Black Flag – ‘What The…’

By Tom Aylott

Let’s be honest. Trying to get heads around the Black Flag/Flag thing was difficult enough without bringing new material from one of them into it, and with the departure of vocalist Ron Reyes from the current “Black Flag” incarnation following the release of ‘What The…’, you really do have to wonder if that legacy is as untarnishable as it seemed not so many years back.

To some, the absence of Henry Rollins from either group means “it’s not really Black Flag”, but – regardless of whether you agree with that or not – “Flag” seemed to have fared a little better than “Black Flag” by not making rather large claims over the band and name, and Ginn’s side being on the receiving end of criticism for their live performances and lawsuits has certainly made it an interesting situation to look at from the outside.

Far be it of a 25 year old born in Dorset, England to comment on what Black Flag is or isn’t, but standing ‘What The…’ up to the band at their peak is no contest, and the ill-feeling around the Black Flag camp(s) at the moment just taints the release before you even hit play. It’s very hard to admit to yourself that you’re listening to a new Black Flag album at any point, and it doesn’t help that the thing is a bit all over the place regardless of the previously mentioned drama or history of the band. Some commentators have called ‘What The…’ unfocused (amongst nastier things), and it’s pretty hard not to agree with them, even though plenty of classic Black Flag elements are present and correct when you put the thing under a microscope.

One of the main problems on the record is that [Greg] Ginn’s guitar is regularly in danger of drowning out the vocals in the mix and often feels like it’s trying to run away with the songs. The album isn’t quite the complete disaster that it’s been made out to be elsewhere – you could definitely skate to a chunk of the tracks if you tried or have it on in the background without getting too agitated – but (and again excuse someone with no real right to interject on punk history for saying so) what makes ‘What The…’ such a pain to listen to is a) what’s going on with “Black Flag” around its release and b) that it doesn’t even meet the low expectations that many had of a group of legendary musicians. It’s formless and disappointing, and just satisfies the thought that the band aren’t living up to the standards historically associated with the Black Flag name.

If ‘What The…’ had been a game changer then the story of Black Flag might just have started taking a different path, but it’s not. It falls way short and ends up being a little awkward to listen to. Many more questions are raised than are answered on the record, and you’d have to feel the completion of the album title should be “What the fuck was the point of doing this?”

TOM AYLOTT

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