When England’s The Filaments reformed in 2009 they did the punk rock community a huge favor by reinstating their brand of early ’80s UK punk, ska and street punk energy. This new album wastes no time drilling their driving, raw sounds permanently into our heads with nods to Stiff Little Fingers, Flogging Molly and Operation Ivy, and all done with a tremendous amount of sincerity and power. While an occasional calmer moment exists, drawing parallels to the almighty Leatherface, and singing range from gang vocals to tuneful yet raspy, The Filaments bring punk, reggae and hardcore into one furious, memorable package. Not only their best work, but one of the best this year.
