In what I believe is their 10th full length album in their nearly 20 year history as a band, “Dead Yuppies,” clearly points out that AGNOSTIC FRONT is only getting angrier and more fed up with the world they are stuck living in. As with many items in the year 2001, they don’t build bands anymore like AGNOSTIC FRONT. As opposed to when this band claimed their legacy loud and clear in the late 80s and early 90s, it seems the each passing day is a struggle for AGNOSTIC FRONT to earn the attention they deserve. The hardcore of today appears to simply be another breed. “Dead Yuppies,” is blazingly quick, painfully straight-forward, and wired to the hilt of a depressing, venousmous view of society. It’s also backed with one heck of a rhythm section that brings new meaning to the term “steamroll.” AGNOSTIC FRONT are loud, brash, and wholly competent in what they do. “I wanna know” launches this disc off, and things continue on just fine in that same manner until the song “Liberty” rolls around. Featuring a surprisingly melodic chorus, this is just a tad more accessible than expected. Fortunately, that feeling doesn’t last much longer as AF plow into near speedmetal like tendencies on the appropriately titled, “No Mercy,” and “Politician.” As their third disc for Epitaph, “Dead Yuppies,” is more in vein with “Something’s Gotta Give,” than their last output, “Riot Riot Upstart.” In fact, this is probably as close as AF has gotten to their roots in a long time, and given the updated improvement in sound quality over time, it’s a fairly thrilling release. In light of all the talk about punk and hardcore being dead, “Dead Yuppies,” only stirkes back with a flaming shot of napalm, proving that if takes middle-aged guys covered in tattoos to keep the spirit of hardcore alive, so be it.

Epitaph

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