The Casualties
“On the Front Lines”
(Side One Dummy)
The Casualties are what you’d expect from a UK punk act: channeling Stiff Little Fingers and The Buzzcocks into a quasi-political diatribe, punctuated by squalling guitars.
“On the Frontline” is about soldiers dying for no reason. “Leaders of Today” is about the same thing, and so is “Death Toll” for that matter. Oh, and “Marching Joe” and “Brainwashed”, too. While I agree that there is a serious problem regarding the allocation of troops, doesn’t nine out of fourteen tracks seem like a bit of an overkill? All set to the same beat, no less, with the same three chords playing nonstop.
We’re smart guys/gals. We get where you’re coming from; how about something new? How about a concept album where you address a different societal ill with each song? Or maybe each song is an open letter to a specific politician? Or something besides the same old same old?
