To help hammer home their message of resistance, reformation and reversal, the band are joined by no less than eight friends including Killswitch Engage’s Jesse Leach, Silverstein’s Shane Told, Bad Cop/Bad Cop’s Stacy Dee, Pinkshift’s Ashrita Kumar, Bad Religion’s Brian Baker and Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath. And believe us when we say that every song is delivered with such searing defiance, it makes Guy Fawkes look like some sort of bootlicker.
Victory Or Death’s cry of ‘When the world starts burning ring the bell / We can say we were there when it fell / We gave ’em hell! Gave ’em hell! Gave ’em hell!’ is just dying to be roared along to at a festival this summer. Imperialism (the song, not the policy) is as righteous as it is infectious, while Work & Struggle is tantamount to a call to arms for the working classes.
Lies They Tell Our Children is a truly great and timely album from a band who continue to fearlessly, articulately and aggressively address the issues of the here and now. Put simply, Anti-Flag have never been more essential, on point or outright pissed off.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Bad Religion, Rise Against, Green Day
Lies They Tell Our Children is released on January 6 via Spinefarm