DOA – War and Peace

D.O.A., Canada’s most influential punk rock band, is beginning the celebration of their 25th anniversary; and what better way to do that then release a 26 song album compiling their biggest and best hits from the past 25 years?

War and Peace, released on Joey Shithead Keithley’s own record label, Sudden Death Records, is just that album. The album starts off at the roots of the band’s history with Disco Sucks off their 1978 release, Disco Sucks 7″ EP and travels through most of the band catalog before ending the album with Mexican Holiday from their 2001 release, Win The Battle. Like many bands of the late ’70s early ’80s era, D.O.A. isn’t confined to simply one genre, they play everything from fast paced guitar driven punk rock to some reggae style songs to modern blitzkrieg songs; they touch on a wide variety of musical styles and sounds. Which really explains exactly why D.O.A. has been cited as influences from bands such as Green Day, The Red Hot Cilli Peppers, Rancid and The Offspring.

Joey Shithead’s vocals are the exact opposite of everything we see on MTV and hear on the radio. Scratchy and harsh, they aren’t always the nicest thing to listen to, but really make you believe in what he’s saying. And with all these politically motivated bands starting to make a stand lately, it’s nice to sit back and listen to one of the first politically inclined bands.

War and Peace is a great album to start off the band’s 25th anniversary. It’s a must have for any fan of D.O.A. and will be extremely useful in exposing today’s youth to one of the most prolific punk bands to ever play.