Hey friends, it's been awhile. I'm tackling a new job, and with the real world slowly weighing down on me, it seems I've neglected my old friend I Breathe the Underground and all of my old friends in the blogosphere that enjoy the music that makes my world spin. So, this week, I thought I'd roll things out with a Bad Religion extravaganza, fueled by new developments in their world (as well as mine).
We're going to kick this week off with a post about the band's new album, The Dissent of Man. After the band's last three masterpieces, it was nearly a sure bet that this was going to be intense cacophony of intellectual splendor. Still, thirty years of tireless touring -- coupled with the release of fifteen studio albums -- can take a lot out of a band. With few remaining in the punk species (I hope Doctor Graffin the evolutionary biologist wouldn't scoff at my classification choice), it's a lonely road to punk rock legend.
I'm happy to report that Bad Religion is still in prime shape. TDOM is chock-full of the blazing, melodic riffs and four-part vocal harmonies we've come to know and love as staples of the BR sound. Appealing in construction, flow and pop sensibility, BR reminds me why I've stuck with the punk rock genre for so long, even as my tastes expanded outward into the musical ethos. Tracks like "Only Rain" and "Meeting of the Minds" serve as throwbacks to the band's history, while "Cyanide" and closing track "I Won't Say Anything" demonstrate an appealing softer side that's been basically non-existent throughout the group's discography.
Overall, TDOM blends a lot of the band's influences with the style diehard fans have come to embrace over the band's colossal legacy. While I wouldn't venture to call it BR's best, I will say that it stands alone as a masterpiece of the collection. It builds the momentum of The Process of Belief, The Empire Strikes First and New Maps of Hell into a diverse, mature and masterful roller coaster ride of intellectual punk rock. Buy. This. Shit.
Have you had a chance to give the album a few spins? Hit me up with your thoughts in the replies, yo.
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