Surprise and disbelief have been in rather ready supply over the past few years, and not always as positive reactions to events. The emergence of Wrong War (feat. Matthias Weeks of Current, Calvary, Ottawa and others) has at least been one of the more pleasant revelations we’ve been privy to, even if the band’s furious message serves as a response to some of the era’s ugliest occurrences and ideologies. ‘Fixed Against Forever’ is their debut, and it blasts past in what feels like a heartbeat: a highly-combustible blurt of punk rock that speaks to the wirier end of 80s DC (think: Rain, Rites Of Spring and Gray Matter circa ‘Take It Back) and the earnest yet caustic power of Articles Of Faith. Each song is tight and compact yet loaded with smart little quirks, and Weeks is in such fine voice that the 20 (!!!) years since that Calvary LP dropped seem to have all but evaporated. It’s passionate political and manages to sock you in the teeth while at the same time demanding you engage your brain – no mean feat, and a potent, volatile mix that renders this early statement of intent both exciting and ferocious.
