Album History
By the time My War came out, the band was just get over some court troubles. This band went through tough times and they could not release anything until the court troubles are settled. Their previous release Damaged is considered a punk and hardcore classic, which it is. The thing about My War is that some poeple don't give the album enough respect. You can defiantly tell the band is changing their direction. My War is the last great Black Flag album I think (Slip it In had some good songs though). To me this is a classic punk album. This is not my favorite Black Flag album (Mine is First Four Years, comp) but it still is overall a great album.It has a bit more genre mixing then their previous releases. It has a bit more of a metal feel to it.
The album was released on
SST records.
Track list :
1. My War 3:45 (Chuck Dukowski)
2. Can't Decide 5:20 (Ginn)
3. Beat My Head Against the Wall 2:32 (Ginn)
4. I Love You 3:26 (Dukowski)
5. Forever Time 2:29 (Ginn/Rollins)
6. The Swinging Man 3:02 (Ginn/Rollins)
7. Nothing Left Inside 6:32 (Ginn/Rollins)
8. Three Nights 6:12 (Ginn/Rollins)
9. Scream 6:48 (Ginn)
The members at the time of this album are:
Henry Rollins - vocals
Greg Ginn - guitar
Dale Nixon - bass (Greg Ginn)
Bill Stevenson - drums
Greg Ginn used the "Code name" Dale Nixion on this album as the bass player. Bill Stevenson is the Descendents drummer, who also drummed for Black Flag. At this point Rollins had been in the band for 3 years. He is Black Flag's 4th singer. The others were Kieth Morris, Ron Reyes, and Dez Cadena. This album fits Rollins great. On the previous releases Henry had notihng to do with the writing, he just got up there and sang the songs. On this release Rollins had more participation with writing and I think that adds to the album.
Review
The album starts off with the title track My war. The song is excellent and features a very nice instrumental at the start. The bass, guitar, and drums are all great on it. Once the vocals come in you know it's great. Henry Rollins vocals on it are very pissed off, and he's ready to give it to you. Great start to the album. Track 2 is the song Can't Decide. It has the a catchy chourus. At this point of the album, it sounds somewhat similiar to Damaged. The next song that comes up is my 2nd favorite on the album. Beat My Head Against the Wall is an amazing song. The anti-mainstream lyrics are really good.
Quote:
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Swimming in the main stream is such a lame dream
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The 4th song on the album is I Love You. Well, I love this song. It has great riffs in it, and I like how it's different from a lot of Black Flag songs. This is the end of the classic tracks on the album. It does start going downhill after I Love You. Forever Time is a decent song, and Swinging Man to me is a great song, not the best on the album but it is very interesting. I like the instruments in it. The last three tracks are in the 6 miniute zone and they lose my intrest pretty quickly. They may appeal to more metal fans. This is why I love the original Black Flag. Short 2 minuite songs that get to the point. So yes the last tracks are boring, but overall the album is great.
Pros:
A change for Black Flag musical wise
Bill Stevenson on drums
Rollins has more emotion in vocals
Title Track
1st half of album
Cons:
Start of the downfall for Black Flag
Last three songs
No Chuck Dukowski on bass
2nd half of album doesn't compare to first album.
Recommended Tracks:
My War
I Love You
Beat My Head Against the Wall
Can't Decide
The Swinging Man
Conclusion:
Get this album if you are a fan of Punk, Hardcore, or a Black Flag fan. It's a great piece of work from one of the hardest working bands ever. If you enjoyed Damaged give this album a try, it has Rollins and a similiar sound. To me this is the downfall of Black Flag. In the sense that the group as friends started to drift apart and they drifted away from thier originial sound which made them so great.
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Keep on Rocking
