2008 Woodie Awards
Anti-Flag takes on Bush and draws Blood
Caitlin Weaver
Issue date: 4/6/06 Section: Arts and Entertainment
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Released just last month, the album's politically charged punk-rock songs are against the war and all things government.
Guitarists Chris Head and Justin Sane, bass player Chris #2 and drummer Pat Thetic have created a serious-minded, left-wing release.
Lyrics such as "your invasion is a crime / your (see through) righteous explanations ... lies!!!" and songs entitled "Depleted Uranium Is a War Crime" (referring to how the U.S. military's use of the toxic heavy metal depleted uranium on the ends of bullets and shells) reveal the activist message Anti-Flag has been embracing since first starting up more than a decade ago.
Older, hardcore fans expressed disappointment with Anti-Flag when the band signed a major record label deal with RCA/Sony BMG last year, since Anti-Flag's message has always been anti-capitalist.
The band has defended itself, however, saying it wanted its music to be heard.
As if to prove a point, Anti-Flag still incorporated the anti-war movement and its sentiments against President Bush into its newest lyrics.
In a recent interview with The Beacon, Thetic described Anti-Flag and its new album as a "blend between activism and aggressive music. [It's] frustration and passion and musically creative."
He was humble in comparing For Blood and Empire to Anti-Flag's last record, 2003's The Terror State.
"This album is different in the fact [that] the sound quality is better, but the ideas are similar to the last record," Thetic said. Each record, we get a little bit better in playing our instruments, and each time, we suck a little less."
The album's liner notes are also worth mentioning because after the complete lyrics are printed, an essay is included which explains the messages in the tracks.
The song "Depleted Uranium Is a War Crime" includes spoken quotes by U.S. Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) about the toxic effects depleted uranium had on certain populations in Iraq during the first Gulf War (with some cancer rates increasing by 600 percent) and how the U.S. military continues to use it.
Other songs are followed by commentary about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the effects of advertising.
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