After The Fall – “Eradication” [Album Review]

After The Fall’s newest disc Eradication rails at breakneck speed without relent: 14 tracks; 25minutes. The driving velocity is what pulls you in, but it’s the ebullient vocals and socio-political commentary which make this album a success.

From even the most superficial glance at the album art you can glean a left-wing, socialist agenda: the celebratory pink ungulates stripping from their police uniforms gets straight to the point. The politics define the punk, but the music stands out for a different reason. Sonically, this album has shades of NOFX’s vocals – with added aggression – and Propagandh’s speed, but After The Fall completely step outside of any comparisons.

Eradication pummels you, and can at times seem repetitive – it is punk, after all – but the melodic forces at play in songs such as “Throgs Neck”, “Lifer”, “Authoritarian” and “Cents Less” are active and dynamic. “Throgs Neck” takes the cake as the best song on the album, but the record as a whole is smart, ambitious, and energetic; overall, a total success, and a strong step forward for this Albany trio.

Track Listing:

01. Soldiers
02. Ruins
03. Irrational Behavior
04. Stagnation
05. Eradication
06. Throgs Neck
07. Lifer
08. Authoritarian
09. Coward
10. Cents Less
11. You Don’t Talk No Shit
12. Power Trip
13. Autonomy
14. New Scotland

Run Time: 25:03
Release Date: 10.12.2010