Bad Religion - True North (20/02/2013)
16 releases on and Los Angeles’ pioneers of political punk, Bad Religion continue to pump their energetic messages through the sound waves with their latest album ‘True North’.
As with every Bad Religion album, the fast-paced guitar loaded with dirty distortion is a feature in mostly every track. The barking vocals of lead singer Greg Graffin continue to convince us of his fierce political yet, melodious activism. These and many more elements of ‘True North’ give the deceiving impression that this band has busted out sixteen tracks worth of rehashed material. But this is not the case.
‘True North’ delivers the musical wisdom and experience of a band that spearheaded the punk movement and inspired our own modern legends in the genre. Burning riffs, epic chords and sweeping vocal harmonies harness the intensity of Bad Religion’s mission against ignorance and oppression.
Tracks such as ‘Robin Hood in Reverse’ and album title track ‘True North’ convey the classic and organic punk approach to an album. Each song written individually of its own idea, with its own considerable portion of effort placed upon it.
But, without doubt, the take-charge album single, bluntly named ‘Fuck You’ stands out like a bitten thumb. Everything from the classic rock solo to the prophetic harmonies creates a fire in the belly, perfectly channeling the furious and fed-up attitude of the punk genre. This bold track is perfect for any fan, new or old, to recognize the truth of what Bad Religion is truly all about.
Via their screaming guitar solos and all-important vocal harmonies, Bad Religion, while not re-inventing themselves, return to their punk roots and showcase their ability to write a well written punk album for the fans.
Jack White
As with every Bad Religion album, the fast-paced guitar loaded with dirty distortion is a feature in mostly every track. The barking vocals of lead singer Greg Graffin continue to convince us of his fierce political yet, melodious activism. These and many more elements of ‘True North’ give the deceiving impression that this band has busted out sixteen tracks worth of rehashed material. But this is not the case.
‘True North’ delivers the musical wisdom and experience of a band that spearheaded the punk movement and inspired our own modern legends in the genre. Burning riffs, epic chords and sweeping vocal harmonies harness the intensity of Bad Religion’s mission against ignorance and oppression.
Tracks such as ‘Robin Hood in Reverse’ and album title track ‘True North’ convey the classic and organic punk approach to an album. Each song written individually of its own idea, with its own considerable portion of effort placed upon it.
But, without doubt, the take-charge album single, bluntly named ‘Fuck You’ stands out like a bitten thumb. Everything from the classic rock solo to the prophetic harmonies creates a fire in the belly, perfectly channeling the furious and fed-up attitude of the punk genre. This bold track is perfect for any fan, new or old, to recognize the truth of what Bad Religion is truly all about.
Via their screaming guitar solos and all-important vocal harmonies, Bad Religion, while not re-inventing themselves, return to their punk roots and showcase their ability to write a well written punk album for the fans.
Jack White