Dropkick Murphys "The Meanest Of Times"

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 29th, 2007 by George Koroneos

Dropkick Murphys
The Meanest Of Times
Born & Bred Records

For many bands, maturity and progression are the kiss of death. Change a tiny bit and fans yell sell out. But the The Dropkick Murphys (and maybe the Bouncing Souls), seem to be the exception to the rule. Listen to every record from the second one down, and no two sound alike. The riotous topics, and whiskey-drenched brogue via Boston singalongs are still there, but the band has matured, expanded, and continue to release epic albums that constantly top each other.

“The Meanest Of Times” is their best album to date. The band have stopped switch hitting between Irish folk tunes and punk anthems and have fused the two into an infectious signature style that stomps down all their contemporaries and the “me too” bands that think singing with a Boston accent makes you tough.

“Fairmount Hill” is a sweeping slow-tempo masterpiece that builds on every sound the band has ever dabbled in. It’s a drunken poem that builds and builds until the listener is as tired as the narrator. The punk rock on the record hits it’s pinnacle with “Tomorrow’s Industry,” a mile-a-minute adrenaline rush that is vintage Epitaph punk but with searing guitar leads and a vocal roar that recalls Dicky Barrett on the Bosstone’s classic “Last Dead Mouse.” Finally, “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya,” is a fantastic re-styling of the classic “English Civil War,” that sends shivers up the spine.

With “The Meanest Of Times” The Dropkick Murphys have struck gold. The record is flawless from beginning to end, and should be a must for anyone that loves rock ‘n’ roll, and dreams of days gone by when rock had balls. I can’t wait to hear this stuff live.

The Dropkick Murphys will be playing the Roseland Ballroom in NYC on September 15.

Doesn’t Rock l Kinda Rocks l Rocks l Really Rocks

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