Well, here's a great way to end the exhausting year that was 2020. Four decades after Garry Bushell coined the term 'Oi!' and compiled the classic Oi! The Album, we're treated to a large handful of modern Oi! bands spread across 20 tracks on a pair of 10” records from the Pirates Press camp.

Antagonizers ATL starts the listen with the buzzing and highly energetic “A Way Of Life,” where anthemic punk rock and gritty street punk meet in the pit. Not long after, Lion's Law recruits bouncy bass lines and intricate guitar work on the gruff and raw “Un Jour,” while Boncrusher adds plenty of melody to the rugged vocals of “Desperation.”

The highlights from the first half of the album include the tuneful and nearly pop-punk flavored “The Rebel Sound” from Armada, and 45 Adapters' “Friendship,” where gang vocals and a bristling pace are met with soaring guitars and playful bass work.

The back half of the record is just as stacked, as The Opposition contributes “Backstabber,” where harmony and buzzing guitars complement the old school punk setting. Brassknuckle Boys then offers the musically thick and vocally strong “Maryland Avenue,” and Fuerza's “Tarantula” builds into a furious rage of timeless hardcore punk where an incredible rhythm section packs a punch.  

The record exits on two noteworthy tracks: the throaty and ferocious “Viriathus” and Knock Off's “You Won't Change Us,” which finishes with a scrappy, garage punk gem that will get your toe tappin' and head bobbin'.

Undoubtedly geared towards the punk and hardcore inclined, fans of glam, pubrock, power pop, and even good old fashioned rock 'n' roll will find something to admire here, as Pirates Press showcases some fantastic working class anthems that will get you singing along, raising your fist, and maybe even make an appropriate but lewd gesture to 2020.

Rating: A

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