Photo: metalwarez.com
It’s hard to believe, but chances are Bad Religion has been producing aggressively catchy punk rock tunes since before you were born. Together 30 years, the SoCal punk godfathers just released a staggering 15th studio album, The Dissent of Man on Epitaph Records (actually founded by BR guitarist Brett Gurewitz).
Artistically, it pales in comparison to the band’s classic albums like Suffer, Stranger than Fiction, and Recipe for Hate. But most of the songs on The Dissent of Man prove why Bad Religion is still musically relevant 30 years into their careers.
The album hits the ground running with “The Day That the Earth Stalled,” a 90-second work packed with a rapid tempo and complex drum beat, especially in the opening verse. Lead singer Greg Graffin speeds through the lines, pining for nostalgia: “Do you remember when we were young, adventure had no end? Those were the days, my friend.”
“The Resist Stance” has the makings of a quality single. It starts with a lethargic and heavily-distorted guitar riff, much along the lines of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” This transitions into another rapid punk instrumental, but the riff is cleverly layered beneath, creating a pleasant contrast between punk-fast and heavy metal-slow.
Die-hard fans may be turned off by the first single “The Devil in Stitches.” It’s slower in tempo, and resonates a bit of a country feel. True, the song has an edgy sound echoing from the guitar trio of Gurewitz, Greg Hetson, and Brian Baker. But the guitars won’t overwhelm your eardrums like BR staples “Generator” and “American Jesus” can. “Devil” feels mature and maybe even a bit mellow, especially when arriving at the interlude before Gurewitz’s guitar solo.
The country influence takes full force with “Cyanide.” This number that feels like Hank Williams Jr. meets Gin Blossoms. Gurewitz uses a guitar tone that gives off a twangy effect, evident in his plucking notes at the end of the choruses. The solo is the simplest one on the album, with the guitar crying more than screaming.
This tone is coupled with lyrics that are an ode to those punch drunk love poems penned on napkins at the country diner: “The road to you is paved right through with bloody good intentions/And missing you is like kissing Cyanide.” These revelations may have punk enthusiasts crying “sellouts!”
But rest assured; this is only a detour through Nashville, not a permanent stop. And left turns like this prove why BR is still relevant in today’s music scene. If they’d played the exact same style throughout their discography, they probably wouldn’t have made it long enough to see record 15.
While there are some detours, themes of religion and evolution remain constant, a continuation from the last album, 2007’s New Maps of Hell. These themes appear throughout Dissent. Religion is the central theme of “Devil” (“And let the devil come join us dancing/Across the yellow sun/We’ll run/While the devil in stitches goes and has his fun.”). And hearing the oohs, aahs, and whoas from Gurewitz and bassist Jay Bentley on almost every BR praise chorus gives the impression they’re part of a church choir led by the baritone voice of reverend Graffin.
Evolution is taught by Graffin at UCLA, who recently published a book called Anarchy Evolution, depicting some of his thoughts on the matter. In “Won’t Somebody,” he gains a sense of urgency concerning higher powers, wondering: “Won’t somebody please come up with something/ Cuz’ Jesus just don’t seem to be impartially working.”
The dissent of man is discussed in-depth on “Wrong Way Kids.” Graffin dishes out some of his vintage social commentary, served with a side of sarcasm. Pertaining to the wrong way kids, he notes: “The kids today are gone away petitioning the dust/With nobody to look up to because they’re looking up to us.”
Not to be forgotten is the solid work of veteran Bentley and relatively new drummer Brooks Wackerman. Bentley’s bass lines flow seamlessly throughout the LP, with a nice mix of filler and bass riffs. Wackerman’s energy is a breath of fresh air. With his flawless execution of the intricate and intense percussion on Dissent, it’s tempting to wonder just how much more legendary Recipe For Hate and Stranger Than Fiction would’ve been had he appeared on them.
Still, Dissent lacks many of the catchy pop features and striking melodies that were free-flowing during the band’s heyday of the late 80’s/early 90’s. Today’s songs simply don’t hold a creative candle to classics like “21st Century Digital Boy,” “Infected,” “Struck a Nerve,” and “Atomic Garden.” And the intro to “Someone to Believe” is completely ripped off from the backing track to Green Day’s “American Idiot.”
But there are no real duds on Dissent; you’d be hard pressed to find one. This speaks for itself about any band that’s 30-years strong. And if they keep churning out this music, Bad Religion’s dissent may still be a while off.
