AMG Review of Northern Avenger

Greg Prato
All Music Guide

They may not be as instantly recognizable to the masses as say, the Ramones or Green Day are, but Vancouver-based punk vets D.O.A. have put in more road miles than many fellow punk acts, and have penned their fair share of stone cold punk classics. For the group's 30th anniversary, D.O.A. united with longtime Metallica producer Bob Rock (a fellow Canadian) for 2008's Northern Avenger. And...the results are pretty much what you'd expect from a new D.O.A. album -- lots of attitude from founding member/singer/guitarist Joey "Shithead" Keithley ("Human Bomb"), songs that would sound perfect as a soundtrack to a demolition derby ("Devil's Speedway"), anti-authoritarian ditties ("Police Brutality"), and even a CCR cover ("Who Will Stop the Rain"). Three decades on, and D.O.A. are still the real deal, as evidenced throughout Northern Avenger.