The Dissent Of Man
Epitaph
2010 saw SoCal veterans Bad Religion notch up a grand 30+ years in existence. That’s some legacy, and a plaque of honour in the Punk House of Fame is already long assured. They have also released their 15th studio album, containing fifteen new songs. Those with a keen ear will recognise ‘The Resist Stance’ from the free download live album released earlier this year, whilst an acoustic version of ‘Won’t Somebody’ was included in the deluxe version of their last album ‘New Maps of Hell’. And to be honest the blistering lead riffage of ‘Meeting of The Minds’ (one of the best tracks on here) has been recycled a fair few times over the years. Hey, I’m a big believer in the benefits of recycling to protect the planet and all that, but, you know…
So look, the big question is, with all this rich history under their belts, and a collective age that’s downright Jurassic, can Bad Religion 2010 still cut it across 15 tracks, or should these 21st Century Dignitas Boys be sent packing?
Well, as a long term fan of their music, I must admit it took a couple of full spins to start warming to these songs, as a collective entity. Sure, the opening salvo of ‘The Day That The Earth Stalled’, ‘Only Rain’ and the already mentioned ‘Resist Stance’ will easily satisfy even the most cynical BR listener. There on in it’s a bit patchier; ‘Pride and Pallor’ is a smart rocker, fired up by a Social D lead, and “Someone to Believe” rips heavily from The Germs. The anthemic ‘Wrong Way Kids’ is benchmark mid-period (major label era) Bad Religion with punchy verse and cheesy woah-woah chorus you still can’t resist. ‘Avalon’ is a standout, would have fitted in perfectly on ‘Process to Belief’. But it’s followed by ‘Cyanide’… c’mon, a song called ‘Cyanide’ should not sound this, well, MOR. Apparently a member of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers plays lead guitar. I always preferred the Johnny Thunders version myself. In the latter stages ‘Ad Hominem’ raises the spirits, with its intelligent lyrics and burning guitars… “I’m just a soft cover version of a much harder tale, a walking resemblance of ruts in the trail”. The album closes out with the very poppy ‘Won’t Say Anything’, that’s actually a really nice textured song, but I was urgently waiting for a final loud burst… that never came.
In summary then; a very mixed bag of tunes on this album, or as The Damned would have it… “another case of hit or miss”…
Pete Craven
Bad Religion – The Resist Stance by Epitaph Records
