Customer Reviews

Outlaw Anthems

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Blood for Blood makes me want to punch you in the face.

This album ain't pretty folks, but it pummels, slashes, beats and bludgeons just about every hardcore album you can think of released in the last 10 years. "Outlaw Anthems" is a whirlwind of stomping boots, angry guitars and urban anthems - all delivered with a furious, near-exhausting energy. Noted for inspiring riot-like conditions when they play live (especially in New England), Blood for Blood are one of the few bands that can still be labeled "dangerous" in this age of sanitized MTV-approved musical mediocrity. Rising from the ashes a once thriving Boston hardcore scene, Blood for Blood have almost single-handedly revitalized and supercharged that city's hardcore subculture. With "Outlaw Anthems" Blood for Blood delivers a musical wakeup call to the rest of the world: Hardcore is not dead! tcjournal@hotmail.com

Normally when I listen to a hardcore album I have to turn it off after 3 or 4 tracks, I'm not a big fan of the scene. But with this album the aggression and hateful lyrics keep you interested, these lads have got one hell of a chip on their shoulders ,so if you are easily offended it;s not for you. But if you like your music heavy then this is highly recommended

These guys "dont need my respect", but they got it. This is by far one of the best albums ive got in a long time. Every time i listen to it, it always gets me pumped. go buy it, or i'll punch you...punch you right in the mouth.

[Dang], this record destroys all in its path,... This is the BEST b4b record yet, it's so fulla energy. I kick ... myself for fun when i listen to it, and believe me, i usually kick... other people, not me. Buddha, Rob, and MacFarland put together a [great] last record for ya. Cheers......

This is the best hardcore album 2002! From the beginning till the end it just rocks! Hatecore at it's best. I've played this cd so many times and it's still isn't boring the hell out of me. Nuff said! Go check this one out.

Before I became a gentleman and a scholar, I lived in a decaying factory town in an Irish part of Massachusetts, just like the Blood for Blood fellows. While I now have the veneer of a civilized person through a combination of luck and determination, I carry in my heart the same class hatred, rage and feelings of hopelessness that they do. When I walk down the streets of Berkeley and am confronted by smug fools who won the lottery of life and think this makes them uniquely enlightened, the angry strains of something that sounds a lot like, "I ain't like you" or "White trash anthem" aren't far from my lips. Like someone else said in what is probably the most concise review of Blood for Blood; this record makes me want to punch you in the face. Perfect.

Blood For Blood-Outlaw Anthems ****1/2

Coming on loud, angry, and scary, Outlaw Anthems is to date, Blood For Bloods strongest albums, and most concistent. Whitetrash Rob is sick of the current state of the world and how things are. From child abuse in 'Mother Dear' to love in 'So Common So Cheap.' From the subject of class 'White Trash Anthem' Friendship in 'Love Song' to your own personal life in 'Dead End Street' have managed to make an angry album to cover every situation when you could possibly feel this way.

If hardcore punk is what your into then Blood For Blood is the band for you, and it you ever get really pissed, then Outlaw Anthems is the album for you. Sorry this review isn't more indebth but this is really a selfexplanitory album that must be heard to understand.

Great bands are those who can dare to change their sound by albums. Blood For Blood is within this category where you can notice the evolution in their music as time progresses. This album is musically divergent from their initiated sound of "Spit My Last Breath", and can be similar to Lind's other bands, Sinners and Saints and Ramallah, with regard to the catchy melody line. It might be a great venture for the band to switch the sound so much to take in the street-punk influence, given that new musical direction can possibly leave some "hardcore" fans out from favoring where the band would go.

On the other hand, there are people like me who totally welcome the new direction of Blood For Blood for accepting more street punk, Oi! influences into their blutal guitar works. They nicely did in mixing Oi! and hardcore at their last effort of "Livin' In Exile" and it turned out to be one of the anthems for punk/hardcore audiences. As Livin' In Exile, along with a few songs from that period (e.g., "When the Storm Comes/Goin' Down the Bar" session) indicates, Blood For Blood was going to establish own musical realm paralleling the toughest hardcore elements with the harmonious parts of rock n' roll, while still maintaining true-to-life lyrics to speak to.

Then, this album "Outlaw Anthems" was the completation of their efforts in representing the middle ground among hardcore, street punk, and even rock n' roll. Also, Mr.Lind seems to appear more in vocal parts than does for previous albums, which actually provides the band with more lightness. I like his vocal presence because of the clearness. His talented singing was actually demonstrated by the Sinners and Saints CD, which I think is one of the underrated albums of all times in the realm of a pure rock n' roll. Anyway, this album offers you the continous clear drums, great back-up singing, the catchy chorus, the conventional BFB aggressive guitar riffs, and even the Bruisers' cover and the remake of their old song (more clear/speedy version).

Overall, this album demonstrates the apex of their songwriting, later culminating further at Serenity. Despite lyrics being sometimes aggressive, their music in "Outlaw Anthems" can be readily accessible to all rock fans. Also recommended are Blood For Blood's "Livin' In Exile" and Sinners and Saints' "The Sky Is Falling," and Far From Finished's "East Side of Nowhere." Cheers to Blood For Blood for making great music!

I've had this disc for two years and it's still one of my all time favs. The combo of lyrics, vocals, and music is hardcore perfection- you can't get anything better than this. B4B is musically alot more complicated than the average hardcore band- they harmonize their vocals, play with tempo, and add a fullness that lacks in most other hardcore out there today. The entire cd is full of floor-punching goodness, but BLOODSHED is the ultimate perfect hardcore song- it's stompy, aggressive, and has awesome breakdowns and tempo changes. Like the shirt says "I went to a riot, and a Blood For Blood show broke out". Buy it and change your life!