It seems like genres tend to morph into sub-sounds of what they used to be these days. This is not the case, however, with The Casualties’ latest record, Resistance. The New York band’s ninth full-length studio album brings out a rebellious vibe that has been present in their music since its formation in the early ’90s.
On first listen there is a surprising manner, for the buildup sounds as if the music has changed from punk rock to thrash metal. This idea is quickly smashed away once the vocals kick in. Singing reveals a grittier, in-your-face attitude against any authority in this masterpiece. It would be foolish not to mention the lyrical content that comes along with such vicious vocals. The words screamed out by frontman Jorge Herrera show the intent to promote things such as anti-religion and the struggles that the angst, government-hating youth goes through. Resistance is a true album of anarchy for many reasons.
The musical aspect of the disc is aggressive. Not a moment is left for slowing down with any instrument. Ripping basslines can be found with layers of distortion as they follow their way through a very crispy sounding drum tone in every song. As per usual with any Casualties release, the guitar work is done both fittingly and tastefully.
There really is no doubt that this band has evolved in the quality of production since their early material. Everything sounds more professionally done. Some may find this characteristic unattractive for the genre but it allows the listener to have more of a chance at hearing the whole band in its entirety. If it were not for the accessibility of sound made by the recordings, this album would not be half as good as it is.
In A Word: Crisp
