For Blood & Empire
Anti-Flag delivers its own State of the Union with 39 minutes of spunk rock that preaches, teaches and leaves the listener thinking that maybe if high school civics classes were this much fun we might all very well be in a better, more enlightened place. Not everyone will agree with Anti-Flag's take on world events and, frankly, even those who do might call into question how effective it is to write a three-minute song about depleted uranium. If the group’s intended audience ends up caring as much about voting as it does bobbing its head to "I’d Tell You …." And "1 Trillion Dollars," then that same audience might soon put its favorite band out of work. In fact, Anti-Flag might forever be tied to the time in which it now exists rather than transcending it and that’s perhaps the main downfall of this otherwise strong record––in 10 years it might not have the same sense of urgency or the same blend of fear and hope. But right nowFor Blood and Empireis a decent and mid-minded record that succeeds in being entertaining and energetic.--Jedd Beaudoin