Anti-Flag是来自美国钢铁基地匹兹堡的一支朋克乐队。这支乐队有着超级激进的政治态度和无穷无尽的年青能量。但与一般的校园朋克乐队不同，他们很少把荷尔蒙撒在无头无脑的青春爱情上，而是把愤怒矛头指向虚伪可恶的美国政府、贪婪奸诈的资产阶级和野蛮自大的“警察大爷”。我们确实应该给那些敢于说真话，并且身体力行自己理想的朋克以敬意。 Anti-Flag尖锐、诚实、果敢和富有献身精神。 Anti-Flag是真正的革命无产者，他们的唱片销量不到GREEN DAY的零头 但这唯一的零头收入却被他们用来成立自己的唱片公司，帮助那些比他们更地下的当地乐队出唱片。在家乡匹兹堡，他们的演出密密麻麻进行着，这些贴钱行为的目的只有一个——让更多的人从他们的音乐中认清社会的真相。 Anti-Flag另一个穷酸的证据是——在他们外地巡演时，解决衣食住行吃喝拉撒的是一辆破旧的大蓬车。无疑他们是真正为音乐献身的理想主义者。 1993年，出于对美国国家主义、民族主义、政府法西斯行为和宗教组织的憎恨，当时都还未成年的Anti-Flag成员们走到了一起。 1996年乐队首张专籍《Die For Your Goverment》问世，这张对政府、富人、警察毫不留情的专辑是一张让社会主流人士泛尽胃酸的唱片。此后，他们的每一张专辑都保持了相当的批判力度。当然，随着乐队成员的不断成熟，作品的抒情性与建设性的比重也相应地有所增加。 大事记1993年，出于对美国国家主义、民族主义、政府法西斯行为和宗教组织的憎恨，当时都还未成年的Anti-Flag成员们走到了一起。 1996年乐队首张专籍《Die For Your Goverment》问世，这张对政府、富人、警察毫不留情的专辑是一张让社会主流人士泛尽胃酸的唱片。此后，他们的每一张专辑都保持了相当的批判力度。当然，随着乐队成员的不断成熟，作品的抒情性与建设性的比重也相应地有所增加。 MANIFESTO： 就在这次伊拉克战争爆发的时候，乐队在他们的网站上放置了反战宣言，这篇宣言就是乐队赤诚良心的最好证明—— “……布什政府给了每个人怎样去诽谤、恐吓、牺牲那些没有自卫能力的人民的暴力教科书……这是一场违法的、不合理的、淫荡的战争，它是一场自大的、为了贪欲和石油的战争……我们希望你能加入到任何一个反战组织中，去抗议、去上访、去请愿，去力所能及地为伊拉克人民做点事情……” 以上这段话来自于一个美国乐队的网站，他们在伊拉克战争时期写下了这篇向白宫宣战的檄文；他们没有帅气的外型，只有激进的政治立场，他们出于对美国大国沙文主义、民族主义、政府法西斯行为和宗教组织的憎恨而走到了一起；他们的歌词中没有关于男欢女爱的内容，只有一句句犀利无比的批判宣言，他们的怒火直接对准了美国政府；他们的唱片销量达不到Green Day的零头，但他们却用自己的积蓄创立了一个纯粹的Punk厂牌A-F Records，并极力扶持着那些与他们一样都怀着满腔冲劲的乐队……没错，他们就是Anti-Flag，这群每次发新唱片都能让美国白宫里的政客闻风丧胆的家伙们又杀回来了，并带着他们在主流大厂发表的首张专辑《For Blood And Empire》。在听这张专辑之前，首先让我们忽略掉Anti-Flag自2005年起就从Punk独立厂牌Fat Wreck Chords跳到Sony/BMG旗下的背景，也不要轻信那些批判Anti-Flag变得“太过商业化”的论调。当我们把唱片公司的交易和极端乐迷的言论放到一边，仔细聆听《For Blood And Empire》这张专辑的时候，它是否如同Anti-Flag以往发表过的6张专辑那样，依旧通过音乐传递着他们对当今社会的种种不满呢？答案是肯定的。Anti-Flag仍然是那支来自钢铁重镇匹兹堡的政治朋克乐队，而《For Blood And Empire》里的13首作品除了继续保持着Anti-Flag最勇猛的音乐取向以外，他们也大胆地吸纳了不少旋律化的元素。像《The Press Corpse》和《1 Trillion Dollar$》这样的作品就不但有着好听的旋律，甚至连主唱Justin Sane的唱腔都不那么愤怒了。难怪有的评论里会将这张专辑称作是“Anti-Flag自组建以来最好听的唱片”。这与他们签约主流厂牌不无关系，尽管像 Sony/BMG这样的公司他们关心的向来都仅仅是钞票，但他们也都绝不是傻子，签下Anti-Flag这样一个政治上的“刺头”，他们自然会在音乐上对乐队有所限制：歌词你们怎么说都行，但旋律你得弄得好听一些，让那些原来只喜欢Green Day和Blink-182的孩子们也会掏钱买Anti-Flag的唱片。尽管音乐上不像从前那么偏激和暴烈，但Anti -Flag的歌词却没有半点妥协退让的意思。政治立场在Anti-Flag的歌词中永远是最热血、最坚不可摧的，这也是他们始终让令人敬佩的原因。乐队自 1993年成立以来，他们的歌词涉及到当今社会的方方面面，同时他们也一直保持着对社会的责任感，并在每一次现场演出时向观众们散发传单，让青少年不要轻信媒体和政府的谎言，而一定要认清当今社会的真相。《For Blood And Empire》中的大部分作品依然表达了Anti-Flag对美国社会现状的种种愤慨：《Exodus》就赤裸裸地揭露了美国军队虐待战俘的罪行，矛头直接指向“美国白痴”小布什；《The W.T.O. Kills Farmers》则强烈谴责了世贸组织在对待贫困国家的扶持政策上的失衡；而《Depleted Uranium is a War Crime》则对美国政府在国情咨文中加入指责伊拉克购买铀的内容表达了强烈的不满；充斥着反语的《Project for a New American Century》则用尽辛辣刻薄的语言，来讽刺白宫里好吃懒做的政客们；《War Sucks, Let’s Party!》是专辑中反战情绪最高的作品，Anti-Flag把希特勒、墨索里尼、东条英机等二战时期的战争狂人全都痛斥了一遍，当然，最后还是少不了小布什。Anti-Flag从来都不是一群诗人，也不是一帮靠三和弦做音乐的乐手。他们在《For Blood And Empire》中所体现的姿态更像是四个开始懂得用Pop Punk来煽动群众的政治青年，更换唱片公司、遭受极端乐迷的嘲讽都抵挡不了他们再次抗起大旗的决心，Anti-Flag的音乐灵魂也绝不会因为由哪一家公司掏钱支付录音棚费而有所改变。让我们记住Chirs#2、Chris Head、Justin Sane和Pat Thetic这四个永远热血的家伙，是他们让Anti-Flag成为Punk乐迷心中永远不倒的一面旗帜。