Metal Underground.com

Jello Biafra is still full of punk piss and vinegar on his latest release with the Guantanamo School of Medicine, "White People And The Damage Done." It's a mostly solid bunch of politically charged rockers with some solid guitar work by Ralph Spight and Kimo Ball.

Given the album's provocative title, it is a safe bet to say Biafra is once again targeting the right-wingers (his hilarious take on biblical Armageddon, "Crapture," delights in heavenly fireballs blowing up Walmarts). That said, he turns his lyrical ire toward everyone in the system, pointing out that while "Republicans stand for greed, corruption, bigotry and war," Democrats only pretend to feel guilty about the same things.

At its best, the disc is a surprisingly intelligent critique. "John Dillinger" points out that it was even bigger crooks who were hunting down "Public Enemy No. 1" back in the Depression days, for example. At its worst, it comes across as preachy ("Shock-U-Py") or simply like a grumpy old man listing things he doesn't like ("Hollywood Goof Disease" and "Road Rage").

Things are pretty excellent on the instrumental end, with a horn-infused mix of "Brown Lipstick Parade" especially standing out. There's a surprising amount of sonic variety here.

"White People And The Damage Done" is hardly as seminal as Jello Biafra's earlier work, but it's great to have the chief Dead Kennedy still quite alive and kicking. Punk fans will definitely want to crank this one up.