It’s crazy to think that Leftover Crack’s last full-length, Fuck World Trade, was released ten years ago already. But just in time for the President’s (of America) annual State of the Union address, Fat Wreck Chords has released a tenth anniversary reissue (double LP if you’re a vinyl collector like me) of the record. What makes this reissue special is not only does that physical copy come with expanded artwork, but that it also comes with five unreleased tracks from the original recording sessions making this album's total time go from about 53 minutes to an hour and 13 minutes.

Two of unreleased track are originally Choking Victim songs; neither of which made it on to the band’s only full-length No Gods/No Managers, but both of these songs got the love and attention they most certainly deserve. The first cover is “Apple Pie and Police State” and the differences between the original and the newer one are like day and night. The original, although great in its own way, is kind of messy sounding and the tempo is noticeably slow. The version on this reissue is clearer and fuller sounding. The instruments, like guitar arrangements, aren’t fighting over each other and the tempo and rhythm are faster.

The other Choking Victim cover that is on the Fuck World Trade reissue is “Infested (The Lindane Conspiracy Part 1).” Like “Apple Pie and Police State” the musicianship noticeably clearer and fuller sounding. The bass line and the ska-guitar parts mesh extremely well in this version and during the bridge the band added an extended guitar fill that makes the song a whole lot more dynamic. The fact that this is just “Part 1” insinuates that there could be a part two though. Will there be one in the future? All I can say is that I really hope so.

There are also three songs, none of which are covers, on this reissue that fans get to for the first time. The first new track is called “Banned in P.C.,” which is this super-thrashy and anthemic song that addresses just how Leftover Crack embraces not subscribing to society’s political correctness standards at all.

The other previously unreleased track is called “The Christ,” which is song that features Blag Jesus (aka Blag Dahlia) of The Dwarves as a guest vocalist. As you can probably guess it’s a song that attacks organized religion, something that the members of Leftover Crack are masters at writing songs about i.e. “Atheist Anthem” and “Rock the 40 Oz.” “The Christ” really is the perfect meshing between both LOC’s crusty sound and The Dwarves’ poppier sound. The lyrics focus on teaching a dance called “The Christ.” Interestingly, Morning Glory would write a lyrically related song called “Jesus Christ Boogie” on their 2013 release, the Born to December EP.

The third newly released song on this album is the title track. When I first saw it on the track list I wasn’t sure what to expect from it. It’s a super eerie sounding instrumental piece. The use of the deep and dark piano chords mixed with the high-pitched, main guitar riff makes this song so heavy, yet haunting at the same time. There is a call back part in “Fuck World Trade” which was foreshadowed in the intro track.

What you won’t see on the track list of this record is that the band added a hidden song, which is a 4-track demo of the song “Soon We’ll Be Dead.” This demo was recorded without the collaboration of The World/Inferno Friendship Society like the completed original. It is a fairly primitive version of what the song would later become. It is mostly bass-centric and the rhythm isn’t as tight. Nonetheless, it is really interesting to hear what an early version of this song sounded like before recording it in the studio.

Years ago when I first heard Fuck World Trade, I would have told you that it was a perfect record. Now that we get to hear the full version that the band intended to release ten years ago, now I am fully confident in saying that this re-release is indeed a masterpiece. It’s a punk rock classic. Lots of people would disagree with me in saying that it is a perfect album usually citing the radical views the band has. But I would say that those people are missing the point a bit. Granted, the cover art alone doesn't exactly push a politically moderate agenda, but you can't deny the wide range of issues the lyrics address such as addiction and depression to economic policy, corporatism, and police brutality all of which are issues that were just as relevant during the Bush Administration (when this album was first released) as they are now during the Obama Administration. But I wonder if the politics that Leftover Crack endorse overshadow how talented they are as musical artists, which might be the reason why Fuck World Trade is not as widely appreciated as it should be. They are a rare band that is able to balance a mixture of ska, crust punk and metal to where it sounds amazing rather than a bunch of unnecessary noise. The musical parts for all of the songs like “One Dead Cop,” “Operation M.O.V.E.,” “Life is Pain” and “Super Tuesday” are far from the usual three or four chord songs that we typically get from punk bands. LOC also has talent for reinventing their songs and covers like Morning Glory’s “Gang Control,” “Rock the 40 Oz.” and their Choking Victim covers. And when it comes to collaborating with other bands like they did with The World/Inferno Friendship Society for the song “Soon We’ll Be Dead” you can hear that a lot of time and hard work went into recording it, which obviously paid off because again, I think that Fuck World Trade, or definitely this reissue of it, will be considered a punk rock classic if isn’t considered one already.