Raging Nathans – Oppositional Defiance

‘Oppositional Defiance’ is the third full length album from Dayton, Ohio’s Raging Nathans & marks a distinct milestone in songwriting in terms of lyrics, subject matter & musicianship. While this is their first album as a four piece, the band stay true to the fast paced melodic style they are known for whilst also branching out into new territory. The drumming is tighter, there are more guitar driven songs, tone-setting leads and emotive vocal harmonies. The Nathans have always paid tribute to their predecessors and heroes of the past but carving their own path remains the band’s core mission. With this in mind, the nods to 90s label stalwarts like Lookout! & Epitaph remain in place but they have always put the punk before the pop in order to deliver a distinct and unique sound. ‘Oppositional Defiance’ demonstrates this more than ever and I can say without a hint of bias that this is the band’s best album so far.

This is the UK/Euro pressing.