Against All Authority

Notwithstanding the beefy recording and overall crispness of The Restoration of Chaos & Order, one can’t help but feel that Against All Authority are still fighting "little brother syndrome” in relation to intellectual/musical big brothers Propagandhi. The entire album is predictable in its political attack and uneventful on any sort of melodic level as the band continue to bash out their hardcore-inclined pop/punk that occasionally branches out into ska territory. It is of note that some ventures incorporate more emotive tendencies via odd dynamic shifting down to mild guitar picking and softer vocal delivery as utilised by your friendly neighbourhood emo band. But in the context of this decade-old outfit, even such a minimal alteration is unnerving, obvious and too planned to feel genuine. The majority of The Restoration of Chaos & Order does have an important agenda (as per buddies Anti-Flag), delivered with wit and aggression, so even though AAA seem to be stuck on a stylistic loop, they are good at what they do, resulting in an effort dripping with anger and passion.