Transplants: In a Warzone (CD on Epitaph Records)

Band: Transplants
Label: Epitaph Records
Title: In a Warzone

Review (1)	Release Details	Add Release	Releases (4)	Articles (0)
Cover Art (1)	Versions (0)	Edit Release	Releases List (4)	Reviews (1)
Pictures (0)			Summary (0)	Related (0)
			Jukebox (1)	List All (1)

Band:Transplants
Title:In a Warzone
Reviewed By:Adrian Huggins
Date Published:15/07/2013

Label:Epitaph Records
Format:CD
Release Year:2013
Lookup:

Being the serious music writer as I am, I am not swayed by the words and opinions of others. I am, however, also intrinsically a complete liar, and as such had read a few reviews of ‘In A Warzone’ before it landed on my own doorstep to add my two pennies worth to the fold. The consensus was, to be honest, rubbish.

As such I gingerly put the disc on my CD player in the hope that the others were wrong. After all I’m a pretty big Rancid fan, to the point where I have words penned by Tim Armstrong himself inked on my arm, (and in some bizarre coincidence the Transplants’ debut album sound-tracked the first time I went “under the needle”). I was severely hoping I wouldn’t be totally disappointed, and I wasn’t for the vast majority of on ‘In a Warzone’ .

The band, however, seem to have stripped things back to a much more straightforward punk sound as opposed to their genre-crossing previous albums. . Two songs on here that delve into hip-hop sounds come in the form of ‘It’s a Problem’ and ‘Something Different’ , the latter which could easily be as big a hit as the band’s most widely recognised song ‘Diamonds and Guns’. Its summer soul and 90’s hip-hop vibe are coupled with a swagger and feel that wouldn’t be out of place in early 90’s Manchester.

Other than those very obvious jaunts into other musical territory I find ‘In A Warzone’ a very punk rock album. It could be taken either way I suppose but a lot of the material sounds like it could sit quite easily amongst Rancid’s 2009 album ‘Let The Dominoes Fall’, which isn’t a band thing if you ask me. The title track and ‘See It to Believe It’ would give my theory some backing, while ‘Back To You’ has a hint off ‘Red Hot Moon’ from 2003’s ‘Indestructible’. Part of this Rancid-alike-sound might be down to drummer Travis Barker’s playing, which feels like it is generally quite a toned-down version of what the Blink 182 sticks man normally puts out. I actually quite like this as rather than sounding like someone from another planet you find the pleasures hidden in there, particularly around 1:59 into the opening track. These moments of utter genius just feel that extra bit special situated within the mildly refined style which helps give the band as a whole a more together sound.

All in all, I was more than pleasantly not disappointed by this. I’m not quite sure what people expect from the Transplants, but ‘In A Warzone’ sounds like a band completely at ease with themselves doing what all punks should do – playing music they dig. I’m not sure it will change the world or stand out as a classic, but I don’t think Rancid fans or Transplants fans would be disappointed by this.

Track Listing:

01) In A Warzone
02) See It To Believe It
03) Back To You
04) Come Around
05) Something's Different
06) Any Of Them
07) Silence
08) All Over Again
09) It's A Problem
10) Completely Detach
11) Gravestones And Burial Plots
12) Exit The Wasteland

First Previous Next Last

Related Links

http://thetransplants.com/
https://plus.google.com/+thetransplants/posts
https://twitter.com/TransplantsBand
https://www.facebook.com/TransplantsOfficial
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheTransplantsBand

Commenting On: In a Warzone by Transplants

Header

Comment:

Your Name

Your Location ie London, England

tick box before submitting comment

First Previous Next Last

Related Bands (edit)

Related Labels
Epitaph Records

Review Header

Much maligned but thoroughly enjoyable third album and first new release in eight years from American punk rock group the Transplants, the side project of Rancid’s Tim Armstrong

Articles A-Z
View All				A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K
L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

In a Warzone - CD
Much maligned but thoroughly enjoyable third album and first new release in eight years from American punk rock group the Transplants, the side project of Rancid’s Tim Armstrong

First Previous Next

Reviews A-Z
View All				A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K
L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z