Useless ID – State Is Burning

Useless ID have now been with us for more than two decades, the quartet formed in Haifa, Israel and despite two decades of touring and recording they have managed to retain two of the original members, lead vocalist and bassist Yotam Ben-Horin and lead guitarist Ishay Berger, who alongside Gideon Berger, the younger and noisier brother of their lead guitarist, on drums and Guy Carmel, rhythm guitar, make up the current line up. State Is Burning is their eighth studio album and their second for Fat Wreck Chords, State Is Burning follows on their Fat Wreck debut, 2012’s Symptoms.

State is Burning opens with Land Of Idiocracy, this is a hell of a mission statement and this bleeds into Stopwatch, it becomes clear from the outset that this is Useless ID‘s hardest hitting album to date. There’s a greater sense of urgency and anger present than on their previous albums, whilst there is a pop punk element to their music this is now firmly on the back burner and a melodic hardcore approach has taken the lead, there are even tracks on here that burn with undiluted hardcore fury.

The title track is one of the stand out tracks, and very timely given the state of politics pretty much everywhere in the world, my other personal highlight is the single that preceded this release, We Don’t Want The Airwaves, a near perfect slice of punk with more than a knowing nod to The Ramones. Let’s make no bones about this, this is Useless ID‘s best album to date. This is an album that has something for anyone who loves their punk rock, this album encompasses all the strands of our beloved genre, from old school punk rock through to hardcore all the while maintaining their trademark sound and style, albeit a more heavyweight version than we’ve previously encountered. Useless ID are a band who are clearly fuelled by global politics and the stupidity and ineptitude of those who wield power, this is not only a great album, it is one that is completely relevant to the current state of the world, the state is indeed burning and now the turmoil has a soundtrack

State Is Burning can be ordered for download and on CD, vinyl and coloured vinyl from Fat Wreck Chords here