It takes a lot of hard work and a constant finger on the pulse of the world to try your hand at a politically charged punk band and stay relevant. Great Collapse are something of a supergroup containing ex-members of Strike Anywhere, Rise Against, Death By Stereo, Set Your Goals and Nations Afire and have managed to do just that.
‘Holy War’ is the album by the band and is a beautifully crafted effort addressing many of the important issues and injustices we currently face.
Diving in head first with an in your face opener, ‘New Abolition’ instantly sets the tone for the rest of the record with its fast paced guitars and lyrics tackling the subjects of taxes paying for wars and the investments made into the arms trade.
‘Human Target’ starts just as rapid as ‘New Abolition’ but has a more melodic approach with its slower choruses. Changing topic slightly and turning to the world of industry, lyrics such as “will we burn when the world turns cold” stick in your head as they’re delivered with a more ‘poppy’ melody.
The biggest change in tempo comes from the fifth song on the album ‘The World Between’ which although slower, is still three and a half minutes of catchy hooks and gang chants. This is more of a traditionally ‘pop-punk’ sounding song with it’s bridge that wouldn’t sound out of place on a New Found Glory record.
Following on from the slowest track on the record comes the fastest and most aggressive, opening with the chant ‘Suburban Hate’ this is a short protest song against the general corruption of the political world we live in. These themes are continued into ‘Origins Of A Species’ which again is slightly slower but lyrically doesn’t let up for even a second challenging ‘digital warfare’ and ‘government lies’.
‘The Ones Who Last’ is a song that in some aspects is easier to relate to than some of the others as it stands up to the corporate takeover of the farming industry and how this will lead to ‘the great collapse’ where money making schemes are more important than a worldwide food crisis.
As expected, based on the band’s lineup, ‘Holy War’ is a fantastic effort and each and every song is just as important as the last, both in sound and lyrical content. Each track taking on and addressing different issues with the world and our current climate its something we can all relate to in one way or another.
The album is a cleverly crafted collection of protest songs challenging some political and lifestyle choices but without being too ‘preachy’ or boring. Quite often some records or bands that try to create concept works with a political message can come across as arrogant or pompous, in turn contradicting themselves and alienating fans rather than educating them or having a positive impact within the scene.
Despite the lyrical content and general themes of this album it’s not all as heavy going as it sounds, all the songs are fast-paced punk and pop-punk anthems executed with style and finesse. ‘Holy War’ is one of those rare records where every song on the album could be released as a single because they’re all so well structured and catchy as hell.
James Davenport