Guilty As Charged - Cock Sparrer

Advantages: A number of excellent tracks, better than the bands previous albums.
Disadvantages: Hardcore haters stay well away.

...track provides quite a change in direction, mainly because it is in fact a cover of the classic Cock Sparrer track 'England Belongs To Me'. It's nowhere near as impressive as the original, it's still quite an interesting track however and the decision here to rename it 'Boston Belongs To Me' is vaguely amusing. Cock Sparrer purists may not appreciate the track too much, I however see its inclusion as quite an excellent way to end this 'Count Me In' album. Death Before Dishonor growl through this cover, it's a lot lighter than the rest of the album however and I feel that this track winds the album down nicely. Death Before Dishonor is an excellent hardcore band, with this album the band has really impressed me and entirely changed my opinion of the music. What I once perceived to be a generic and creatively lacking band has here shown... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great sing-along tracks and memorable melodies
Disadvantages: Standard Few Weak Tracks

...The Dropkick Murphys are a band that combines the sound of Irish Folk music with punk rock. Listening to the music you can hear how the band has been influenced by the likes of the Pogues, Cock Sparrer and the Clash. The end result is a unique style of punk that in itself has influenced other American-Irish Punk bands. The bands lyrics are heavily influenced towards their Boston, American, Irish and working class roots. In 2001 the Dropkick Murphy's (DKM) released Sing Loud, Sing Proud an album filled full of rowdy, drunken sing-alongs and a few sentimental pieces that reflect on friends and family. The line-up of DKM is: Al Barr (Lead Vocals) Ken Casey (Vocals, Bass) Matt Kelly (Drums, Vocals) James Lynch (Guitar, Vocals) Marc Orrell (Guitar, Piano, Vocals) Tim Brennan (Accordion, Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals) Spicy Mc Haggis... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Some good versions of traditional tracks, excellent fast pace
Disadvantages: Won't be to everyones tastes

...and in the same way that House Of Pain brought the Irish influence into the world of Rap music, the Murphys seem to be doing to the punk world. This album was actually produced by the band and recorded in their hometown of Boston. With Ken Casey taking the lead role in the production stakes he seems to have got the bands sound to be exactly what they are looking for. As well as including a number of original tracks on this album they have also include covers of traditional tracks “Rocky Road To Dublin” and “Wild Rover” and a rendition of the Boston College anthem “For Boston”. There are also guest appearances on vocals from Cock Sparrer’s Colin McFaull and The Pogues Shane McGowan, which gave the band a chance to work with one of their main influences. While the musical element of the album isn’t exactly crisp I think it actually adds to the appeal... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful