Anti-Flag - The General Strike

‘The General Strike’ is the eighth studio album from punk rock veterans Anti-Flag. Packed with 12 thought-out protest anthems, this record is perhaps their most powerful offering to date.

At 27 minutes-long ‘The General Strike’ may be the shortest album this band has ever produced but it’s lined with punchy punk fury from the minute frontman Justin Sane screams, “No justice in a legal system backed by criminals,” in opener ‘Controlled Opposition’. There’s no letting up from this point as the album storms on at an unforgiving pace.

Tracks like ‘The Neoliberal Anthem’ and ‘This is The New Sound’ are evident of everything the quartet have managed to accomplish on this record.

With the band consistently channelling their political frustrations lyrically, the accessible punk-rock formula could see Anti-Flag really reach the masses with this one. Throw in a few woahs and any of these songs has the potential to get first timers singing.

At the half-way mark, lyrics like “get up your voices are needed – become the pulse of the revolution” in ‘The Ranks of The Masses Rising’ suggest there was a real motive when writing this record.

And while the album is laced with enough venom to keep existing fans happy, we defy anyone not to stamp their feet and fist pump come track nine ‘I Don’t Wanna’.

In its entirety this album is as accomplished as you’d expect but with influences ranging from striped-back folk to hardcore, it’s experimental, tight and so fast you might just miss it.