Description
2021 re-issue on black vinyl
I’ve never been a crossover die-hard, though I really dig Suicidal Tendencies, Cro-Mags and some old DRI, which is the case. Still I can proudly say I just can’t get enough of this album. I also enjoyed some previous stuff, especially that “Dealing With It” masterpiece, but what we have here is their most solid album to my ears, since it involves those over the top punkish riffs which oblige you to mosh and some other mid-paced yet thrashy ones to bang your head with until it explodes. At the very start of it you can hear exactly what I mean: some ass-kicking riffage with a really decent production that introduces the album with enough variety and balls to make you love it since the very first (mindblowing) tempo change. And even more when that first riff of “Manifest Destiny” kicks in, a sheer maelstrom of violence and adrenaline unleashed. Both “Gone Too Long” and “Do The Dream” have intros that somewhat slow down that relentless feeling of aggressiveness, but maybe I’m ‘dealing with it’ in a too much perfectionist way. Lots of classic tracks: “Dead in a Ditch” reminds me of their previous shit and that’s just excellent to me. “Think for Yourself” should be considered one of their finest moments, one of those hymns (along with Carnivore’s “S.M.D” or Sepultura’s “Inner Self”) that change your whole damn life if you discover ’em during a troubled adolescence, not only for its perfect lyrics but for the top notch succession of riffs that it holds. Finally the album is closed with my DRI’s personal favourite, “Man Unkind” (even able to match “I’d Rather be Sleeping” or “Couch Slouch” in my opinion!), a catchy song with a memorable chorus to sing along during “high times”: “Man without an answer like a bird with broken wings, wrapped up in his misery, forgetting how to sing!”. Okay, they extended song lengths and therefore offered less songs. Some riffs were repeated until boredom. Some vocal lines may sound less raging than before. But still it is an incredible and really complete DRI album and, to me, the peak of their career.
Track listing:
1. All For Nothing
2. Manifest Destiny
3. Gone Too Long
4. Do The Dream
5. Shut-Up
6. Modern World
7. Think For Yourself
8. Slumlord
9. Dead In A Ditch
10. Suit And Tie Guy
11. Man Unkind