40 Years Of Black Flag’s ‘My War’

How My War Embodied The DIY Spirit of Punk

Every Black Flag record since their 1979 debut EP has been released by SST Records, the label founded by guitarist and primary songwriter Greg Ginn. For 1981’s Damaged, however, SST partnered with MCA subsidiary Unicorn Records, hoping that the label’s wider distribution would help the band and label reach new fans. 

Unicorn refused to distribute Damaged, calling the album an “anti-parent” record. With record sleeves already printed with an MCA Distributing Corp. logo on the back, the band printed up stickers with the anti-parent quote, slapped them over the logo, and distributed the record on their own. Unicorn claimed that this was a breach of contract and filed a lawsuit against Black Flag and SST. Additional lawsuits concerning unpaid royalties further added to the turmoil. For almost two years, the band couldn’t legally release any music under their own name. This resulted in both 1983’s Everything Went Black compilation making zero mention of Black Flag on the cover and in the widespread bootleg release that later surfaced as the 1982 Demos. 

Eventually, Unicorn filed for bankruptcy and Black Flag was able to release records under their own name again. But they were facing yet more lineup changes, no bassist, and a significant amount of debt. Where most bands would have probably called it quits, Black Flag eagerly got to work on recording their second full-length album My War. This was a win not only for Black Flag and SST, but for DIY bands and labels everywhere. Black Flag’s perseverance and inspiring DIY ethos proved that independent artists could rise above any challenge, even when they came head to head with major players in the music industry.

How My War Pushed the Boundaries Of Hardcore Punk

Black Flag went through several stylistic and aesthetic changes between the release of Damaged and My War. The band had started growing their hair long, incorporating more experimental influences, and writing songs with much slower tempos. These shifts were both natural and intentional. As Ginn stated in early 1983, Black Flag wanted to be viewed as a band, not a rigid stereotype of the punk scene they had helped to spearhead. 

Ginn’s earlier exposure to jazz also began to work its way into Black Flag’s music. Side one of My War fuses the band’s furious hardcore sound with intriguing time signatures, guitar freak-outs, and moments of improvisation not often associated with punk.

Ginn’s love for Black Sabbath and Deep Purple also started to impact his songwriting. My War’s infamous side two contains three long, slow songs that are riff-heavy and evoke deep senses of self-loathing and despair. The stripped-down tracks left plenty of sonic space for Henry Rollins’ anguished screams and Ginn’s angular soloing, with the latter further alienating purists who considered guitar solos to be “un-punk.”

Black Flag’s new direction may have puzzled punk fans at the time, but seeing one of America’s most prominent punk bands grow their hair long (at a time when punk had defined itself against hippie aesthetics) and take their music in a radical new direction became a punk statement of its own, one that would inspire other musicians to spearhead new scenes of their own.

How My War Inspired Grunge, Sludge Metal, Post-Hardcore, & More

My War went on to become a major influence on artists that developed the sounds of both grunge and sludge metal. The album’s punk aggression, heavy riffs, noisy experimentation, and occasional melodic earworms notably inspired Mudhoney and Nirvana. My War’s heavy riffage also spurred the Melvins to write slower material, leading to the development of sludge metal, and was an important influence on genre-expanding bands like EyeHateGod and Neurosis. Beyond grunge and metal, My War has also been cited as a catalyst for various strains of noise rock, math rock, and post-hardcore. 

Black Flag pushed punk into whole new sonic territories with their use of unexpected time signatures and guitar work that blended the heaviness of Black Sabbath with the chaotic improvisation of free jazz. From the artists it directly inspired to the genres it helped to form, My War remains a landmark for anyone keeping the punk spirit alive by following their own path.