The Casualties Light the Fuse on Detonate
Eight years after their last full-length, The Casualties are back with Detonate, a record that wastes no time in living up to its name. The album drops digitally on March 27 via Hellcat Records, with vinyl and CD editions landing July 17.
For a band that has embodied street punk defiance since 1990, Detonate feels less like a comeback and more like a controlled explosion. David Rodriguez (vocals), Marc “Meggers” Eggers (drums), Jake Kolatis (guitar) and Doug Wellmon (bass) sound locked in, reigniting the fury that made them lifers in the hardcore underground.
Watch the Detonate Lyric Video
The band have shared the lyric video for the blistering title track, a hardcore-punk barrage aimed squarely at the anxiety and overload of modern life.
“It stems from being overloaded,” Meggers explains. “You feel like your head is about to explode, which I think is what everybody is feeling these days. You’re pounced on day by day with terrible news and social media, and you just feel like you’re going to snap.”
Pre-orders and pre-saves for Detonate are available now.
Unity Over Division
Politics. Hatred. Endless war. Detonate takes aim at a fractured world and refuses to surrender to it. Rather than turning on each other, The Casualties direct their fire at the systems that profit from division.
“There are continuous wars and internal political battles. Everybody’s tearing each other apart,” Kolatis says. “Detonate is saying we’re tired of all this division. With this record, we have a chance to say something and promote some type of unity.”
As the follow-up to 2018’s Written in Blood, the album marks their first for Hellcat Records, the Epitaph subsidiary curated by Tim Armstrong of Rancid. It also cements Rodriguez’s place at the mic.
“It’s like a new era for the band,” Meggers says. “It solidifies that Dave is here to stay.”
Rodriguez agrees, describing the creative chemistry as finally snapping into place. “With this new record, we really grew together. For me, it’s the proud moment where we clicked the three Legos together.”
Tracklisting
- Intro
- Detonate
- People Over Power
- Empire Falls
- Ashes Of War
- Allies And Assasins
- Brick By Brick
- Few The True
- Now And Tomorrow
- Eye For An Eye
- Pigs On Fire
- Streets Of Hatred
- Wake Up, Kill, Repeat
European Festival Tour Dates 2026
The Casualties will hit the road across Europe this spring and summer.
UK Dates
Mar 29 – Scarborough – Scarborough Punk Festival
Jun 6 – Wels, Austria – Sbäm Fest
Jun 12 – Hagen, Germany – Torgau Ain’t Like You Festival
Jun 20 – Doneztebe, Spain – Ehuneko Bat
Jun 26 – Rennes, FR – Superbowl of Hardcore
Jun 27 – Münster, Germany – Vainstream Rockfest
Jun 28 – Tábor, Czechia – Mighty Sounds Festival
Jul 10 – Prölsdorf, Germany – Krach Am Bach
Jul 18 – Rowy, Poland – Festiwal Urwanych Filmów
Jul 25 – Hohenems, Austria – Speedfest
Jul 27 – Brasov, Romania – Rockstadt Extreme
Jul 30 – Argenta, Italy – DLB Festival
Jul 31 – Sant-Maurice-de-Gourdans, FR – Sylak Open Air
Aug 6 – Jaroměř, Czech Republic – Brutal Assault
Aug 7 – Ancora, Portugal – Praia Sonic Blast
Aug 8 – Duffel, Belgium – Brakrock
Aug 11 – Tolmin, Slovenia – Punk Rock Holiday
Aug 15 – Carhaix-Plouguer, FR – Motocultor Festival
Aug 20 – Loburg, DE – Spirit Festival
Aug 22 – Oostkamp, Belgium – Parkpop