Making their debut at a local Pittsburgh radio station in 1993, Anti-Flag got together for the sake of responding to their disgust at religion, nationalism, and fascism. Justin Sane (vocals/guitar), Andy Flag (bass/vocals), and Pat Thetic (drums) bopped around their hometown much to the dismay of skinheads while recruiting a following who proudly wore torn-up upside-down flags as patches. In 1997, after releasing a handful of singles, opening for their idols the U.K. Subs, the Exploited, and the Circle Jerks, and briefly touring the East Coast -- which led to the departure of Andy Flag -- Die for the Government was released, and 20,000 copies, four bassists, and four North American tours later, Anti-Flag gained their reputation for recapturing the old-school ethics of punk: fast, loud, obnoxious, and anti-everything that ends with an "ism." Chris Head was added to the lineup in 1997 and two years later bassist Chris #2 joined on as well to complete the four-piece. Their System Doesn't Work for You, a reissue of their out of print EP North America Sucks along with additional previously unreleased songs, followed in 1998 on the band's newly founded A-F Records. They released A New Kind of Army in 1999 on Go Kart Records, hoping not only to push their beliefs to a wider audience but, more importantly, just to play out around the world while flipping two fingers in the air to everyone they're against. A summer stint on the Warped Tour brought an expanded audience and new friends, including NOFX's Fat Mike over at Fat Wreck Chords. The label put out 2001's Underground Network, recorded with the help of Mass Girorgini (Screeching Weasel, Common Rider). Half of the tracks for their next effort, Mobilize, were recorded live in their hometown in December 2001; the disc came out in February 2002, and it fittingly also contained many songs, most explicitly "911 for Peace," that reflected the recent World Trade Center terrorist attacks. In early 2002, Sane released a solo record entitled Life, Love and the Pursuit of Justice via A-F, and it mostly contained a sonically stripped-down version of his main band's political agenda. Anti-Flag's contribution to the BYO Split Series came out in fall 2002 with their split with the Bouncing Souls, and a year later they issued their next full-length, The Terror State, on Fat Wreck. The four-song EP Live at Fireside Bowl also appeared on Liberation. Released in 2004, the live Death of a Nation DVD chronicled the band's U.S. tour in support of The Terror State, and that same year, A-F reissued A New Kind of Army. Not surprisingly, the band also became involved with Punk Voter, a coalition of punk bands and artists who worked to raise voter awareness and participation -- namely against George W. Bush -- for the 2004 election, and headlined the Rock Against Bush tour. In a somewhat unexpected move, Anti-Flag next signed to RCA in April 2005; they issued For Blood and Empire the following March. In October 2007 the band released A Benefit for Victims of Violent Crime on their own A-F label, an EP (with a combination of both new songs and live tracks) whose proceeds went to the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime, a decision made after Chris #2 lost his sister to homocide earlier that year.