Transplants
Haunted Cities

THE REVIEW

Tim Armstrong just can't disappoint!
“Haunted Cities” retraces the path already taken with the album “Transplants” from 2002, although this time there is more room for special guests (all rappers) and sounds much less heavy compared to the previous release of the Armstrong-Barker-Aston trio.
Indeed, on one hand, Tim's tender voice is still present, while on the other, we find a less world-angry Rob Aston who has stopped shouting, while Travis's drum rhythms are spectacular as he had already accustomed us with Blink182.

The sound has evolved, as evidenced by the use of keyboards and synthesizers, and the guest musicians perform their roles perfectly (Vic Ruggiero, Matt Freeman, who plays on two songs here, Dave Carlock, who is now the fourth member of the group and takes care of almost all the instruments).
There are no disappointing tracks; perhaps we can only say that “What I Can't Describe” or “Killafornia” might feel out of place here—they wouldn't be out of place on an American hip-hop album, but here they don't quite fit the mood of the record. Beautiful, however, are songs like “American Guns,” “Gangsters & Thugs,” “Not Today,” and “Doomsday,” which make this release a true top album.
Perhaps “Haunted Cities” doesn't surpass the eponymous “Transplants,” but it can still be said that they are on the same level. Now, we just have to wait for their performance at Milan's Rock In Idro in September, hoping that bassist Matt Freeman's health improves.