Review Summary: The story never changes.
Back in the years between 1998-2000, I went through a punk rock phase. I was all about “F the Government” and “Down with the Establishment” before I realized what it was really all about. I remember some of my friends were into a band called The Casualties. I decided to give it a listen and sure enough I said to myself that it was pretty decent. As time went on, I grew up musically and decided to explore and enjoy all forms of music. So, the question is, have The Casualties grown up since Underground Army and expanded themselves a bit more on Under Attack? The answer is a flat out no. The band is still playing the same boring punk from the streets which grew old and tired about 5 years ago for them and in which The Unseen have grown way past them and play more interesting street punk. I know that punk isn’t really a form of music you can really expand on, but other bands have expanded and kept it interesting, while The Casualties stuck to what they only know.
The album kicks off with the title track "Under Attack" and right away the listener knows what they are expecting. Music for the so called forgotten and left behind. As we go through the excruciating pain of having to listen to each and every track, we finally get to the decent track "Down & Out" and it’s a miracle that the listener has gotten this far without giving up on the band already. After "In It For Life" blares through, the listener actually hears another good track. This time it is "On City Streets" which has a very good intro and we began to think that maybe the album will have a strong finish. Wrong. The last three tracks are basically what you heard in the first six tracks and it is just plain annoying now. Lyrically, we get the same old lyrics since Undeground Army although they have gotten a bit more political on Under Attack but that does not mean it helps them in any way. "Stand up and fight" and "we are the forgotten" are basically the other themes here that accompany the political theme. If you are gonna make music thats political and tries to lift people up, at least make it more interesting. The music that accompanies the lyrics is just horrible. With the exception of "Down & Out" and "On City Streets", the listener has heard it all before. The Casualties try to pummel you with the music but at the same time try to be melodic which doesn’t work for them. It’s like eating spicy hot wings and at the same time eating ice cream with cheesecake. There has to be a balance. No balance on this album whatsoever and what makes things worse is the fact that the vocals are just horrendous. There is no intrigue or a sort of spark about them. They truly peaked with Underground Army and since then, haven’t really done much.
The biggest debate about them is that if they are punk rock or if they represent punk rock. Who really cares if they are or not. What’s important is the music. And the bands fails miserably in nearly all aspects of that. The Casualties are for 14 year olds who have just gotten into punk and anyone over that age who still listens to them is beyond understanding for me (no offense to them). And in that time better punk bands have come along such as The Bronx, Das Oath, and the now dead The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower. Since that time back in 1999 when I listened to Underground Army I figured The Casualties would mature a bit more musically like I have. I was dead wrong. The Casualties are not the epitome of fashion punk as some would say, but they are the epitome of horrible punk music.
