Various Artists – Black on Black: A Tribute to Black Flag / 2006 Reignition / 15 Tracks / http://www.reignition.com / Reviewed 25 March 2006

You know, I think that Black Flag is the most overrated band ever in punk rock. This is more than the Ramones and Green Day combined, yet the collection of hardcore, emocore and metal bands do a lot to restore some credibility to the Black Flag name.

Reignition throws together a number of the same bands that have been on the Guns N Roses and Smashing Pumpkins compilation that Reignition has put out in the last few years. Bands like Zao, Bleeding Through, Most Precious Blood and Give Up The Ghost all make an appearance on this disc. For those individuals that are not familiar with Black Flag, the tracks stand on their own. A number of the songs, especially those like “Spraypaint the Walls” by Remembering Never” are locked into a specific sound by the original style of the track; the legacy of a Black Flag is enough to scare bands into keeping the original style sacrosanct. “Rise Above”, done by Most Precious Blood is a perfect example where the covering band has broken free of the brain-dead hardcore of the original band and come forth with something that is interesting while still being important for the current period in music. Another of the great things about “Black on Black” is the fact that while a number of the bands on the compilation do not stick to the original style too terribly much, the amount of time that they allot to their covers closely parallels that of the original track. Thus, a number of the songs on “Black on Black” hover around the two minute mark, with weak tracks quickly being shuffled off to be replaced by those that are stronger.

Many of the tracks on this compilation do not stand out amongst the fifteen shots that Reignition gives listeners; it is only during a track like Anodyne’s “Life of Pain” that the compilation really stands up on its own merit. The majority of the tracks on “Black on Black” keep the same sound that Black Flag originally cultivated all those years ago, but updated to really make their point poignant to those individuals that currently listen to music. Black Flag may be overrated, but this should not be something that dissuades individuals from picking up this album; the compilation of different bands like “Black on Black” is enough that individuals can pick up this album and find a few bands they dig, to which those individuals can pick up the albums by those bands and properly rock out.

Top Tracks: Remembering Never “Spraypaint the Walls” , Most Precious Blood “Rise Above”

Rating: 5.5/10

[JMcQ]