"Woo!" I hear you chanting, "another Dropkicks release can only be a good thing!", right? Wrong. Although it's not all that bad, I'm not convinced it's any kind of dead cert, to be honest. Don't get me wrong, I love the Dropkick Murphys, their blast of celtic influence and pride in their Irish ancestry is great fun to be a part of, but this album just doesn't feel particularly special.

It opens in a funny way, to start with; a sad piano and bagpipes moment, almost a lamentation despite it being the beginning, and when the characteristic fast guitars and hoarse vocal talents of Al Barr break in and take over, the opening seems obsolete. There are some typical choices of song which, to be fair, do characterise the band, but they just don't feel different enough to their previous stuff to make buying the album a moment to lust after. The Warrior's Code is a repetition of feelings from everything they've done, 'The Walking Dead' a tired formula used many times before, and the only thing that seems remotely original about any of their songs is the recording technique—this album captures far better the live experience, with the vocals being somewhat rough 'n' ready (in a good way, not out of tune) and with many people singing at once in a kind of camaraderie way.

There are some highlights, however, that would encourage me to part with my cash. 'Captain Kelly's Kitchen' is a great sing-a-long tune with a feel of the ceilidh about it, people spinning round on stranger's arms and yelling the song at the top of their lungs. 'Sunshine Highway' is one that people seem to be raving about, and it does hold its own in a way that a lot of the others don't. I would imagine it's ballady chorus goes well live, too. I like the change of lead instrument in 'The Green Fields of France', a piano ballad that reveals a vocal talent beyond the usual huskiness, although it is very long, and in 'I'm Shipping up to Boston' where a banjo is introduced.

All in all, this album is good, but not as good as it could have been. I can't help wishing the Dropkicks would branch out in their music, at least a little, and give their fans something a bit new to get their teeth around. I'll still listen to this one a lot, though, and look forward to hearing more of it live, coulda been better, that's all.

Rating: 4/5 by Sophie Baker

Tracklisting

1. Your Spirit's Alive
2. The Warrior's Code
3. Captain Kelly's Kitchen
4. The Walking Dead
5. Sunshine Highway
6. Wicked Sensitive Crew
7. The Burden
8. Citizen C.I.A.
9. The Green Fields of France
10. Take It and Run
11. I'm Shipping up to Boston
12. The Auld Triangle
13. Last Letter Home
14. Tessie (Bonus Track)

Further links

Dropkick Murphys.com

Official site of the Epitaph band