Anti-Flag - A Benefit for Victims of Violent Crime
Record Label: A-F Records
Release Date: October 2, 2007
Always a band to speak publicly about social and political issues important to them, veteran punk rock group Anti-Flag have put together an EP of songs to benefit victims of violent crime. Earlier this year, bassist Chris #2's sister and her fiancée were tragically murdered, so the band took it upon themselves to put out a disc to aid those who are forced to experience the same thing. A noble cause, and fortunately, the music is well worth the price of admission.
A Benefit for Victims of Violent Crime is divided into two parts: studio songs compose the first seven tracks and live songs compose the final five. The live songs don't require that much analysis. All you need to know is they sound great and are very powerful renditions of previously released Anti-Flag tracks.
The most startling fact about the studio songs on the EP is they are all B-Sides. "Anthem for the New Millennium Generation," "Corporate Rock Still Sucks," and "Marc Defiant" were all rejected from the band's 2006 full length For Blood and Empire, but the songs are so good, you wouldn't be able to tell. Every song has the same intense level of energy you'd expect, and none of the songs are particularly poorly-written. "Anthem for the New Millennium Generation" and "Corporate Rock Still Sucks" are both on par with any of the best songs in Anti-Flag's discography, and opening track "No Paradise" could easily become a fist pumping anthem for their upcoming North American tour.
The two interludes are merely throwaway tracks, lasting a few seconds each. "John Ashcroft Was a Nazi" is simply nine seconds of an off-key rendition of the song "Let the Eagle Soar." It could have just as easily been an intro to another song, which probably means the band was just looking for an excuse to title a song "John Ashcroft Was a Nazi," so don't expect too much. They really don't even do that much to help the EP flow as a program.
All proceeds from sales go to educational bonds and The Center for Victims of Violence and Crime. Throwaway tracks aside, A Benefit for Victims of Violent Crime is an excellent release and a must-buy for all punk rock fans.
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