Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Like the great British post Punk band Goldblade, there are some bands that typify their genre, the big brash sound and verbal generosity that makes them just sound a cut above so many of their peers and those following in their wake. Bad Religion might not appeal to everyone, but they are truly one of the greats, live and in the studio.
Bad Religion’s latest offering, the sublime True North, follows on their rich tradition of wrapping great stories up in the heat and bitter furnace of punk’s anti authority and like Goldblade they succeed in getting you to question just what is being force fed down the throat.
They might not have the intensity of Goldblade or New Zealand’s The Rabble but this is a group that came along at the tail end of the first great punk explosion and have yet managed to retain their undeniable position, largely thanks to the eloquent vocals and intelligent lyrics provided by mainstay Greg Graffin.
There are some truly classic tracks on True North, some rip-roaring tunes that are designed to keep the heart beating and the anger building long after the album has finished. The fantastic Robin Hood in Reverse, Land of Endless Greed, Dept. Of False Hope and Nothing to Dismay are legendary and unrepentant punk classics waiting to happen.
Anybody who caught Bad Religion on their last U.K. tour will know that the displeasure, the bile of one of the great American punk bands is still there. This resolute resentment has carried through to this new album and in time honoured tradition the music fills a void that has been allowed to fester and become in a way forgotten. With only certain bands capturing this raw and brutal sound and lovingly putting two fingers up to those who think they own everything, Bad Religion still have the ability to be creatively warm and shocking.
All bands must eventually leave the arena, most with a whimper, some with greatness but Bad Religion will surely leave in a hail of punk clamour and proving that faux American punk typified by some bands is well and truly over.
Ian D. Hall