So this is hardcore/ And what have you done/ Another tour over/ A new release to pawn/ And so this is hardcore/ Don't dare try to run/ The loud and the raged one/ Ah, fuck it... if you don't get the reference by now, it ain't coming.
Man, I love the lyrics to this album. Every song contains essential messages that need to be heard more now than ever. Hell, these lyrics should be taught in American public schools as opposed to the naïve moral, economic, and military superiority that is all students get these days, as addressed in "No Chance." Naturally, Disaster Strikes tackles the major Alternative Tentacles issues, like the reality of Wal-Mart jobs, the lack of thought heading into Iraq, a call for union and general strike, pose-for-something-but-do-nothing Bono musician/celebrities, and general public disingenuousness and stereotyping, bolstered by an adaptation of Langston Hughes' poem "Ballad Of Skinner Boy" and the United Mine Workers' Constitution. The validity and passion of the lyrics are never in question, but I'm not so crazy about the music. For how revolutionary their words are, their combination of bass, drums, guitar, and death growl vocals doesn't much defy the boundaries of hardcore. I know it's punk and all, but they're not really that tight either, a drawback exacerbated by Steve Austin's somewhat muddy production. DJ Molotov's bonus beat for the million-dollar montage after "Scapegoat" remains the most fulfilling musical aspect of Liberty Toast. Then again, compared to what the Warped tour passes off as punk these days, Disaster Strikes is fucking legendary.
1. The High Cost Of Happy Faces
2. Battles Lost
3. Paralyzed
4. Mission Accomplished
5. Ballad Of The Sinner Boy
6. Face In The Crowd
7. Nothing To Say
8. General Strike
9. No Chance
10. It Can't Happen Here
11. Scapegoat
More about: Disaster Strikes
