Der Prosector: Car Bomb (Album Review)

Armalyte anarchists Der Prosector are back with a grim message, echoed in the last line in their new single Car Bomb: “If you can’t solve a problem, destroy it.” “Car Bomb” is a synth-driven punk rock punch to the gut and a timely reflection on the tragedy and chaos in the world. The title track describes the death of a woman with a car bomb, reminding us “she had a name/she had purpose…she was a mother/she was someone’s lover.”

With an infectious lead synth line in the chorus that’s probably one of the biggest earworms I’ve heard in quite some time, DP’s familiar energy is there, but there’s a melancholy twist behind its power. And in “You’re Being Lied To,” it only continues with a brutal look at pretty much everything wrong with the world. From the pandemic to flat-earthers to anti-vaxxers to white supremacists, they spare no one in their glitched-out, frenetic commentary. Welcome to the New Dark Ages, indeed.

The included remixes are a lot of fun. Go Fight’s “Big Bomber Remix” has a deceptively upbeat rhythm with Jim Marcus’s trademark funky breaks, throwing the lyrics into sharp focus. The Joy Thieves come in swinging with big drums and a buildup to match in the “Hellburner Remix.” And Dead Agent picks up the pace into a deconstructed breakbeat with wobbling synths and thrashing guitars. The remixes alone are so unique that you almost forget they’re all of the same song. Needless to say, I can’t wait for the album.

 

Der Prosector, “You’re Being Lied To” Official Video (YouTube)