D.O.A. — Northern Avenger

Joe "Shithead" Keithley's band are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, but the punk veterans show no signs of slowing down or mellowing out on this 12th studio album. It was produced by Jamey Koch (Copyright) and Bob Rock (Metallica, Our Lady Peace), who returns to his Vancouver punk roots. But just because there's a big name involved doesn't mean D.O.A. have changed what they do best: making politically and socially motivated music that rocks hard. "Human Bomb" kicks things off appropriately, and "Golden State," "Still A Punk" and "Last Chance" follow suit. "Poor Poor Boy" offers a surprise with a ska rhythm, keyboards, horns and lyrics about a kid growing up on the streets of Vancouver. The same instruments show up again on the reggae-based "Set Them Free." "Donnybrook" is another addition to the growing canon of hockey songs, and Keithley knows his shinny. An aggressive cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop The Rain" is thrown in for good measure to help round out an album that should appeal to anyone who still cares about what punk rock used to be.