Vanguard & ATF - Stronghold split LP (2006)

Tracklist:

01. Vanguard - Survival of the fittest

02. Vanguard - They want me dead

03. Vanguard - We wont believe you're lies

04. Vanguard - Blowing the lights out

05. Vanguard - Underground

06. ATF - Suffer the children

07. ATF - Hands of the few

08. ATF - Anti-U

09. ATF - A plague in our land

10. ATF - The hidden hand

Released by American defence records in 2006.

(Update 30 March 2012: Uploaded the album again)

Vanguard (not to be confused with the old American WP band with the same name) was formed in North Carolina around 2003 by Nathan (bass), Joseph (drums) and Joseph's brother Justin on vocals and guitar. They where featured on the Street Anthem release Backstreets of American Oi! Vol.2 with an early version of their track Survvival of the fittest. After this release Justin left the band and was replaced by James that was currently the lead singer of the Oi! band Beatdowns.
They released this split and a full-length in 2008 called Hard road to travel and are currently working on a new album to be released in 2010.


ATF (or American Terror Force for long) was formed in North carolina in 2005 by Luke (vocals/guitar) that would later go on to play guitar in Vanguard as well. With him was Big Chuck on bass that he had played with in the band The hooliganz some years before. Realizing the fact that a two piece band never really works they added Brandon on guitar (Luke currently played with him in a band named The Aggro-Vators) and Ross from Beatdown on drums (also Ross started to play for Vanguard later). The band was supposed to be an outlet for political anger and Luke's somewhat paranoid fight against the "New world order" but ended up being some of the best new Oi! relesed from the states. They where supposed to release a EP called A plague in our land through American Defence records but the label was shut down before the relese could become reality. The band featured some tracks on the 2007 compilation Skinheads armed with the truth Vol.2 but agfter that i guess the band just died out and most members moved on to join the ranks of Vanguard.


Enough of nerdy know it all scenism. Lets talk about the album.
5 tracks each of 2 great bands and production values of top quality it cant go wrong.
Both bands are a breath of not so fresh air in a time when all US skinbands seem to play irish folkcrap, ghetto HC or streetrock instead of Oi!.
They keep it simple and original and knock the shit out of most competition. This album sounds like Amerikan skinhead music used to sound like (the sound that this site is dedicated to) before PC punklabels talked groups into releasing shit that actually could be sold to the masses and everybody suddenly found out about there o so proud irish roots.

There is not one single bad track on this release but if i have to name a favourite of each band it has to be Survival of the fittest by Vanguard (even if i like the one with Justin on vocals better) and Anti-U by ATF.
These bands came from nowhere and showed that just because it has been done before doesnt mean you cant do it better.
10/10

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