Self-titled albums can be something of a double-edged sword (just ask Suicide Silence…) particularly when you’re jumping in twenty-five years into a career and following a significant line-up change, Zoltán Téglás having departed in 2020 after over a quarter of a century behind the mic stand. Understandably, there is always caution and concern about such an integral part of a band’s sound changing, let alone that happening this deep into their innings. Here, though, Californian punks Ignite benefit from never having been the most prolific of outfits – Ignite (Century Media) being only their sixth album overall despite the band debuting in 1994 – and the fact that their last outing, A War Against You, was not their strongest. More melodic than his predecessor, though not to the detriment of any gusto, Eli Santana (actor, guitarist for Holy Grail, Incite, ex-Huntress) is the voice of their return to competitive action some six years on, and fits in seamlessly.
Fears are assuaged from the starting gun as, speaking of gusto, ‘Anti-Complicity Anthem’ stridently kicks things off, a confident and appropriately titled statement of intent with that familiar open guitar strumming from the off tearing us into an uptempo, catchy gang chorus-fuelled romp. And the tone has been appropriately set, as Ignite flies by; a flurry of power chords, passionate vocals on the edge of falling out of tune, group and backing vocals flexing, and some big melodic hardcore tunes that maintain that vital attribute of addressing current and societal issues while still delivering musically.
This may be a rebirth album, and it may have seen a refinement soundwise, as in the production truck things are slightly more polished. This, though, is achieved without any sacrifice of heft or energy – ‘Call Off The Dogs’ has vim and vigour for days, and added to their inherent drive and spark, fuelled as always by long-serving power-up rhythm section Brett Rasmussen and Craig Anderson, Ignite have no qualms with mixing it, while keeping the elbows pumping. Throughout the course of the album, the band touch on elements of cross-over (‘This Day’), poppier punk not too far from the skool of Sum 41 (‘Anti-Complicity Anthem’), darker and more serious moments (the late album pair of ‘Enemy’ and the excellent ‘State of Wisconsin’) and others closer to the melodic core with a US punk heart in the vein of Rise Against! (‘The River’, ‘The House Is Burning’), all melodic refrains and rumbling bass, and all while referencing their own signature sound.
So, a self-titled album that avoids the pitfalls it is, and, as all eponymous releases should be, a confident confirmation of who Ignite are in 2022. To their great credit, at no point does that feeling of certainty fade… that Ignite are in the moment, very happy within their own skin, and very much in form and in your face.
Buy the album here: https://ignite.lnk.to/IgniteID
8 / 10
STEVE TOVEY