Bonecrusher’s always been about fighting the good fight. On first listen, without paying attention to the lyrics, it’d be easy to dismiss them as a bunch of thugs who have a reputation for beating up people who come to their shows and rip out the occasional light fixture from a club’s ceiling. Surprisingly, a good number of their songs are about the nobility of work, the power of unions, and standing on your own two feet. Their previous CD on Hostage, Working for a Living, was tougher than the back of a stone mason and rougher than the calluses on a carpenter’s hands. All of the basic elements are here in The Good Life, but I can’t help but think something’s missing. Fire? Direct intimidation? Fear of instant teeth loss? It’s definitely a decent CD, but it doesn’t have me ready to spring out of the way and seek a safe haven when I pop it in the player like their earlier efforts did. Can’t quite put my finger on it.
–todd (Class War)