D.O.A
Review by: ~ Kevin
D.O.A is one of those bands that along with Black Flag, Bad Brains, and some others, helped originate hardcore punk, they have quite a legacy that proceeds them and deserve a lot of credit for the genre they helped define. However their latest studio album is something completely different. "Talk-Action=0" is very basic, punk has progressed and been bended so much that these guys have been left in the dust. That's not to say that this will appeal to some people out there.
The entire time it felt like there was something missing while listening to this. The anger, the rage, and the attitude all seem forced. The lyrics seem to be a parody of themselves with songs like "They Hate Punk Rock" and "I Live in A Car". To quote the lyrics from the song "They Hate Punk Rock", "They hate punk rock because they think we really suck", seriously! The album also comes with covers of Bob Dylan and Dean Martin that sound like filler rather than something that was constructed to be put on record. It seems as though name alone is what this album is running off of rather than the talent that they are known for.
This is one of those albums that you need to be already be a fan of D.O.A or you are just now getting into punk to enjoy. If you like D.O.A you will get more of the same feeling of anarchy and revolution. If you are just getting into punk than its simplemindedness will help you get a small introduction to what punk is all about. If you do not have either of these qualities....well...you might just want to steer clear of this one.
Do not let this discourage you from checking out their wealth of material, especially "War on 45" if you can get a hold of it. It is just kind of sad when someone that is such a huge fan of this kind of music cracks open the CD case to wind up surprised and scarred. Let it be known that D.O.A have nothing to prove and that they have done it all with all of their years on the scene. Not all of them can be five star albums, and this is one of them.
http://www.myspace.com/doapunk
