'My War' is the second studio album by American hardcore punk legends Black Flag, released in March 1984 by SST Records.
It was the first of three full-length albums the band released in 1984. The album polarized fans due to the LP's B-side, on which the band slowed down to a heavy, Black Sabbath-esque trudge after establishing expectations as a faster hardcore punk band on its first album, 'Damaged' (1981).
After a period of legal troubles which prohibited the band from using its own name on recordings, Black Flag returned to the studio with a new approach to its music that incorporated a greater variety of styles, resulting in a sound orthodox punks found difficult to accept. The line-up had shrunk from five members to three: vocalist Henry Rollins, drummer Bill Stevenson, and co-founding guitarist Greg Ginn. Ginn doubled on bass guitar under the name "Dale Nixon" for the recording as bassist Chuck Dukowski left the band shortly before recording; the album includes two tracks Dukowski wrote.
Despite mixed reception at the time of the album's release, 'My War' has come to gain a reputation as one of Black Flag's seminal releases and had a major influence on the development of post-hardcore, sludge metal, grunge and math rock.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. My War
2. Can't Decide
3. Beat My Head Against the Wall
4. I Love You
5. Forever Time
6. The Swinging Man
Side B:
7. Nothing Left Inside
8. Three Nights
9. Scream
