Album Details

• Artist: Anti-Flag
• Album: The Underground Network
• Label: Fat Wreck
• Year of Release: 2001
• ME Rating: Indie Classic
• Reviewed by: digitalbath on 2008-02-26

After changing record labels from A-F (their own private label) over to Fat Wreck Records, Anti-Flag put out their 2001 release The Underground Network. The change in labels was definitely a plus in this album for several reasons.  Their 2001 release was produced with the help of the legendary Mass Giorgini and had a much cleaner sound with the help of a bit of a larger budget.  Though Anti-Flag always stay true to their punk roots, The Underground Network definitely shows a change from purely punk, to a more mainstream accessible sound.  The lyrics tackled the same political issues as A New Kind of Army dealing with fascism and american foreign-policy.

The pace of the album is reminiscent of their last release, A New Kind of Army. Each song is played with the same fast-paced call-to-arms punk style but they've become a bit more refined.  The drums show a bit more of originality within the punk genre than they formerly did in earlier releases.   Some songs even stand out from others such as "Stars and Stripes" with it's walking bass line and unique drumming for punk-rock.

The Underground Network truly marked Anti-Flag's arrival into the limelight of mainstream sound, or just about as close as they would get which was good for them.  The more people they reach with their commanding lyrics the better for their cause.  This album is definitely a must-have in any collection be you punk addict or hardcore rocker.  Pick it up and start a revolution! 

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