THE ALARM
Under Attack
EMI
· The band’s first album since 1991, marking the return of lead singer Mike Peters since being diagnosed with leukemia late last year.
It’s nothing new — formerly great ’80s band reunites in an attempt to a) rekindle the magic they had in their prime, and/or b) capitalize on their early fame to give a boost to the old piggy bank. There are very few bands that only fall into the former group and The Alarm are one of them, but there’s even more to this comeback story. Under Attack is not only the band’s first album since 1991, but also marks the return of lead singer Mike Peters after being diagnosed with leukemia last December.
But there’s more to Under Attack than a tear-jerking backstory – these Welsh punks show that they haven’t lost their chops. Many of the album’s best songs are dedicated to Peters’s illness ("Without a Fight," "Cease and Desist," "It’s Alright/It’s Okay"), but the weighty subject matter doesn’t overshadow the music. Some will scoff at the unabashedly positive lyrics, but it’s hard to knock the guy knowing that his sunny outlook comes in the face of a life-threatening disease.
There are grating moments, including a handful of songs on which The Alarm heavily channel their early-’80s touring buddies U2, but it’s not enough to spoil this impressive comeback.
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