Loggerheads

by Vincent JeffriesOn Loggerheads, an aging D.O.A. delivers its familiar anti-corporate punk via standard-issue tunes and lukewarm performances. The disc features an updated lineup that includes band figurehead Joey Keithley on vocals and guitar, Ken Jensen on drums, and bassist Brian Roy Goble. D.O.A. may have been 15 years older then the new-school punkers of the day, but with seminal records like War on 45 and Let's Wreck the Party under the bandmembers' belts, nobody was exactly questioning the relevancy of these veterans. Keithley's vocal work is as beautifully uncontrolled as ever and the material on Loggerheads draws on the same confrontational and politically charged themes. The diatribes make frequent references to America's perceived economic and cultural imperialism, a favorite Keithley subject. Loggerheads might be a musical retread, but the record has a few fresh moments (check out "I See Your Cross" and "Witch Hunt"). Unfortunately, even the better songs can't compete with that of the early to mid-'80s D.O.A. recordings.