They're big advocates of animal rights but aren't as keen on fascists and capitalists. Many of their songs deal with these topics and you can always rely on them to combine heavy, pounding riffs with intelligent lyrics.
Their new album is no exception to this rule. The album's titled Carnyx which led me to check out what Carnyx means. Google reveals "The Celtic Carnyx, an ancient wind instrument used between 300 B.C. and 200 A.D., produced eerie, resonant sounds that echoed across battlefields. Historian Polybius noted its ability to rally Celtic warriors and instill terror in Roman soldiers who heard its haunting tones before combat." Hopefully this album has a similar effect on those huntsmen, fascists, capitalists and general wrong 'uns that the band are rallying against.
I should really be highlighting Hidden Face as the band have gone to the trouble of releasing a very classy video for it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBg91oKvOLY) but being somewhat of a contrarian, I'm going with something different. This is about how corporate power can bring about Teflon coats. You can get away with pretty much anything if you grease enough palms. It's called Nothing Sticks...
It's an apt title for a body of work which sees frontman Nath Haywire passionately share his feelings in front of an impressive wall of sonic fury. Nath vents his spleen against the usual suspects such as animal rights, pointless wars, capitalism, the police state, sweatshops etc. They're familiar topics but when you're passionate about something you don't give up giving an opinion just because people turn a blind eye. You don't accept things as they are just because it seems one person can't make a difference. As it says on the brief, spoken word, title track;
"Our individual voices together become a Mighty Roar."
The album is available in 12" pastel blue vinyl, CD, and download. Vinyl and CD come with full colour lyric booklet available from https://anthraxuk.bandcamp.com/
This track is about genocide in the Middle East and how if it was happening elsewhere it wouldn't be tolerated, it's called Elsewhere Apartheid...
Conscripted young soldiers.
Tanks and state backed bulldozers.
Dwellings torn down, Families forced away.
Settler colonies spring up in their place.
Racist policies discriminate - Deny rights in a two tier system.
Perpetrate inhumane wrongs.
Negate basic human rights
They block humanitarian supplies
Of medicines, power and food.
Doctors killed in airstrikes on hospitals.
Collective punishment of civilians.
Soldiers armed with machine guns arrest and shoot children throwing stones.
First deny people their humanity...
Can you see the similarity?
If there's 2 standards of life and ethnicity Is how you decide,
The only word to describe this system has to be apartheid.
Boycott Divestment Sanctions. Protest and targeted actions.
Like South Africa in the 80s - Until Palestine is free
Armoured Flu Unit and Grow Your Own Records have teamed up to bring us one of 2019's most powerful releases. Almost a couple of years on from their classic This Machine Kills Fascists (https://justsomepunksongs.blogspot.com/2017/12/armoured-flu-unit-this-machine-kills.html), AFU are as uncompromisingly brilliant as ever. The new record is titled Crusading Nations and is available on 10" vinyl featuring 8 banging tracks, ltd 300 press in Clear Vinyl with blue and red streaks and a hand built gatefold cover. The first 100 "come with stuff." It's also available on cd and digital download and you can find it here : https://anthraxuk.bandcamp.com/album/crusading-nations-2
The band are a "Bin kicking Anarchoi thug rock" 4 piece from Durrington and Southampton boasting a current line up of Nath Haywire (vocals), Danny Burch (bass/backing vocals), Iain Influx (guitar/backing vocals) and Saul Tarner (drums). Saul replaces Andy Morris who played drums on this release. You can get more info here : https://www.facebook.com/ArmouredFluUnitOfficial/
Crusading Nations takes no prisoners. It pummels the senses with glorious bass driven noise whilst getting you to engage your brain on topics such as police infiltration, a treason law used by the Indonesian authorities in their genocide of the indigenous inhabitants of West Papua, the indifference of the general public and drummer Andy Morris' account of recovering in hospital after a heart attack. My favourite song is the closing track, Grenfell, which despite being more considered is the most heartbreaking and anger inducing one on offer. Today though you're getting the song with the video. It's called No Compromise and this is what the band had to say about it....
Armoured Flu Unit would like to take the opportunity to dedicate the following track “No Compromise” to those who have protested the “Dakota Access Pipeline” and the Anti-fracking protestors “Frack-Free Lancashire” at the gates of Preston New Road drill site to show Cuadrilla they have no social licence to operate.
The Dakota Access Pipeline protests began in early 2016 in reaction to the approved construction of Energy Transfer Partners' Dakota Access Pipeline in the northern United States. The pipeline was projected to run from the Bakken oil fields in western North Dakota to southern Illinois, crossing beneath the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, as well as under part of Lake Oahe near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Many in the Standing Rock tribe considered the pipeline and its intended crossing of the Missouri River to constitute a threat to the region's clean water and to ancient burial grounds.
In April 2016 two events spurred the mass protests. First, a young indigenous girl named ‘Tokata Iron Eyes’ and her teenage friends organized "ReZpect Our Water" as a social media-based campaign to stop the pipeline. Second, Standing Rock Sioux elder ‘LaDonna Brave Bull Allard’ established a camp as a center for cultural preservation, spiritual resistance to the pipeline, and for the defense of native sovereignty. Showing indigenous people are still being oppressed to this day.
The Preston New Road site at Little Plumpton has been the scene of repeated protests from environmentalists who object to hydraulic fracturing - in which liquid is pumped at high pressure deep underground to fracture rock and release gas.
Monday 14 Oct 2019 celebrates “Indigenous Peoples' Day”. South Dakota officially celebrates “Native American Day” and other states have an "American Indian Day" or "American Indian Heritage Day". A holiday that celebrates the history and contributions of the indigenous people of North America and recognition of the people who were oppressed.
They aim to voice opinions against the injustice, inequality and prejudices that we're all subjected to on a daily basis. They point out that the world is full of greed, unhealthy pride, anger, resentment, lust, rape, envy, jealousy, spitefulness, dishonesty & homophobia and that these are just other words for fear. They say we must strive so that all people believe in peace if we are to evolve as a species. Focus on goals other than monetary wealth and embrace the similarities between races rather than worry about the differences. All common sense really but not a situation that many politicians, money men and militarists would benefit from.
So Armoured Flu Unit are angry and frustrated. Which means they release great music. Case in point being their second ep, This Machine Kills Fascists. https://armouredfluunit.bandcamp.com/album/this-machine-kills-fascists-digital-download With the far right crawling back out from under their rock, this song, the title track, is as relevant as ever.....
