Ramallah – Last Gasp Of Street Rock N' Roll

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RAMALLAH is a Hardcore/Punk band formed in 2003 in Boston. The project was born as a side solo project of Rob "White Trash" Lind, guitarist of the renowned band BLOOD FOR BLOOD. They released their debut EP “But A Whimper” in 2002 and a full length album called “Kill A Celebrity” in 2005. After much touring in the couple of years that came after, the band entered a hiatus that lasted until 2015, when they participated on the split EP “Back From The Land Of Nod” along with SINNERS AND SAINTS. Fast forward a few years, and we have Lind gathering a new group of musicians to bring RAMALLAH back to life once again with the 2020 full length album “The Last Gasp Of Street Rock N’ Roll”. It is well known that the fan base of the band has waited a very long time for this, and RAMALLAH delivers exactly what they want: a nostalgic, but not old fashioned, emotional and anthemic Street Punk album.

From the first track of the album “The Last Gasp Of Street Rock N’ Roll”, we already get the feeling that RAMALLAH wants to make up for all the time they were out of the game to their listeners. This song has a strong anthem vibe, the lyrics speak mainly about honoring those friends who have died, so even with the HC/Punk rhythm, it can get you emotional. The second track of the album, “I Don’t Believe”, is full of energy and very catchy. Same goes for the following song “Dead Girls And Dead Boys Anthem”. “City Boy” is slower with a pounding bass line and cool riffs.

“I Seen You Crawling” has a brief bluesy intro that turns into a Hey Ho Let’s Go chorus (Hi there, RAMONES fans). The song is faster and has more of a rock n’ roll vibe. “The Times We Had” is a little bit slower, like “City Boy”, but more to the pop side of the street. Speaking of slowing down, the next track, “Bye Bye”, stands out from the record as it is very different from the rest of the songs, being a ballad with a country vibe. As the last track begins, we shake our heads as we are reminded that this is a punk record. “The Last Gasp Of A Wasted Youth And Wasted Life” is the shortest and perhaps the heaviest song on the album at one and a half minutes long.

Overall, RAMALLAH delivers a very enjoyable album, with catchy melodies and evocative lyrics. A good production and a strong message wrap up this new release that has been craved by the HC/Punk community for 15 years. A very cool record that I will, for sure, listen to more than once again.

Songwriting: 9
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 10
Production: 8