By Jim Rowland
If you’re a long-standing politically-charged punk band from Canada with a strong anti-fascism stance, there may well be some lyrical inspiration lurking on the other side of the border right now. Such is the case for Manitoba, Canada’s Propagandhi, back from an eight-year hiatus with their eighth studio album, ‘At Peace’.
Indeed, there’s plenty for the band to talk about right now, with the songs here penned shortly before Trump’s outlandish suggestion that Propagandhi’s home country become the US’s 51st State and capturing the anxieties and turmoil of the band’s four members, offering a powerful and poignant portrait of uncertainty.
Musically this is a tight and technical, passionate and angry fusion of punk rock, rock and metal, with the ominous, grinding, heavy and doomy ‘Guiding Lights’ kicking things off in powerful fashion. The likes of ‘No Longer Young’, ‘God Of Avarice’ and ‘Day By Day’ illustrate the strong sense of melody woven into the powerful delivery, ‘Benito’s Earlier Work’ and the anthemic ‘Cat Guy’ have heavy complexity, whilst ‘Stargazing’ has a lighter, melodic and synth-infused sound.
The fast and thrashy ‘At Peace’ and ‘Vampires Are Real’, along with the galloping ‘Prismatic Spray’ have an impressive tight, metallic sheen to them and pack a powerful punch. Indeed, whilst there is a clear punk rock fury to the album, there is an intricate, technical metal/rock quality here that at times brings to mind the likes of compatriots Voivod or even SOAD.
Powerful, passionate, precise and inventive, ‘At Peace’ is a hugely impressive return for Propagandhi.
‘At Peace’ will be released tomorrow (Friday 2 May).