ANTiSEEN--Honour Among Thieves
TKO 2002
After getting things off to a good start on their first recorded effort, the Drastic EP, ANTiSEEN hit a bit of a snag. They went in and recorded a full-length album shortly after that initial platter was released, but it wound up not seeing the light of day for another three years. For virtually any other band, such a scenario would spell certain end. This is Antiseen, though, and perseverance has been one of their greatest attributes throughout the years. Besides, they had to have known Honour Among Thieves would be worth the wait.
Actually cut between ANTiSEEN's '85 Drastic EP and EP Royalty from '86, Honour Among Thieves sees the band bringing it with a much greater sense of direction than before. By this point, the band had made the decision to go in a decidedly predominant punk direction--as such, the hard rock influences immediately apparent on Drastic are all but gone here. The result is a much more consistent listen, which aids in cultivating a greater sense of power. ANTiSEEN would learn how to subtly incorporate all their influences to perfection the longer they went along but, at this stage of the game, Honour Among Thieves was a major progression.
The same points can be made for Honour Among Thieves, in terms of songwriting--ANTiSEEN had a much better sense of where they were going but still had room for improvement. On the one hand, this album boasts such timeless ANTiSEEN classics as "I Don't Ask You For Nothing," "Hammer Head," "War Hero," and the band's longtime battlecry "Destructo Rock." "Drug Thru Thu Mud" stands out, thanks to some clear washboard work from Jeff Clayton, and "Jailbait" does a good job of tipping the hat to ANTiSEEN's influences, its chorus somewhat reminiscent of the breaks on the Ramones classic "Cretin Hop." Still, with its vile lyrics, "Lil Sister" in particular shows the band still had a way to go, in terms of their development--this one is more of a mere shock value piece than that of the depth-filled, brutally honest lyrical sketches ANTiSEEN would become best known for later.
Ultimately, those little bumps in the road only add to Honour Among Thieves' charm, though. It's obvious listening to this that ANTiSEEN were on the road to bigger and greater things. That said, this remains a solid listen and, with a few exceptions, has stood the test of time remarkably well. For anyone who cares even a little bit about ANTiSEEN, this is a worthy pick up--for diehards, the three live bonus tracks included from '85 make this remaster essential.
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