Album Review: Propagandhi – Victory Lap

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Propagandhi

Victory Lap - Epitaph Records

Propagandhi are set to release their seventh full length, Victory Lap, via Epitaph Records on the 29th September, Propagandhi have now been around for over three decades and much has changed in that time. The current political climate has continued to fuel the band, in particular the election of Donald Trump, the rise of the far right and the refugee crisis, to name but a few of the issues confronting society at the moment, meaning that Propagandhi are as ferocious and politically focused as ever. Victory Lap is also the first album to feature new guitarist Sulynn Hago, who has stepped into David Guillas shoes, although he still makes a welcome appearance on four tracks on their latest full length.

The frantic riff of the album’s title track kicks in and it’s like Propagandhi have never been away, all the focused political fury and energy that you associate and expect from them is present. There are moments of frantic punk rock in the shape of Comply / Resist and Letters To A Young Anus, but it’s when they deliver melodic hardcore classics such Cop Just Out Of Frame, Il Flagrante Delicto, Tartuffle and the album’s lead single, Failed Imagineer, that Propagandhi truly come into their own. These expected elements are balanced against the staccato blast of When All Your Fears Collide and the comparitively mellow fury of Lower Order (A Good Laugh), Call Before You Dig, Nigredo and Adventures In Zoochosis.

It’s been five years since Propagandhi‘s last album, 2012’s Failed States, and they have returned more focused and furious than ever, and given the current state of world politics this shouldn’t surprise anyone who is familiar with Propagandhi‘s back catalogue. After over three decades and seven full length releases Propagandhi have delivered a confrontational and cathartic return to form, Victory Lap delivers the band’s signature hybrid of snarling riffs, urgent rhythms, and unapologetically politically charged lyrics that is a timely and welcome return at a time when we need band’s like Propagandhi more than ever.

Victory Lap can be pre-ordered via Epitaph Records here