I've never been a fan of Blood for Blood, in fact, they were my favorite band to make jokes about for quite some time. My friends and I used to pass time at work by making fun of bands we didn't like, and Blood for Blood usually somehow ended up being involved. I couldn't tell you honestly how many times we jokingly recited the intro to the song "Livin' In Exile" with bad, fake accents(no offense to anyone from Boston, of course). The fact that Rob Lind(vocalist,guitarist) of BFB was starting work on a solo project was met with a yawn and smirk from me. But since this was sent my way to be reviewed, I did my best to forget about Rob's past projects and focus on what Ramallah would have to offer.

I'm really glad I put all of that aside after listening to this disc, because it rocks, plain and simple. Rob does everything on here(keys,bass,guitar,vocals)except drumming and the occasional scream from the always awesome Jake Bannon(Converge). What we have her eis some Sick of it All, some Death Threat, and Rob's own personal flavor mixing together into something that ends up being very enjoyable.

Rob has alot to say about terrorism and the Middle East in general, and he isn't afraid to be totally straight forward about it either. In the first real song on the CD, "Ramallah" Rob says "we laughed and quipped about a revolution, now it's coming, at the point of a gun, and a suicide bomb" all too true, and it seems we're falling into the same stagnation as before. Which brings me to the second track, "Sleep" which is about how we'd rather be led blind than contemplate the horrors of the world around us. "The truth's in front of you, the truth's in front of me, the blood is on the wall, but we'd prefer to sleep" the lyrics read, harsh, but honest. That's the general theme here, our own inaction will be the death of us. The repeated line of "This is the end" throughout the CD is definitely not lost on the listener. Aside from the Middle East, this CD also touches on feeling guilt about simply being human and having imperfections on the song "Beauty" and child abuse and it's devastating effects on the lives of the victims in the song "True Crime". "True Crime" stands out from the rest of the songs in that it's an accoustic track with Rob simply singing. It may sound cheesey, but trust me, it works. While it might not be the best accoustic track ever, it certainly is good enough to warrant a listen.

If you've been avoiding this because you didn't like Blood for Blood(guilty as charged), then atleast give this a shot, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. You don't have to read Noam Chomsky to get these lyrics, because they're simply stated, and although the brutal honesty might make you turn away, I urge you not to, otherwise you'd be missing one hell of an album. I commend Rob Lind for proving me wrong and putting together some excellent songs. Pick this up.

Ramallah MP3