After an eight year hiatus, U.S punk band Transplants have recently released their third full length recording In A Warzone.
This release saw the band move away from Atlantic Records in order to sign with Epitaph, and the result is an impressive collection of songs with a raw, junkyard punk sound dominating the majority of tracks.
The title track is a perfect introduction to the album and is exactly the kind of fast-paced, stripped down punk rock you would expect from the creative collision of Tim Armstrong of Rancid and Travis Barker of Blink 182.
“Something’s Different”, however, lives up to its name and is an unexpected right-turn into mediocreville, with the song sounding a little too much like 90s band Crazy Town.
“Any Of Them” sees Armstrong dominating the vocal track, accompanied by Barker’s trademark drumming style and intense lyrical segues from main vocalist “Skinhead Rob” Aston.
This release is very different to 2005’s Haunted Cities, but the switch to Epitaph seems to have taken Transplants back to their roots – this will be a huge relief to long-term fans who were less than impressed with the last album.
This record shows that Transplants are truly unpredictable, which is what we have come to expect from them. There are a few times when the sound is detached, but the majority of songs are engaging, and the amazing musicianship more than makes up for a few less than impressive numbers.
