A good few years ago, when I was in my early-teens, Bad Religion were never off my stereo. Lately, however, I must confess that the band haven’t been anywhere near my stereo for quite some time. The reason? Well, in my humble opinion their last few albums have been poor, not a patch on the band they once were. The media too, has been critical of late, accusing the band of being boring and musically stagnated. However, fate has stepped in and reunited the band with their former member, Brett Gurewitz, now of course head honcho of Epitaph. This, obviously, has led to the reformation of one of the strongest musical writing double acts in punk rock, that of Gurewitz, and lead singer, Greg Graffin. So, will their latest offering ‘The Process of Belief’ see the band reacquainted with my stereo?
‘The Process of Belief’ is a triumph from start to finish, and is without a doubt the strongest Bad Religion record in years. It is 37 minutes of the band being brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Graffin and Gurewitz’s songwriting has returned to the sort of level that made ‘Against The Grain’ one of the most essential punk rock releases of the last couple of decades. The band sound rejuvenated on the album, reclaiming much of their former speed, power and energy.
There are very few bands these days that have a distinctive sound, but from the moment opener ‘Supersonic’ kicks in, you know you are listening to a Bad Religion record; a record that features 14 songs, some which are strong, and others which border on being outstanding.
Without a doubt, ‘Sorrow’ is one of the standout tracks on the album. It features a great ska-style intro, and turns into a beast of a song. The chorus, with its background explosions, really exacerbates the message behind the music. (Listen to the song and you will understand that sentence a lot more!) Other highlights include ‘Evangaline’, a fast and powerful track, ‘Broken’, with its slower, more subtle verses, and ‘Kyoto Now!’, which just oozes melody!
With ‘The Process of Belief’, Bad Religion have returned to form in a big, big way. It is the best album they have produced for many a year, but it isn’t their best. In certain places it just lacks the spark that their earlier releases had. Having, said that though, it sees the band standing out once more against the masses of identikit punk bands that have followed them, and bettering them with ease. Make this your first essential purchase of 2002. It will certainly be staying in my stereo for quite some time!
Mark