Troops of Tomorrow is one of the true landmark
punk albums to come from Britain. This album is connected to
the Exploited possibly more than any other. It came directly after their legendary
Top of the Pops performance, and several of these songs would go on to be covered by
Slayer and
Ice-T for the
Judgment Night soundtrack. It may not have the hooks of
the Damned or the clever lyrics of
the Sex Pistols, but in its place they brought a brainless rage that has been one of the sore points for
punk purists for years. Songs like
"Sid Vicious Was Innocent" and the uninformed
"War" are blatantly idiotic, but work on an entirely different level. These songs are from the gut, and honestly, they were just following in the footsteps of American
punk, which had thrown cleverness out the window from the get-go. The thrashing guitars and chugging riffs would go on to influence countless bands, from like-minded American artists like
SOD and
Agnostic Front to fellow British
hardcore heroes
Discharge. The lyrics are mostly just politically inspired chanting, but the music laid the groundwork for most of the
punk metal that followed. Fans of aggressive
hardcore punk should try to add this to their collection. It is a classic of the genre that has held up well through the years. [The 2001 reissue replaces the tracks
"Dead Cities," "Hitler's in the Charts Again," and
"Class War" with
"Y.O.P." and
"Troops of Tomorrow (12" Version)."] ~ Bradley Torreano
