Strike Anywhere

Strike Anywhere: Exit EnglishExit English (2003)
Jade Tree Records

Reviewer Rating: 4.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: InaGreendaseBrian
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on October 3rd 2003Angry, political, raucous...melodic. A perfect continuation upon Change is a Sound, Strike Anywhere has captured the essence of everything that made their debut full-length good and magnified it tenfold. The shout-alongs raise your fist higher, the melodies nod your head more vigorously, the w.

Angry, political, raucous...melodic.

A perfect continuation upon Change is a Sound, Strike Anywhere has captured the essence of everything that made their debut full-length good and magnified it tenfold. The shout-alongs raise your fist higher, the melodies nod your head more vigorously, the working-class social commentary makes you more emotionally attached to each discourse that Thomas spits in your face. It carries an overly consistent pace that grabs you right below your shirt collar and doesn't let go until the post-qualm fade of the closing track, not letting you miss a single beat.

Speaking of which, the vocals are exploring their range even more this time around. Whether it be the gravel-induced shouts a la Kid Dynamite's Jason or the soothing yearns of Lifetime's Ari Katz, Richmond's own once again serves its sound that is actually more akin to the throwback melodic hardcore days of '90s Jersey. Thomas has really discovered his voice, and it shows. Yes, I've already said this before, but you can really hear the emotional fluidity that he tries getting across; he sounds more impassioned than Conor Oberst perusing his seventh grade diary entries, all the while managing to avoid emphasizing the 'emo' in emotional.

"Amplify" is actually more of a prologue to its following track, opening with the first of several pick slides in the album that help set the tempo throughout. Thomas trades off 'hey's with his band members, until you're reminded in its corresponding song "Blaze," that the band's theme has hardly drifted from its emphasis on appealing to the cornflower-blue tie masses; "in the people's war behind the writing on the wall / in the people's war searching spoiling for a fall."

Despite its repetitious nature, "To the World" is a patriotic hymn that starts relatively subtle with a mid-tempo beat, and gradually speeds up until pledging "allegiance to the world / nothing more, nothing less than my humanity!" The systematic approach at changing up each line combination ironically helps increase the sporadically anthemic nature of the song.

Not to be defeated by purpose, many of the songs' introductions sometimes act as direct clashes as opposed to the rest of the song, smartly luring you in until slamming your face to the mat, whereas some fit in perfectly and flow naturally. The just-over-a-minute long "Fifth Estate" one-twos you with its drum pounding and 'whoa-uh-oh's, and chugs along with its yearning yells and abrupt finish of "our own truth!" Following, "Modern Life" exemplifies beautifully the idea of differentially impounding the introduction into your head by using long chord-strikings and a turned up bass line, until after twenty seconds the pace picks up and you can't help but help out the rest of the band with their continuously backing 'whoa's.

Light feedback with the distorted guitar intro proves "Aluminum Union" isn't here to break things up, with the catchy "to wait" only keeping attention full intact. At the chorus-verse break-off in "In the Fingernails", there are abruptly-layered shouts to patch any holes of potentially slowing down. The breakdown of "'Til Days Shall Be No More" lets go of you one arthritis-riddled finger at a time, ensuring you got the message.

It is overall a more complete sound than CiaS that proves some bands aping genres created last century can not only do it well, but manipulate every little thing to upgrade it to a 21st-century polish that shines like wildfire. Strike Anywhere have lit the match and have already set it ablaze.

MP3s
"Infrared"
"To the World"

STREAM
Exit English

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

hhrules (December 18, 2008)

Another masterpiece from this Richmond, Virginia melodic hardcore band.

Stefano (September 6, 2006)

such a great follow up to one of the best records from the past ten years.

Anonymous (March 9, 2005)

Whoever the dumbass was who made fun of communism as sarcastically saying the soviet union was a "model for success" trying know something about history before you make statements like that. The only reason communism didn't work in teh soviet union was because towards the end it was no longer communism Stalin turned it into a sort of dictatorship and thats why it failed. As for China its population and ruthless leaders are problems and they probably have morons like you running around...............sorry for the history lesson but god some people don't know shit.

Anonymous (January 23, 2005)

"Yes, this world would INDEED be a better place if we had more communism. I mean, look at the Soviet Union and its corresponding nations! What a model for success!"

Dumbass you don't know a damn thing, Russian communism was based on power for the workers, but was corrupted by Joseph Stalin who turned it into a dictatorship and China's population and overwhelmingly resemblence to a dictatorship through a table of powers makes it an unstable government.

