The Dictators
D.F.F.D.

A quarter of a century from the seminal "Go Girl Crazy," which in 1975 foreshadowed the force 5 whirlwind of destruction musically coded as PUNK, the Dictators, true to their cocky spirit, have the courage to return to the studio for a new album: "Dictators Forever Forever Dictators." And so in 2001, while the Strokes are lighting up the spotlight and causing a stir for the revival of rock, these five rascals come together for the fourth time amid the general disinterest of industry insiders... except for the regulars at New York's CBGB, where it's not rare at their concerts to see Debbie Harry, Springsteen, and, I'm 100% sure, that crazy John Belushi if he were still alive.

The usual pointless reunion? NO! Because bassist Andy Shernoff's writing is still exceptional, Ross The Boss, fresh from his cocky stint with Manowar, is still a guitarist with major chops, Scott "Top Ten" Kempner's other guitar shows off the muscles, Patterson is the best drummer they've ever had, the former "secret weapon" Handsome Dick Manitoba not only is the usual crowd agitator but has also learned to sing and... then what? What emerges is the most mature album of their career, although in the Dictators' case, the terms mature and career are laughable for a bunch of degenerates who've never taken themselves seriously, living exclusively "for cars and girls," even if maybe they aren't as excited as they used to be and the hair isn't as flowing anymore.

But who cares, this is a rock'n'roll national team that entertains, not that little team of daddy's boys back from Swiss boarding schools rehashing Velvet Underground patterns to general excitement. Listen to the hardcore energy of "I am right" and tell me what other punk band in the 2000s is capable of such feats: relentless rhythm and Ross's electrifying solos. "Pussy and Money" is their new nihilistic anthem, with the riff we've heard a million times in a million songs, but it's always the one that grabs you by the balls to make you sing in chorus as if you were the sixth jerk of the group.

Because that's the beauty of the Dictators: you feel like one of them. Maybe you think if they give you an instrument, it takes nothing to play along a simple pop tune like "The Savage Beat" or "What's Up With That", but then you look around and realize that these guys kick ass: the bass pumps fearlessly, the drums are a machine gun, the guitar a shard and your little choir aha-uooo sucks. Let's not talk about songs like "Burn Baby Burn" and "It's All Right" where they shoot with heavy artillery: an AC/DC-like riff spans the whole track and Ross's final solo is fireworks!

There's not a moment to breathe, but at the end of the fun you think back and play the opening track "Who Will Save the Rock and Roll?" once again. Smiling, you think: could it be up to these jerks, the Dictators?