Ramallah is the new project of Rob Lind (ex-Blood For Blood, ex-Sinners and Saints). The hatred for most all things in the world today, a lyrical theme common in his previous bands, is taken to a more mature level in Lind’s current incarnation, Ramallah.
The new record, But A Whimper, is approximately 14 minutes long, and for that mere fact alone it seems like its over before it has just got going. Luckily this is the only reason to be disappointed. This is some of the hardest punk rock that I’ve heard in a long time; it is reminiscent of classic Blood For Blood but by no means on the same scale. It seems Mr. Lind, who does everything on this CD except for the back-up vocals by Jacob Bannon from Converge and the drums by Neil Dyke (Blood For Blood), has taken a more global subject for his outrage.
Many songs take a decidedly political stance with tracks like “Al-Shifa” which is a reference to the events of August 20, 1998. So here’s a little history lesson; on this day President Clinton launched missiles at Sudan. It was later found out by the press that a pharmaceutical company was hit, one without ties to chemical weapons manufacturing. Obviously Rob Lind saw this as a big deal with lyrics that sing of the turmoil: “They were screaming to an empty sky, why? Kill my mother, kill my father, what am I left to do?”
The intro to the CD is a man singing some Middle Eastern hymn in a foreign tongue. This is also done on the last track with an intro to the song “True Crime” by a group of Middle Eastern boys singing another hymn. But, back to the music, I am not personally a fan of Converge, but the way that Rob put the back up vocals into the songs sounds absolutely perfect.
The music takes on a more dark, and forlorn attitude. Bannon does back up vocals on the tracks “Ramallah,” “Al-Shifa,” and “Beauty.” The words of the songs speak what Rob Lind is trying to show people. With lyrics like, “Just take a look at the papers, your leaders, they’re killers, they’re liars.” The message of injustice and what our country is doing to foreign people is pronounced.
Knowing Rob Lind as the guy who sings songs of hating white-collar people and of the hell on city streets in the Blood For Blood albums, this new subject matter comes with open arms. If you like the hard-hitting sound of Blood For Blood but want to see a bit more potent relevance in their topical lyrics, than you’ll love Ramallah. The last song on the album is a ballad with an acoustic guitar and lyrics that sing of children forlorn and forsaken in the world that has neglected them. Ramallah is like nothing I have ever heard and I for one can not wait to see them play live or come out with a full length album. So without more words to convince you go out and buy this CD.