At Peace: Propagandhi

It’s been seven years since Propagandhi’s last full length and things (gestures to genocidal conflicts, the environment, surveillance technology, billionaires, on and on) have continued on their downward spiral. This band’s been fighting against all that since their 1993 skate-punk debut, but latest album At Peace shows the tax of decades of toil. Known for their sardonic lyrics and thrash/punk classics, this batch of 13 tracks sees the band using different tools for a much crueller world. As such, At Peace may be the slowest Propagandhi album yet, but it’s also the heaviest, using mesmerizing, techy riffs that stomp along with 1970s hard rock, grunge, and doom. It’s despair for a world that was once in our grasp. “Some days I feel I’m going to die,” singer/guitarist Chris Hannah sings on the title track, “or even worse I might survive.” Apocalyptic in scope but still intent on whatever kinds of hope can be dragged into a poisoned future, Propagandhi hasn’t quit yet. At Peace is a difficult, challenging, enthralling listen from a band whose own punk anthems have come true in the worst ways.

-Justin Allec

5/5