Propagandhi - Failed States

By: Dick Richardson

Dick's True SYFFAL Story: last week I bought a $150 of groceries from the local warehouse shopping center corporation known for providing us red-blooded Americans with jars of peanut butter the size of my head. You know, THAT one. Days later, I attempted to get my cereal on and realized that the milk I vividly recalled purchasing was missing entirely from my fridge. In fact, I couldn't even remember placing it in the fridgerator whatsoever. Flash forward to this morning when I hopped in my car and immediately cringe-gagged after smelling what appeared to be a fucking Yoplait IED that went off. MILK MYSTERY SOLVED - IT WAS IN THE TRUNK THE WHOLE TIME.

With this vital anecdote out of the way, I'd like to draw a correlation between how most bands for me these days can be likened to a gallon of milk. Things start off kinda fresh and good, but eventually turn rank and unpalatable when kept around for an extended period of time. Propagandhi, on the other hand, is more like a handful of delicious grapes. They began their career as a punk-oriented band which was easily consumed by my teenage self. As the years went on, maturation and evolution took place, thus yielding an extraordinarily complex and flavorful crossover-prog-thrash beast which took me some time to develop a proper taste for, much like a fine wine.

What is awesome about Failed States as an album is that it isn't afraid to slow the tempo for a bit and introduce melody from time to time. More importantly, when it does so, it isn't some jolting transition done for completely masturbatory reasons, either (I only emphasize this because a lot of younger "progressive" metal bands seem to love pulling this sorta thang). In terms of technicality, Failed States also illustrates the most proficient instrumentation to from Propagandhi yet. The songwriting comes off as extremely mature and well-thought without sacrificing any ass-kicking value. Those already familiar with the intelligent, politically-charged lyricism synonymous with Propagandhi aren't really in for any surprises, either. For a bunch of thrash-obsessed, goofy Canadians, this album is both extremely well-rounded and well-thought. Honestly, where else these days are you going to hear a perfect amalgamation of punk, hardcore, and thrash wrapped seamlessly into a single package and polished to perfection?

Conclusion: this album very well could be Propagandhi's best yet. I absolutely cannot wait to see these guys tour. Don't leave milk in your car for a week.