Dead Anthems
The Rumjacks
The Rumjacks make it fairly easy to join in. Dead Anthems has the big choruses, lively folk instruments and rough-edged singing you would expect from a Celtic-punk album, but the different moods keep it from becoming one long invitation to shout. There is plenty of noise, and a useful amount of feeling behind it.
Come Hell or High Water is a strong opener. The melody is clear and the chorus arrives with purpose, giving the album an immediate sense of movement. They Kick You When You're Down keeps the pace high, while Smash Them Bottles pushes closer to direct pop-punk. These songs don't hang around waiting for you to decide whether you are involved.
Cold Like This brings in Ken Casey from Dropkick Murphys. His voice fits naturally, and the stomping rhythm gives the song a firm identity. The resemblance between the bands is obvious, although the appearance feels more like two compatible voices meeting than a borrowed stamp of approval.
The quieter stretch matters. An Irish Goodbye on St Valentine's Day and October slow the record down and let the melodies carry more of the feeling. Mike Rivkees has enough character in his delivery to make those changes work. The band don't need to keep everything at full speed to hold your attention.
Scandal adds a ska rhythm, giving the folk-punk sound another useful angle. Road Rash brings the direct attack back, and the move into Eye for an Eye works because the latter gives the story more space. These small shifts make the album feel considered without taking away its immediate appeal.
The familiar elements remain very familiar. Anyone hoping for a major departure from the Celtic-punk sound will find a well-made example of it instead. The strength is in how well the tunes and performances fit together.
Some Legends Never Die ends with a tribute to Shane MacGowan. It is a fitting close: affectionate, melodic and built to be shared. Dead Anthems is at its best when that sense of company reaches beyond the volume. It gets there often.
