Bad Religion - True North

Tracklist: 

01.True North 

02.Past Is Dead 

03.Robin Hood In Reverse 

04.Land Of Endless Greed 

05.Fuck You 

06.Dharma And The Bomb 

07.Hello Cruel World 

08.Vanity 

09.In Their Hearts Is Right 

10.Crisis Time 

11.Dept. Of False Hope 

12.Nothing To Dismay 

13.Popular Consensus 

14.My Head Is Full Of Ghosts 

15.The Island 

16.Changing Tide

Release date: January 22, 2013
Label: Epitaph


Reviewed by Chad Jensen

Bad Religion are the progenitors of melodic punk. Without them, melodic punk would not exist. Bands like Pennywise, NoFX, No Use For a Name, Lagwagon, Pulley, Strung Out, No Fun At All, Millencolin, and the list goes on, all owe their existence to BR. If you were to ask anyone from these bands, they'd tell you the same thing. Bad Religion's last record, "Dissent of Man", was somewhat experimental, in the sense that they strayed into more poppy and almost country sounding songs. There are some great nuggets on DoM, as with any BR record, but over-all it fell short of the mark that we've come to expect from them ever since Brett Gurewitz returned for Process of Belief.

True North is an absolutely triumphant return to form. Fast-paced, blazing songs, catchy and infectious melodies, perfect harmonies, and of course top shelf songwriting. Is there honestly a better writing tandem than Gurewitz & Graffin in punk rock? The answer, my friends, is no.

The record starts off with break neck speed with the title track "True North". A song about not belonging and trying to find one's place in the world. "Fuck You'' is my least favorite song on the album, because I really think that BR has come far enough that they probably could find something more meaningful to say that FUCK YOU in a song, but whatevs. I loved that Brett makes his first appearance singing lead vocals for an entire song on "Dharma and the Bomb". One of the best tracks on the record. I saw them play it live and Greg sung it. "Hello Cruel World" adds a little bit of pacing and gives us a bit of a break from the speed of the record. It calls to mind old faves like "21st Century Digital Boy" & "Infected" with it's mid-tempo beats and anthemic chorus. Moving on toward the end of the record with "The Island". I feel like this shoulda been an outtake from the SUFFER album. I loved it. Perfect lyrics about protecting oneself from the onslaught of the world and the familiar BR riffs and harmonies.

Overall, I'd say that TRUE NORTH is definitely a better record than it's predecessor. And might be as good as NEW MAPS OF HELL, if not better. If you love BR, you'll love this record. And if you don't love BR, why the fuck are you reading reviews at this site?