Isn't it said that the seventh album is cursed?
Like the cursed seventh year?
Well, THE OFFENDERS did more or less what they had been doing since the band's inception until their seventh album. They played reggae and ska, earning themselves a loyal fan base. Beautiful old-school ska paired with reggae and lyrics that clearly leaned in the right political direction.
Perhaps that was no longer enough for the band at some point?
THE OFFENDERS have discovered punk for themselves.
This album, with its twelve songs, is not what one would expect from the band from Berlin for almost its entire length. On “Class of Nations,” there is hardly any ska and reggae left. Instead, there are punky and folk-punk pieces at mid-tempo. They remain melodic, but for the band, they are almost unusually fast. Above all, the music is unusual for the band. Out of their own musical comfort zone and into the wild world of punk rock.
The songs are still carried by Valerio's distinctive voice. The interplay between the musicians is, as has been known since the band's inception, good. It is quite astonishing how changed the band is on this album.
However, the fans seem to like it. At their year-end concert at Clash in Berlin, which has been taking place there for years and has become a nice tradition, there was no indication that the band's new style met with rejection.
So now, THE OFFENDERS are venturing into new territories. They will find fans there as well, if they don't mostly take their current fans with them. I will definitely continue to be on board.
