Bad Religion
The New America (Atlantic)
by Tim Den
Despite being the band cited most often as an influence besides The Beatles (as well as one of my all-time favorites), Bad Religion is having a tough time proving to the millennial generation that they’re still relevant. They have, and always will have, legions of diehard fans (such as myself) who’ll never abandon them, but so will Neil Diamond. I guess what I’m saying is that just because you still manage to sell records to the people who’ll always love you, that doesn’t mean you matter. Like Triumph the Insult Dog once said: “It’s like sniffing your sister’s ass: it’s not real.” And after the last studio record, No Substance (despite the few goodies it contains), it was looking like Bad Religion’s time to matter had long since passed.
And the best part is, this album makes their past six years all make sense. Think about it: after Mr. Brett (Gurewitz; guitarist/backup vocalist/songwriter, now head honcho of Epitaph Records) quit in ’94 after Stranger Than Fiction, the band put out The Gray Race in ’96 — an album that had to be fast to prove that the band was able to stay punk after one of its founders left. And when the reaction came back — a backfire of sorts against what was deemed “trying too hard to be old school” with all the fast beats — the band took the next logical step in trying to sound “modern rock” with ’98’s No Substance. Again, backfired reaction, this time people called it watered-down simplicity at its worst. Now, with both extremes tested, and a producer with a knack for depth in tow, Bad Religion has learned their lesson and churned out an album that has the best of every (punk rock) world. Trademarked beautiful vocals (that’re not predictable or repetitive), tons of energy, passionate/intelligent observations on the human race and emotions, attentive to the pacing of each song… this is Bad Religion’s second peak.
(www.atlanticrecords.com)