Discipline - Stake Your Claim
Rebellion Records
Eleven years after the band’s last studio-album, “Downfall Of The Working Man”, the red and white army out of Eindhoven, The Netherlands is back with the brand new full-length “Stake Your Claim”! Receiving several unmixed demo recordings only a few weeks ago, I surely thought the writing and recording process would lift this album over the summer. None of that, because DSC strike’s both fast and hard with twelve rockin’ new anthems, back to reclaim their crown as the undisputed kings of European streetrock!
On “Stake Your Claim” Discipline’s core-members Erik Wouters (guitar, vocals), Carlo Geerlings (bass, vocals) and Joost Strijbos (drums, vocals) are strengthened with the addition of Dave Moors (guitar, vocals, Angel Crew) and Merijn Verhees (lead vocals, ex-Banner Of Thugs / Sparrow Falls) to its ranks, officially making the stompin’ crew a five-piece outfit again after all these years! Recorded by Bart van Lier (The Agitators) and Igor Wouters (Backfire!) and produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by the latter, the credits for “Stake Your Claim” are complete!
But enough with the facts, let’s get my opinion out there! Because the most important question obviously is if Discipline’s sound changed after this, rather long studio-hiatus. Fortunately not, making the boys from Eindhoven sound as strong as ever before! Thunderous stompers and massive, terrace chanting anthems follow each other up in a rapid speed, giving you a thrilling, 34-minute ride that leaves you pumped with adrenaline and a sore throat, singing along to streetrock-powerhouses such as “We Can’t Be Beaten”, “All The World’s To Blame”, “Show Us The Ropes”, “The New Bovver Boys”, “Get Me Outta Here”, “Troublemaker”, “Stake Your Claim” and the Generation X cover “Your Generation”! Topped off with the band’s trademark guitar sound of ultra-melodic, anthemic riffs and solo’s, making “Stake Your Claim” a Discipline album through and through, despite new lead-vocalist Merijn!
Better known in the Oi!-scene for his work with Banner Of Thugs, Merijn also still fronts the, in my ears, sublime outfit Sparrow Falls. Delivering fantastic vocals for both bands in the (more recent) past, he makes no exception for the boys of Discipline. I was anxious at first, being afraid that the vocals couldn’t match records of the past like “Love Thy Neighbor”, “Saints & Sinners” or “Downfall Of The Working Man”, but the final result proves I was worried over nothing. In combination with the recognizable second and back-up vocals of founding members Erik, Carlo and Joost, vocally Discipline is a combination of then and now, bound to take this year by storm with “Stake Your Claim”!
Unfortunately enough I haven’t seen the current line-up perform live yet, so I can’t tell if the chemistry of this album can be reflected to the energy on-stage, but with all the experience from over the years I reckon this won’t be a problem. I sure hope not, because ever since I bought “Guilty As Charged” at a local Ear & Eye record store in Waalwijk (of all places) in 1996, I’ve been a fan and I hope to enjoy Discipline’s sound for many more years to come! This comeback is definitely one for in the books and “Stake Your Claim” proves that the well-oiled machine from Lighttown is still an absolute force to be reckoned with! Welcome back boys!
