Posted on: December 21, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

American Steel – Destroy Their Future / 2007 Fat Wreck / 12 Tracks / http://www.americansteel.com / http://www.fatwreck.com /

American Steel has been around for a few years and “Destroy Their Future” marks the fourth full length released by the band. Individuals may think that their Fat Wreck Chords debut is their first, but they would be mistaken; this mature (in regards to arrangements and overall sound) band comes forth first on “Destroy Their Future” with “Sons of Avarice”, which is a track that ties together a Cramps sound with something more current, something more like Lucero and Against Me! than anything else. The addition of a small piece of alt-country to the mix gives “Sons of Avarice” a full sound that assaults all senses equally. 

“Dead and Gone” brings a slower, more New Romantic sound to “Destroy Their Future”. This does not mean that there is not a Dexter Holland-type of vocals present during the track, or that the band does not come forth with an incredibly catchy chorus, but the band is masters of uniting styles that would normally seem separate. The nearest comparison that I could make to American Steel’s sound during “Destroy Their Future” would have to be to late Alkaline Trio; the same unity of punk, atmospheric rock and echoing, distorted guitars is present during both of the band’s tracks. What sealed the deal for me in regards to this comparison has to be the fact that the lead singer’s vocals are more than passingly similar to Alkaline Trio’s “We’ve Had Enough”. The added years between the band’s tours on Lookout and Fat Wreck have smoothed away some of the sharp crags that were present on tracks such as “Rogue’s March”.

What results with “Destroy Their Future” is something that still has the raw emotion and energy that was present in a “Rogue’s March”, but with increasingly intricate arrangements and a better sense for what pieces fit together the best during a track and what should ultimately be avoided. The resulting “Destroy Their Future” is the band’s best set of recordings to this date, and makes me confident that they will be able to further step up their game with the albums that will be released in the years to come. American Steel is yet another standard-bearer to the emotional, angry punk rock that has previously been championed by Against Me and Latterman, and has been a genre without a heading band since AM’s lost of spirit and Latterman’s break up. Pick it up.

Top Tracks: Razorblades, Mean Streak

Rating: 7.6/10

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