Bad Religion - New Maps Of Hell

LABEL:

Epitaph

GENRE:

Punk

RELEASE:

July 10, 2007

LENGTH:

38 min 30 sec

RATING:

I'm not entirely sure how to write an unbiased review of a Bad Religion album. They have been my favorite band for years, and I like everything that they've done, for better or for worse. They were the first real punk band I ever listened to and their music certainly did a lot to help me get through high school. I still think Greg Graffin is probably the coolest punk rocker in the world, despite how old and nerdy he is. In fact, that's what I love about them. Not only is Bad Religion socially conscious, intelligent and uncharacteristically well-versed, they are by far the least hip looking group of men I have ever seen. It's fantastic. The best way I can possible do it is just to compare it to their other works. Fair enough, right?

New Maps Of Hell starts off in the same manner as the two albums that came before it, with short, fast songs, each clocking it at under two minutes. The awkward and intro-like "52 Seconds" is the opener, followed by "Heroes & Martyrs" and "Germs of Perfection." Once that's over with, we finally get into the kind of songs that better represent the style of this album as a whole. "New Dark Ages" is classic Bad Religion lyrically, minus the unfamiliar melodies leading into it. "Requiem For Dissent" is a rarity for Bad Religion, in that powerful gang vocals dominate much of the song, as opposed to usual harmonies, or "oozin' ahs," as they are commonly referred to in the liner notes. "Before You Die" is a pretty good song, but the lyrics seem as if they were forced so they'd rhyme. Perhaps the most controversial track on the album is "Honest Goodbye," not so much because of its content, but due to its very slow, melodic nature. I think the song is great, but apparently lots of people felt that the band was getting soft. The next two tracks are a couple of my favorites on this record. "Dearly Beloved" is about a man losing his faith and being unable to relate to his peers, followed by "Grains of Wrath," another all-encompassing song about America's turmoils. The next six songs are decent, but slightly less memorable than the others, the most notable exception being "Murder," just because it's a very short, bizarre song. The last track, "Fields of Mars" is an epic song that, punctuated with brief piano accompaniment, is a perfect way to to end this album.

If I compared each of Bad Religion's albums to the work of most other artists, they would all get five stars, given the special place they have in my heart. While New Maps Of Hell is better overall than The Empire Strikes First, it still has its flaws and by this band's standards it's nowhere near perfect. About half of the 16 songs on this record are fantastic and the rest are solid, but nothing new. Criticism aside, I still really love this album and it has completely exceeded my expectations. After thirty years and everything that Bad Religion has accomplished, I'm amazed that they are still able to make quality punk music, especially considering that Professor Graffin is old enough to be my dad, which I kind of wish he was.