D.O.A.

Hardcore progenitors D.O.A. never suffered from a lack of much. Simplistic, straightforward and uncompromising, their unbridled rage blended with a political awareness and primal drive to establish a powerful punk sub-genre. That said, for a good spell leading up to 2008's annihilating Northern Avenger, they had hit a wall of predictability. Maintaining the reinvigorated attack of its predecessor, Talk – Action = 0 is another engaging collection of inspired four-chord blasts mixing rousing subject matter with primal riffs and anthemic chant-alongs. The album boasts a loose, upbeat rock'n'roll foundation propelling the songs, which range from blatant observations such as "They Hate Punk Rock" and "The R.C.M.P." through opinionated shots of rage, including explosive opener "That's Why I Am An Atheist" and "Rebel Kind," to oddball half-time emotion-puller "I Live In A Car" and an amusing cover of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'." Essentially, while Talk – Action = 0 does feel slightly slower than anticipated, it's the kind of meat-and-potatoes punk rock we've come to know, love and expect from D.O.A. But once again, they've managed to spice up the recipe just enough to be enticing without fucking over our taste buds in the process. Full of talk and packed with action, this is nowhere near some of the zeroes D.O.A. have been responsible for in the past.