Album Review: Anti-Flag – American Reckoning

Pittsburgh political punk band Anti-Flag‘s new acoustic album, American Reckoning, is set to be released on Spinefarm Records on September 28th on coloured vinyl, CD and digital formats. The album completes Anti-Flag‘s American trilogy as it features acoustic versions of songs from their past two albums, 2017’s American Fall and 2015’s American Spring, as well as covers of songs that inspired them. Acoustic albums can be a lottery, the punk fury of bands like Anti-Flag doesn’t always translate to an acoustic treatment, but I can tell you that this is not the case with American Reckoning.

The Debate Is Over (If You Want It) opens American Reckoning and it immediately dispels any doubts you may have had about Anti-Flag releasing a studio acoustic album. The first seven tracks revisit songs from their last two studio albums, these are all perfectly pitched and provide a softer sound that manages to retain the defiance and fury that has become Anti-Flag‘s trademark. Added into the mix are three cover versions of song’s that influenced the band in their formative years, these are given the Anti-Flag treatment and include a stunning version of John Lennon‘s Gimme Some Truth, a poignant cover of Buffalo Springfield‘s For What It’s Worth and a rousing rendition of the Cheap Trick classic, Surrender.

This is not Anti-Flag‘s first venture into a softer acoustic sound, American Reckoning was preceded by 2015’s Live Acoustic At 11th Street Records and 2016’s Live And Acoustic In Vienna, but their latest album takes the stripped down approach of their previous acoustic releases and successfully transplants it into the studio, the addition of three diverse, unexpected and well chosen cover versions makes American Reckoning a surprisingly essential album for Anti-Flag devotees.

American Reckoning can be pre-ordered via Spinefarm Records here

Anti-Flag‘s website can be found here