A Benefit for Victims of Violent Crime

by Corey AparPersonal tragedy struck the Anti-Flag family in early 2007 when bassist Chris #2's sister was senselessly murdered alongside her boyfriend. As part of the grieving process, the band did what most musicians would do -- they turned to music. The group put together this benefit EP -- comprised of five new songs and five live tracks that were recorded in Anti-Flag's hometown of Pittsburgh -- with all proceeds going to the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime, an organization that assists families dealing with their own tragic losses of loved ones. However, despite the motivation behind the actual release, don't expect anything to be fueling this set except the same anti-establishment, vitriolic spit as always. It's mostly all surging choruses, stinging guitar lines, and machine-gun drumming to propel disenchanted talk of there being "No Paradise" and "No Future," while incendiary rallying cries, as in the defiant singalong "Anthem for the New Millennium Generation," implore people to stand up, fight, and not just blindly consent to orders. Anti-Flag top off A Benefit for Victims of Violent Crime with a handful of live cuts, giving fans a bit more bang for the buck and adding up to a pretty solid set overall. In the end, it's a benefit album one can actually enjoy outside of simply knowing a worthy cause is being helped out. And that makes it worthwhile for everyone.