The Effigies have been flying the flag for Chicago punk rock since 1980. Their fuzzy, dissonant brand of rock n roll may not have gotten the same press and fame as some of their peers, but that’s no judgement on the quality of their work. They made a name for themselves early on, cutting their teeth alongside musical legends like X, The Plasmatics, PIL and Black Flag. Their DIY drive and sharp, dark and aggressive songwriting led them to every corner of the punk universe, leaving their mark on the historical stages of New York’s CBGB, New Jersey’s Maxwell’s, Milwaukee institution 1st Avenue, and the Bay Area punk Mecca Mabuhay Gardens all on the strength of their self-released albums and relentless work ethic. After several lineup changes, and a couple starts and stops, the band returned to the stage in 2022, and in 2024 we were graced with their final recording with founding vocalist John Kezdy, prior to his unfortunate and tragic passing, aptly titled Burned. Now the living legends are back with a renewed sense of purpose and a brand new album.
Fire Aim Ready comes out of the gate swinging with “Move Forward”, a distortion-soaked aggressive barn burner that sets the tone early, highlighting the need for perseverance in the face of oppressive darkness. The production immediately caught my attention, as it manages to be big and fuzzy while still maintaining clarity and separation. Vocalist Geoff Sabin makes his presence and prowess known on this record, bringing a wide range of vocal stylings from hardcore punch to crooner cool.
Photo credit Jesse Pace
“Voluntary Surveillance” gets to the heart of this album pretty quickly and efficiently. While I wouldn’t necessarily call this a concept album, there are certainly common themes at play that keep the album laser-focused. It opens with a stomping groove, but quickly moves into more heavy dissonant sections that highlight the paranoid feel of the lyrics. As the title suggests, the track illustrates the current state of the world where we have given up any perceived sense of personal privacy for the privilege of having a computer in our pocket. Corporations watch our every keystroke and hand our information to any and every marketing firm and advertiser for pennies, while our freedoms and liberties are bled away for convenience. This anxious vibe carries over into lead single “Hallucinations”, a sweeping arena worthy rocker with a big swampy guitar riff that I’m sure would have garnered the approval of the late great Lux Interior.
The rhythm section really stands out on this record. The tight drum and bass grooves supplied by bassist Paul Zamost and drummer Steve Economou are expertly woven and keep the songs on the rails, leaving guitarist and producer Andy Gerber plenty of space to go wild when needed. The driving bass groove of title track “Fire Aim Ready” is a perfect example. Busy at times, but never distracting, it gives a danceable feel to an otherwise heavy song about the divisively forced tribal nature of modern American politics. It even veers into sections of Sabbathesque half time diversions at times, keeping the listener on their toes.
“Algorithm’ touches on the way social media uses a combination of surveillance, advertising and sensational headlines to push narratives into your view as a means of using our emotions to control our daily lives. The inevitable result of these campaigns is a growing division of the public, leading to the recruiting efforts of ominous bad actors illustrated in “Neighbors Divide”. With each song the picture becomes a little clearer, revealing a technocratic dystopia lead by a class of elite corporate conmen and villains right out of an Orwell novel. Sadly, it’s no fiction. These things are happening right in front of our eyes, as detailed in songs like “Rapid Decline” and “Cult of Corruption.
The album takes a positive turn when we hit the incredible “Lucy’s Song”. The band leans into a brighter major chord protest anthem as singer Geoff Sabin is joined by a couple of my favorite Chicago legends, who I’ll let you discover for yourself when you buy the record. This little bit of reprieve from the bleakness preceding it is well earned and gives a lift to the back end of the record before blasting back into the heavy rock groove of “Every Brick” and closing with the one two punch of the quick hypnotic aperitif “The Rich” and the groovy psychedelic stomp of “Skin Deep”, an appropriately fitting tribute to fellow dark rock pioneers The Stranglers.
This record is razor focused and well crafted with plenty of fantastic musical performances and a message that is desperately needed in these dystopian times. While oligarchs and technocrats are buying up the world and forcing us all into a global surveillance state, The Effigies are here to bring you anthems of defiance. You may not know these cats yet, dear readers, but if you give this piece of sonic art a listen, I’m certain you will join the leagues of the initiated in holding The Effigies up as living legends and modern punk rock stalwarts worth praising. Fire Aim Ready drops on October 23rd via Pravda Records, just in time to haunt your record players for the spooky season.
