Dropkick Murphys - Signed And Sealed In Blood (Album Review)
Friday, 21 December 2012
Written by Heather McDaid
The first lyric of an album can often be a mission statement, and the Dropkick Murphys new 'Signed and Sealed in Blood' seems no different - "The boys are back and they're looking for trouble." But what kind of trouble are they after with album number eight?
Well, not much, really. 'The Boys are Back' seems like an effortless live opener; you can almost picture the crowd chanting along as the band take to the stage. Successor 'Prisoner's Song' admittedly holds similarities to Murphys hit 'Shipping Up To Boston', but it's easy enough to overlook as it shares the same positives in its catchiness and the undeniable bounce it offers.
The following two numbers show the opposite ends of the spectrum that Murphys toy around with, and the ease in which they can transfer between them. 'Rose Tattoo' is an acoustic wonder, relaxing and heartfelt. Somehow this moves without a jolt into the gruelling punk assault of 'Burn', an unrelenting track. It's this back-to-back diversity that best displays the band's capabilities and strengths on the record.
In keeping with the current month and festivities, 'The Season's Upon Us' proves an ideal dose of how the Murphys do Christmas. Far from the lovey-dovey ideals of Mariah Carey, or just putting an alternative spin on a Christmassy feeling, the band douses the season with Ken Casey's wit and sarcasm: 'My sisters are wackjobs, I wish I had none' / 'Their husbands are losers and so are their sons' / 'My nephew's a horrible wise little twit' / 'He once gave me a nice gift wrapped box full of shit'.
'End of The Night' seems a perfect way to close proceedings, feeling more like a spontaneous sing song at a pub you're being thrown out of after an amazing night than a polished recording on an album. But that's the charm. Murphys are a band ideal for parties, a perfect blend of the traditional and punk edge, and it's this that they hold on strongest to.
Year after year and the Murphys are still sticking to what they know, and that's the real quality their music has. This might not be groundbreaking in terms of the band's sound, nor will it catch many fans off guard. What it does do, however, is provide people with a string of new tracks to revel in with the same enthusiasm as the rest of their discography, more tracks to dance to in a live capacity and a new album to welcome happily into their collection.
If you were looking for trouble with 'Signed and Sealed In Blood', boys, then you failed. But that's okay, because your failure resulted in a pretty great album for us to kick of 2013 with.
‘Signed and Sealed in Blood’ is released on 17th January 2013 on Born and Bred Records/Cooperative Music. Dropkick Murphys kick-off a UK and Ireland tour on 12th January.
Sat January 12th 2013 - Vicar Street, Dublin
Tue January 15th 2013 - HMV Ritz, Manchester
Wed January 16th 2013 - Barrowland, Glasgow
Thu January 17th 2013 - Rock City, Nottingham
Fri January 18th 2013 - The Forum, Kentish Town, London
Sat January 19th 2013 - The Forum, Kentish Town, London
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Well, not much, really. 'The Boys are Back' seems like an effortless live opener; you can almost picture the crowd chanting along as the band take to the stage. Successor 'Prisoner's Song' admittedly holds similarities to Murphys hit 'Shipping Up To Boston', but it's easy enough to overlook as it shares the same positives in its catchiness and the undeniable bounce it offers. 
