Bad Religion New Maps Of Hell CD

Ever since they burst out of the early 1980s SoCal hardcore scene, Bad Religion has always been the smartest punk band on the block. Some 25 years down the line, the men who punk rock to grad school (literally--singer Greg Graffin has a Ph.D.) are as unrelenting as ever. In a post-9/11 America, there's more need than ever for Bad Religion, as the churning riffs and turbulent rhythms of NEW MAPS OF HELL propel polysyllabic, brainy lyrics that capture the tenor of the times. Sometimes directly addressing the turmoil of a war-torn world, sometimes evoking a more existential dilemma, Graffin, founding guitarist/co-writer Brett Gurewitz, and the rest of the sonic marauders march with righteous fury into the fray of humanity's follies, rocking intensely all the while.
It's one thing for a band to merely manage to stay together for 20-plus years, but it's an entirely different thing altogether to effortlessly remain relevant and vital along the way. Bad Religion has already proved their skill, releasing solid albums every few years for a while now, and New Maps of Hell is no different. It finds that the guys don't just still have it, but they sound goddamn rejuvenated, bristling with electric energy and undeniable fervor -- their sharpness ultimately a testament to all the years playing together, especially in the complementary songwriting skills of Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz. Though their discography is already ripe with anthems, this entire record is a call to arms, where Bad Religion, still obviously discontented by much around them, urge the apathetic to finally take a stand. The band's richly textured, melodic hardcore arrives in full force, sweet vocal harmonies and crisp rhythms melding into invigorating track after invigorating track. "Requiem for Dissent" is overt, calling to "raise the rebel from his grave," while other songs further zero in on usual topics like the never-ending war, dissatisfaction, and government corruption. Even amid Graffin's normal dose of scholarly observations, it's the music that really stands tall. Cuts like "52 Seconds" and "Murder" are quick jolts of pounding hardcore to get one's blood boiling. Elsewhere, the urgent professions of "Heroes & Martyrs," "New Dark Ages," and the excellently layered "Dearly Beloved" effectively kick in with charging guitars and machine gun drumming, relying more on big and tuneful choruses to get the fists in the air. Even when the band veers a bit from the blueprint, it works, and the raw and dirty "Honest Goodbye" -- more like a '90s alternative rock song with emotion laid bare in Graffin's steady voice -- is an absolute standout. Leave it to the graying punk rockers to inject a much needed shot of adrenaline into the scene and show the kids how it's still done. ~ Corey AparSpin (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "The songs are more frantic and noisy than the band's recent work....The targets haven't changed much, and Bad Religion still hit them hard."
Kerrang (Magazine) (pp.46-47) - "The songs here are sharp and the production is state of the art, harnessing the energies of a group that still plays as if it's living its last hour on earth."