ALBUM REVIEW: Defy Extinction – R.A.M.B.O.

It feels like we get more comeback records than normal ones at this point but here we go again with the return of Philadelphia hardcore punks R.A.M.B.O.. Defy Extinction is their first album since 2005’s Bring It! and it picks up largely where the band left off with a mix of reasonably melodic, intensely thrashy and supremely political hardcore from a band whose intentions are hard to miss.

As its title indicates, Defy Extinction is a tried and tested call to arms. Described as a “love letter to people and wildlife”, its 17 tracks and 32 minutes read not only as a scorching rebuke of the destruction of our planet under capitalism, but more importantly as a rallying cry to get up and do something about it. Opener River Of Birds ends with a simple gang chant of “Get to work / Save our birds” for example, while the album’s title track references polar bears and orangutans as the band declare “We must survive / We must defy / For us to survive / They must survive”.

Of course, these messages should be largely uncontroversial in our scene, however with this album arriving just days after a UN report warned that current efforts to combat climate pollution are “highly inadequate”, it remains abundantly clear that more people need to hear it. The time for subtlety is long gone, and R.A.M.B.O. have never been a particularly subtle band – just look at a track like W.W.J.D? (I Doubt Vote For Bush) from the aforementioned Bring It! for example, or cast your eye over the ludicrously wonderful artwork for this record. The band’s musical methods are just as blunt, their sound majoring heavily on a crossover aggro that’s reminiscent of the likes of AGNOSTIC FRONT and MUNICIPAL WASTE, while also enjoying the production tool-up you’d expect them to take advantage of after their years away.

All this makes for a defiant, motivational listen that sees the band run from the slower heft of fifth track Imperialist Pigs In Space – which even features some vaguely gothic synths and a CROWBAR-esque bellowed hook – to their faster more primary gear as done particularly well on a track like Love And Science 1 – a big melodic chest-pounder whose two minutes and 47 seconds make it the longest song on the record. The pace and urgency remains high throughout, however as the album goes on it does start to struggle for its listener’s attention. There’s not loads of variation here, or anything most of us won’t have heard before, and as such the record‘s 32 minutes are probably a fair chunk too long. It’s not that later tracks like Blizzard Brigade or New World Vultures leave much room for complaint, it’s just that by the time they arrive most will be more than satiated.

That said, Defy Extinction is an enjoyably riotous listen. You won’t find much originality here but that clearly isn’t its intention. The mission is to educate and motivate and it does that well enough. We’ve heard better comeback records, but we’ve also definitely heard a lot worse, so all that’s left to say is welcome back R.A.M.B.O..

Rating: 6/10

Defy Extinction is set for release on November 4th via Relapse Records.

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