Think before you post next time.

Anonymous (June 22, 2004)

very nice melodic HC record with intelligent lyrics!

Anonymous (April 26, 2004)

This record still rules all.

Anonymous (October 10, 2003)

What are you talking about "stupid pop punk riffs??" It's called Melody, lots of "hard" punk bands use it, ie., Good Riddance, Rise Against, Strung Out, Stretch Arm Strong, etc...

good one.....these guys still cant sing...plus whats with the stupid pop punk riffs? I thought these guys were harder than that.

Anonymous (October 10, 2003)

to earlier comments, you cant have true communism, it doenst work, in one country, or a few.

Anonymous (October 10, 2003)

good one.....these guys still cant sing...plus whats with the stupid pop punk riffs? I thought these guys were harder than that.

Anonymous (October 9, 2003)

"Yeah Yeah Yeah I get the message. But this shit is lame...learm how to sing."

learn how to spell......

Anonymous (October 9, 2003)

Yeah Yeah Yeah I get the message. But this shit is lame...learm how to sing.

Anonymous (October 8, 2003)

I'm loving this album right now.

Best PW would have to be s/t with Unknown Road coming second and About Time third.
Oh yes, and I am completely aware Pennywise sucks for whoever is about to come up with that statement.

...evildeadalive

Anonymous (October 8, 2003)

Good but at this point I still like "Change is a Sound" better.

Anonymous (October 7, 2003)

yeah, nobody but me like Unknown Road

FortyMinutesWest (October 7, 2003)

"best pennywise cd in my opinion was unknown road"

I prefer About Time, S/T is a close second.

8dollarclarinetsolo (October 7, 2003)

i like this cd for sure, yet i have to wonder why "amplify" is a track at all.... its exactly the same asthe chorus of blaze, why make them 2 different tracks? i mean it doesnt even sound any different.... ?

Anonymous (October 7, 2003)

Strike Anywhere rules, I wish they would go on tour with Pennywise...

thriceequalsgod (October 6, 2003)

"Enough of this emo bullshit. These guys should give it up already."

if thats a joke, thats really funny..

Anonymous (October 6, 2003)

Enough of this emo bullshit. These guys should give it up already.

Anonymous (October 6, 2003)

i like pennywise, and i like strike anywhere and a-f, i do agree though fuck authority has to have been one the most mindless songs they've ever written

best pennywise cd in my opinion was unknown road

Anonymous (October 6, 2003)

How does Strike Anywhere "educate people on certain matters?"

NOFXPunkLTJ22 (October 6, 2003)

"Strike Anywhere is horrible. They sound just like a poor version of Pennywise. Why do bands insist on being direct ripoffs. Lets get some originality in this scene for pete sake!"

Stupid comment of the day award. It is obvious on a first listen that strike anywhere is far different from pennywise. The lyrics are different, and since when does pennywise scream? Obvious difference.

FortyMinutesWest (October 6, 2003)

Pennywise used to rarely sing about politics and sing more about personal issues, only on their last 2 albums have they really been overtly political.

Anonymous (October 6, 2003)

hence "fuck authority", catchy mindless bullshit

Anonymous (October 6, 2003)

This is a crazy cd. Fucking totally rocks and I can't say I truely disliked a single song. Just for the record, pennywise is shit. They only sing all that shit to get peoples attention and incite 13 year old kids to do stupid things, whereas bands like strike anywhere and a-f etc, educate people on certain matters.

ElVaquero (October 5, 2003)

fuck bottle rocket

dignin (October 5, 2003)

fuck thrice

thriceequalsgod (October 5, 2003)

fuck the sex pistols.

Anonymous (October 5, 2003)

theres a difference between making idiotic mindless comments about politics to get your band attention, and then making smart observations

Anonymous (October 5, 2003)

Hahahaha... I can't believe you shitheads hate the Sex Pistols for making fun of politics, but you like this crap... Just insanely funny.

-BSD

ElVaquero (October 5, 2003)

does anyone else agree that the last four songs sort of annihilate the rest of the album?

ElVaquero (October 5, 2003)

i think you guys are forgetting that this band used to be indistunguishable from good riddance. anyways... this is a fucking great record.

Anonymous (October 5, 2003)

Yeah, I just checked out The Network, that HAS to be Billie Joe. By the way, the new Strike Anywhere kicks ass.

Anonymous (October 5, 2003)

Completely off-topic, but today I picked up an album on Adeline Records from a band called The Network...I'm 100% sure it's Green Day using aliases and masks. Sounds just like Billie...