As we hurtle through space fringing on laughable governmental collapse, only to stand at the precipice of complete descent (which is anything BUT decent) into a United State of Anarchy, we're reminded: Royal Trux knew better than anyone how to navigate uncertainty, effortlessly straddling the line between success and catastrophe at all costs for all time, while constantly ready with a nickel's worth of free advice for for those of us still caught trying to make the grade. Years of success (as defined by the terms of survival) had, by 1998, helped them become Veterans Of Disorder. In these gut-churning post-millennial times, can yet another absolutely essential Trux reissue once again throw a wrench in the wheels of confusion? Now as then, it is worth a toss.

Coming off the fan-favorite Accelerator LP, it was clearly time to build on expectations, right? Uh...listen, maybe Royal Trux isn't the band for you. Neil and Jennifer were fans of rock n roll to the finish, sure - but in that, Royal Trux was a dyed-in-the-wool contrarian enterprise, rebels to the core, and everything they endeavored to was viewed from the several angles necessary to called a spade a dupe, etc. And so it was with counter-intuitive, rose-colored glasses strapped on tight that Veterans of Disorder was conceived. Accelerator had deployed a unified production concept, with pleasingly mashed-together sonics in an coruscated, ultra-compressed mix. Fine. That was out; new ways of hearing would be necessary this time around. VOD's songs seldom sound as if they're coming from the same session as each other, and the distorto riff-rock that had caused so much intake of breath in '98 was abandoned for a generally cleaner, wider-ranging sound overall.

Assembled at several studios (including their own home rig) in and around the woods of rural Virginia, Veterans of Disorder unites its divergent approaches under a glossy exterior. This was a band that had fought the major-label wars, and their product, as subversive as it was, was still aiming for the greatest possible impact - an ambition that had no deleterious impact on the music at hand. Instead, Royal Trux revealed themselves once again to be rock satirists supreme, with pure rock and roll that was intent on undermining itself and it's audience from within. With less than a year left in their fifteen-year run, Royal Trux were flying at a speed that most bands dream of - and Veterans of Disorder is one of their (many) finest albums - available again, November 19th!