Posted on: June 10, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

The Casualties and I have had a long history. When I first heard that individuals were into them, I decried them as mall punks. One of my buddies told me a story about how ey was at an earlier Warped Tour and saw one punk person that was passed out with a beer in eir hand. Trying to be helpful, my friend told the “passed out” person that the cops were all around and that ey need to get up. To eir surprise, the person that was unconscious was merely doing it for a photo shoot. Anyways, The Casualties’ last album (“On The Front Line”) came out, and I made sure to snake a copy to listen to. There were quite a few stand out tracks on that disc, and The Casualties made a strong 1-2 combination with “On The Front Line” and “Leaders of Today”.

However, this album (“Under Attack”) is much more solid than either of The Casualties’ previous album. The band does not let up during the entirety of their half-hour assault on their fans. While there is not the immediately sing-along choruses that were strewn throughout “On The Front Line”, The Casualties have replaced that with a harder edge that during some tracks (“In It For Life”) approaches the thrash metal of bands like Municipal Waste.

“On City Streets” is a stylistic shift for The Casualties. While it is a sing along track, the band decentralizes the band’s approach to reflect a more strung-out sound. This is tightened up after the band gets done with the introduction of the song, The one thing that has to be said about The Casualties is that they have diversified their sound since they have came out with “Die Hards”. I can’t say much more about their earlier albums, but in just this three album span, the band has really settled into their role as provider of punk for individuals that are just getting into the genre for the first time. “Under Attack” has a high amount of replay value in its 12 tracks, and The Casualties have created an album that will be played in cars and on home entertainment systems until the band can coke up with their next album. The inclusion of a harder style than in previous albums is a welcome change for the band and hopefully it is something that the band can build upon in albums to come.

Top Tracks: Under Attack, On City Streets

Rating: 6.8/10

The Casualties – Under Attack / 2006 Side One Dummy / 12 Tracks / http://www.thecasualties.net / http://www.sideonedummy.com / Reviewed 19 October 2006

[JMcQ]

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