‘Build a monument in marble, In your likeness, In your honour, Will the victories feel hollow, When the sun burns out, Tomorrow’ (Pyrrhic Pyrrhic)

This is the 10^th anniversary reissue of Red Dons’ classic third full-length, The Dead Hand Of Tradition.  When it landed a decade ago, its sharply crafted, darkly melodic punk was the sound of a band definitively hitting its stride.  The nimbleness of the song writing inventively braids the album with a myriad of enticing influences.  There is an ever-present shroud of post-punk melancholy, with at differing times a hardcore abrasiveness and a simmering garage rock energy, not to mention a certain sing-along pop sensibility, all of which are embraced with equal relish.

The textures this introduces, from the cleverly layered vocal harmonies to the shifting rhythmic patterns and flaring melodic flourishes, imbues their music with a thoroughly satisfying depth.  The highlights land in quick succession from the languid embrace of Remember to the surging melodicism of Pyrrhic Pyrrhic, and then from the catchily scratchy Together Apart to the fiercely  combative title track.  Yet, it is an album that works its way into your musical consciousness more as a singular, sweeping expression, such is its satisfying cohesiveness.

Meanwhile, the stridently melodic, almost crooned, cleanly enunciated vocals add another vivid dimension.  They fluently construct a narrative that explores how tradition can, if not harnessed in a positive way, be a deadening hand on our lives, reaching through from the past to shackle the future.  The Dead Hand Of Tradition has proved, at least to date, to be the Portland band’s final full-length.  However, they continue to tour regularly and have released two subsequent EPs, 2017’s Genocide and 2023’s Generations.

Want to get to know the Red Dons? Then, this is a great place to start.