common topics to be government and capitalism. However surprisingly, anti-war is much more prominent on this CD then both of those things combined. In fact, in the song "Gomer pile" they pretty much briefly cover everything they stand for with simple lyrics such as "Society - Dog Pile, ..., government - Dirt pile, military - gomer pile, ect. ect." However after all that they have a final verse with actual structure that is entirely just about the realities of war. Which is a clear implication to me that more than anything, what they stand for is anti-war!Now ok, sure there's not really much of anything here that we punks didn't already know. However, it's so rebellious and entertaining (without losing its intelligence) that I don't see how any punk wouldn't love it! Anyone who can't see how anti-war and anti-violence songs can't be "tasteless" and offensive, I strongly recommend that you check out this album! ... If you are offended by references to flag burning, government being referred to as pigs, ...or anything of that nature then look away! Because you will probably be very offended by this! Or better yet, buy this CD and hopefully have your eyes opened to the truth about war, government and the U$A.As I implied earlier, in terms of thought provocation, these guys may not compare to bands such as Crass (unless of course you're new to this type stuff). However, in terms of entertainment value, these lyrics would beat Crass by a long shot. The only exception to this would be in the song "Gomer Pile" where they make the very thought provoking statement that statement said that the reason we have toy guns, little plastic army men, other war toys and even sensationalized violence on television is so that youth will be more enthusiastic about going off to war and dying for their country. Even though I have thought about it and decided that I partially disagree with them, I still praise Total Chaos for coming up with something like that. Overall, this is a perfect CD for introducing someone to the punk movement. And without a doubt THE absolute best CD to listen to for getting pumped up before going to a riot or protest. Oi!"
Hard core punk at its finest
Dolores Mortier | RAMONA, CA USA | 05/21/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this CD for three dollars from a friend of mine and now its my favorite. If you like this I also recommend the Casualties, Filth, and the Exploited."
