Rating: 9.5/10
Release: 18 Febrary 2022
Label: SBÄM Records

Roughneck Riot takes the classic sound of Celtic punk and lifts it to another level on the excellent, Burn it to the Ground. The band says that they recorded this album twice because they were not satisfied with it the first time. I am impressed with the results. The person who mixed this should be teaching classes to every sound engineer. The acoustic mix rides right on top of the electric mix like its floating along on the storm. It is a magnificent sounding record and all the songs have sonic surprises to be experienced. This is a loud and mostly angry album that you probably wont be playing for your sainted mother or your young children but for those of us who don’t mind the cursing it is meant to be turned up to 11. I can hear influences from bands like Rise Against and Volbeat as well as Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. The bands lyrics are spot on and the quality of the instruments is top notch. From the Banjo and mandolins that open the album on Were Still Here ,through all the angst and beauty of the tracks that follow the album is in need of repeat spins to capture all the intricacies. By the time album highlights like Cognitive dissonance and Burn it to the ground appear I didn’t think it could get better and then it did.The second half of the album is as good if not better than the first with great burners like Tired Eyes and The Reckoning along with the quieter We’ve Already Lost. This is an album that for me sounds like a contender for Punk album of the year. It takes all our anger at the establishment and the shit we live in daily and gives it a voice and then it lifts us up with an upbeat enthusiasm that we can hear playing in our brains on a loop. Get this for your St Patrick’s  day celebration and crank it up.

Tracklist

1. We_re Still Here 4:01
2. Stay Awake 3:03
3. A New Day Is Dawning 4:15
4. Dont Count Me Out 2:37
5. Lampedusa 3:33
6. Cognitive Dissonance 3:46
7. Burn it to the Ground 3:40
8. Tired Eyes 4:09
9. We_ve Already Lost 4:55
10. The Reckoning 2:49
11. No Cure for us 2:51
12. Fuck_s Sake 2:24