Class War [Bonus Tracks]

From band name and album title, one would be forgiven for expecting politically motivated street punk from the second album by Wisdom in Chains. Instead, Class War is a musically intriguing blend of hardcore, screamo and, in moments like the chopped-tape opening of "The Sound of the End," experimental punk à la the Ex or Crass. Lyrically, it's another matter entirely: protest songs like "Early Grave" and the terribly earnest "No Smiles in the Ghetto" are this half-North American/half-European outfit's main offering, although less overtly proselytizing material like the blistering hardcore of "I Don't Care" and "Killing Time" tend to be a bit more effective. Humorless radical punks with strict personal beliefs that they wish everyone else to follow as well will enjoy Class War. Normal people will find it the musical equivalent of getting lectured to while in a mosh pit. ~ Stewart Mason