Best punk album in a damn long time.
921149
Josh Freese = Drummer god.  This album = pure genius.

  You can not deny it.
2194579
This 5-star album rocks. The Manges, Europe's best punk-rockers, delivers some fast and loud and hard ones in this new (2006) album. It befittingly opens with the energy-packed  "Secret Agent of East Berlin." But "Another Day" is a personal favorite. Other tracks worth singling out are  "My Rifle" "Vengeance is Mine" "Ten Shots" and "Jump the Shark."
The Italian dudes live up to their reputation--they don't compromise, I heard. Punk-Rock has a savior?

  "Il passato mi ha ingannato
  Il presente mi tormenta
  Il futuro mi spaventa."
  (themangesgodown)
3521638
Okay, let me start off by saying that I tend to utterly despise punk music.  I'm not one to pigeonhole genres, but there is a definite division of rock that can be classified at "punk," and most bands that fit that category (Blink 182, MxPx, all those Vans Warped Tour people) just annoy me to no end.
But I still like to think of myself as being musically open-minded, so I admitted to liking "Prisoner of Society" when I heard it on the radio, a while back.  Earlier tonight, I saw the CD at a bargain price, and decided to pick it up.  What the heck, I knew I was guaranteed ONE great song, at the very least.
Before I even finished listening listening through the album, I was scrambling over to Amazon.com to sing its praises.  "The Living End" came out of nowhere and surprised me.  Please do yourself a favor and eliminate any preconceptions you have about punk music - I'm sure glad that I did.  It definitely IS "punk," but what you need to realize is that it is unmistakably good MUSIC.  I'd compare the album's sound, in some ways, to the heavier tracks on "Songs For The Deaf" by Queens of the Stone Age, in terms of the overall QUALITY of the music (that's high praise, for those of you unfamiliar with QOTSA)  The Living End delivers innovative, challenging music that can really take your ear by surprise.
I've had this joke with my friends that by using "the punk riff" and a few whiny/growling/sreaming vocals, I can reconstruct any punk song ever written.  That joke dies with The Living End.
1644232
This Green Day album, while not like any before it, is still a punk classic. The trio have put together a fabulus cd that stretches the boundaries of punk. From the acoustic and moving "Good Riddance" to the funny "Prosthetic Head" the band makes their mark. My personal faves from this one include the truthful and hurtful "Nice Guys Finish Last" about how we really do; and the bitter "The Grouch" about aging not-quite so gracefully. All in all an excellent album.
3235518
I don't know when the pop-punk rock scene got so huge.  I mean, for the size it has always been, it's exploding.  Bands like Sugarcult, New Found Glory, Jimmy Eat World, Unwritten Law and Rufio are plastered everywhere in the punk scene like an ever-spreading epidemic (a good one, nonetheless).  I remember the sticker to Say It Like You Mean It said something to the tune of "if you like New Found Glory, you will love the Starting Line".  Fine by me.  Firstly: remember what people thought of Hoobastank in relation to Incubus?  Well, it's sorta similar with these guys and New Found Glory.

The first song I heard by these guys was "Leaving", and I instantly knew that there was something different to the band.  Nothing remarkably different, but a subtle hint of something new.  I guess it's the above-mediocre use of the guitars.  Singer Ken Vasoli is everything you'd expect from a pop-punk (or shall I say "emo"?) band: a hurt, vulnerable voice that reminds you of that poor, abandoned child at the orphanage.  Additionally, the lyrical themes aren't a novelty act: girls and why we like them, girls and why they hate us.  But there was something about "Leaving".  Download it and give it a listen.

The album is great, though.  The first time you listen to it, however, you may be anything but impressed.  Some songs, notably "Hello Houston" remind me too much of songs I've already heard before (on the same CD).  The song I refer to is one of the catchiest songs on the album, and one that talks about dream fulfillment and (gasp) being happy: "Given the Chance".  Despite this, the overall variety in the album is noticeable.  With the possible exception of "Saddest Girl Story", there aren't any terribly fast songs (a la New Found Glory's "Never Give Up" or Midtown's "Another Boy" and "We Bring Us Down").  The songs tend to have the same intensity, similar to Sugarcult and most of NFG's later songs.  So don't be surprised by the acoustic number "The Drama Summer", which by a slight stretch of the imagination may remind you of Dashboard Confessional (and by "slight stretch", I mean "effortless tug").

It's a great listen.  They make their progenitors proud, and will definitely be around for quite some time.  Although the innovations are few, they're still noteworthy and very, very catchy.  Pick it up, listen away.

