Bad Religion - "True North"

The time has finally come and Bad Religion are back with 16 new songs and a promise: trying to keep things short, fast and punk. Well, that is true, and that is what a lot of people have been asking for since many years ago; specially, after the controversial The Dissent of Man, a good example of the bands latest efforts in trying to combine the classic sound with newer/modern ideas. While that will probably keep the most hardcore (pun intended) fans happy, I think the album lacks that variety, but that's maybe more of a personal preference, since I tend to enjoy when the guys go off track and do something different.

According to the interviews, the band were really moved by Pennywise's excellent effort from last year, and they wanted to show that they can still rock the house. Well, that's pretty clear when "True North" opens the party. The first part of the album goes on the same track, from "Robin Hood in Reverse", a typical example of 21st century Bad Religion, to the energetic single "Fuck You". "Dharma and the Bomb" brings the 1st surprise with its rock-n-roll riffs and a more friendly pace, leading to the slow and dark "Hello Cruel World" (think of "Infected"), my personal favourite at the moment.

After the intermission, "Vanity", the fastest tune on the album, brings back the hostility and opens the way for "In Their Hearts Is Right", a cool tune with some nice harmonies on the chorus. "Crisis Time", kind of a slightly less inspired version of "The Resist Stance", brings things a bit down again, but "Dept. of False Hope" keeps the flame alive. After another section pointing out to previous eras of the band, we get "My Head Is Full of Ghosts", another high point that will get you dancing around the room and pogoing to the furniture. "The Island" and "Changing Tide" close the album in a respectable way, on the tone of the record.

In conclusion, it's a solid album which stays good from start to finish. In my opinion, it lacks a couple of stronger anthems and a bit more variety like we got on the previous efforts, but it will help the band get the credit lost with the previous album amongst punkheads.

Rating: 7.5/10