Posted on: October 10, 2009 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

It took 19 years and seven albums, but The Casualties – one of the few bastions of classic, aggressive punk rock – have released their most accessible and arguably best record to date. The 14 tracks that make up We Are All We Have are still as confrontational as the band’s earlier work and will still satisfy most of the diehards, but everything from the guitars to the vocals seem that much more appealing this time around.

The title track, with its gang vocals and finger blistering guitars is among the collection’s best. Reliable themes of alienation, exploitation and war are front and center on songs like “War is Business,” Depression – Unemployment Lines” and “Apocalypse Today” and the reggae-tinged “In the Tombs”. Jorge Herrera, one of the best hardcore vocalists today, still barks his lyrics giving the songs a sense of immediacy; it just seems he has a lot more to say this time around.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Top track: “War is Business” and “We Are All We Have”

The Casualties – We Are All We Have/CD/2009/14 tracks/2009/Side One Dummy/ http://www.myspace.com/thecasualties

Leave a Comment