Recommendations:  "Up & Go", "Best of Me", "Leaving", "Given the Chance", "Decisions, Decisions"
3890002
After reading all (okay, not all, that would take five hours)--most of the reviews on here, I seem to have found that a lot of people still expect AFI to be punk and they're not. This is what I hate about american society. Everyone expects everyone else to be something they're not, something that will conform to their standards.
But I digress. All in all, this has to be my favorite album. I keep collecting all of their earlier albums, but I always pull back to this one. I've had it at least a year because I remember getting it right before camp, and then I couldn't listen to it for a week :( It's because everything fits. The vocal melody and instrumentals clash ever so slightly so that you don't even realize, and it just fits so cleverly like that. Havok's vocals are absolutely amazing on this album, and one can automatically tell just how much effort they've put into this one.
It's just amazing. My mere words do not do this music justice.
~deFamine
1003637
I can honestly say that this was instantly in my top 10 punk albums after hearing this for the first time. After the second time it was in my top five. It's probably reached it's way to top three now. This is without a doubt the best dogwood album. When it comes to the overall sound of the album, it isn't anything different but trust me it's even better than before. Dogwood brings back the blistering melodic punk/hardcore energy that everyone loves. I can't really tell you which song is my favorite because the whole album is equally awesome. The only thing I can find to complain about is that I wish there were more songs on it. If you like dogwood or punk this cd is truly something you need to get.
3107624
GBH has been around the punk scene for a very long time. Their music has progressed over the years and "Perfume and Piss" is an excellant pick. I recommend this to any new punk and old.
1244600
A testament to the quality of this album is how refreshing it sounds juxtaposed with a lot of current bands on the radio that listeners claim  carry the torch of punk rock. The abrasive guitars still sound aggressive and Johnny Rotten still sounds confrontational when played alongside your friends' library of contemporary shock rock.

If you need an album that outdoes any bands your friends listen to that try to intimidate or rebel against your parents and peers, this is still it.
4477717
Arrived just on time and I love this album. One of the best old school punk bands most people have never heard of. I'm so glad I found this to replace the copy I lost many years ago.
127977
This album is truly a gem within the punk world, especially the newer punk age full of overused themes and riffs courtesy of Blink 182 and the current infestation of similar pop-punk bands.  Even though The Offspring have driven down a more poppy road in recent years, one cannot dispute the greatness of this album.  I'll admit, it took a while to really get into this album (as well as other Offspring albums) but when it all finally clicked, it was well worth it, and the true worth of this album revealed itself.  The in-your-face songs flow very well, with Dexter Holland's incredible vocals leading the charge for Noodles' guitar work combined with great bass lines and drumwork.  From the intro to the anthem-like title track, this album is full of energy that is sure to please even the most pure of punk fans.
1484846
THis album is so sick! It shows how AFI has really changed it's melodic presence in the punk sub-culture. this albumb is filled with high energy beats, and one song even throws in a little techno. as well as the high beat stuff, there is also some good slow, clean stuff to calm you down from the pumps you will get from listening to this albumb. overall, this is the best cd i have right now, and am very pleased with afi's performance.
1582544
There are not too many new bands out there today that are any good, but The Living End is an exception. Being a fan of old school punk and also hard rock, this band manages to play both styles with almost perfection. Not since Alchemist have I enjoyed an australian band this much. I'm not sure who they're influences are, but sometimes when I listen, I hear traces of the "Sex Pistols", "Sloppy Seconds", old "Van Halen", "Ted Nugent", and maybe even a little bit of "Voivod"! I really enjoy the drummer's drumming style, but the guitars and bass are also very heavy with some catchy riffs. Usually when I buy a new cd, it starts to bore me after about the 4th or 5th song, but this cd keeps me interested all the way til the end. This is probably THE best punk rock band out there right now. Forget artists like Green Day. The Living End shows no traces of pop/rock. Just a pure mix of punk and heavy rock. You won't be disappointed.
3069090
If you know punk, you already know this album. If you don't know this album, you don't truly know punk (not that this album encompasses every aspect in the world of punk music or is even the basis of it) . This foundational album is a must in any serious punk collection. If you don't like it, your idea of punk must be Avril Lavigne (fyi: SHE'S NOT EVEN REMOTELY PUNK!!!) There simply cannot be enough good things said about this work, so I won't try. Excellent writing, great energy and even socially relevant, even to this day.
144363
I must admit having discovered Jeffrey Lee Pierce and the Gun Club far too late in life; hell, I was only six when this came out, but true "punk" should never be overlooked as this band has been.
"Sex Beat", "Cool Drink Of Water Blues", and "She's Like Heroin To Me" are on constant rotation where I'm concerned, but this is high art at full throttle going downhill into oncoming traffic.  It hits as hard as any mainstream punk or metal album of the day, and as such, deserves to be heard by all who care.
2895427
There isn't anything more to add, I'm just throwing my support behind this epochal album. This, the "Crimes as forgiven by...", "Acoustic" and "Disco Before the Breakdown" EPs are essential listening for all punk fans. This album restored my faith in punk rock's ability to heal and remain relevant. These are songs for people who have lived (or are living) hand-to-mouth (or dumpster to mouth) and have ever found salvation in a basement show.
1348508
This album is punk through and through, I don't think many people would disagree with me on that.  Even though it came out in 1995, I have yet to find a punk fan that dislikes it over all these years.  Songs such as "Peaceful Day", "Perfect People", "Freebase", "Try" really bring the energy level in the room to a feverish pitch.  Pick this up if you want to hear hard,in your face punk.