The shabby state of punk rock isn't just limited to the MTV crop of fake skaters and boy bands with guitars. Take a closer look and you might find out that even bands within the punk community are helping to try and destroy punk rock from the inside. As of late, the quality of punk music coming out has been seriously downgraded, especially in the category of political punk. What was once a genre which included a myriad bands that could craft a hard hitting and clever attack on the government has been reduced to a bunch of conspirators, cheap jokers, and kids who talk about issues they don't understand. As witnessed with bands like NoFx and Pennywise in past years, the dying genre of punk rock has been constantly saved by just a few bands who take the time to go beyond repeated yells of "F*ck the government! f*ck the government! f*ck Bush!" and make something more out of their albums. Anyone can be mad at the goverment, but you've got to pretty damn talented to convey those feelings in a song.

That's where Bad Religion comes in. The reigning kings of political punk, Bad Religion is one of the few bands holding the genre up to it's standards today, even though they're old enough to be their fan's grandfathers. Bad Religion is such a legendary band in the political punk scene that popular acts like NoFx and Pennywise constantly pay homage to these guys. In every sense of the word, Bad Religion are the poet laureates of political punk. The lyrics to their songs resemble poetry in motion. Instead of opting for a searing and straightforward attack, the band constructs their songs as clever poems full of satire, references to bands past, and some unforgettable one-liners. Their attack on injustice in general is just as aggressive, but twice as entertaining. It's no joke that hardcore BR fans spend about as much time reading the lyrics as they do listening to the music.

On the other side of the spectrum is the music. It's been an accepted fact that political punk rockers usually prefer lyrics to music, but even being the poets that they are, Bad Religion is still capable of crafting songs with enough melody to make a 50's pop group drop their jaws in amazement. Led by lead guitarist Brett Gurewitz, the band's music utilizes intricate vocal harmonies, some wild guitar solos, and ridiculously catchy choruses instead of the tried and true formula that has been worked to death. The band showcases their mastery of their instruments on almost every song, something very tough to do in punk rock, and unfortunately something only a few bands actually strive for.

Bad Religion is:

Greg Graffin - Vocals
Brett Gurewitz - Guitar
Brian Baker - Guitar
Greg Hetson - Guitar
Jay Bentley - Bass
Brooks Wackerman - Drums

The Empire Strikes First is the band's second album following the return of guitarist and songwriter Brett Gurewitz. During the 90's Brett Gurewitz and lead singer Greg Graffin had a falling out, leading Gurewitz to leave the band and manage his record label Epitaph (which at the time was the home of indie sensation The Offspring). Graffin and the rest of band picked up the pieces and recorded a trio of albums during the late 90's followed by The New America in 2000. Finally in 2002 Gurewitz reunited with the band, which released The Process of Belief that same year, which received acclaim by both critics and fans alike. The Empire Strikes First is in many ways a direct continuation of the issues set forth in The Process of Belief, and I don't mean that just because it was released after the aformentioned album. The album focuses on skewering the same groups that The Process of Belief did, namely the media and the Bush administration. And why not...since these two things have been some of our biggest problems since 2000. But, the band also takes time to skewer everything in their path as well, including fundamentalists, overtly religious radicals, and injustice in general. And it all works to near perfection, just as it has the past 20 years for the band.

One thing unique about The Empire Strikes first is that it has a very post-apocalyptic theme that resonates throughout. One reviewer has already pointed out the many direct and indirect references to George Orwell (who for those who have never touched a book wrote 1984 and Animal Farm among other works). While many of the songs are lively and energetic, two songs in particular set a hopeless, somber mood much like 1984 did. This use of an Orwellian nightmare really drives their points home. The intro track feels like a trip through a dystopian future, and once again serves as a clever reference to the books past of dystopian futures, which are still quite relevant today.

The aformentioned track is Overture a brooding instrumental track which sets the post-apocalyptic mood for the album. The song begins with some random sounds until drummer Brooks Wackerman kicks in with a simple yet effective beat, a fusion of a military styled snare roll and a traditional beat. The guitars then find their way in, crafting a creepy rhythym that really sets the mood. Added on towards the end of the song are chants which sound like those of monks, which only adds to the creepy and dark effect of the song. The cold and dark atmosphere set up by Overture, though, is quickly shattered as the band immediately dives headfirst into hard hitting punk rock territory following the end of the piece.

The next four songs recall the late 80's Bad Religion, with a*s-kicking, hard rocking, fast paced punk rock songs that run under two minutes. But while the songs are traditional punk rockers, that doesn't mean that the band doesn't get to show it's musical talents. The key here is drummer Brooks Wackerman, who plays a painfully simple punk beat but laces it with quick fills and impressive work around the toms to make it fresh and exciting.

The first of these rockers is Sinister Rouge, which utilizes some heavy drumming and some impressive guitar work to give it's hard rock feel. The song is uncharacteriscally heavy for a Bad Religion song, but that makes it all the better, as it adds to the aggression conveyed through the lyrics. The song's frenetic pace comes from the quick time changes that occur, moving instantaneously between a fast paced verse/chorus and a ridiculously fast passage that recalls something out of a hardcore song. Although BR usually like to mask their lyrics in intelligent references and sarcasm, Sinister Rouge takes a much more straightforward approach to it's attack, but is no less effective this way.

Child molesters and Jesuits
holding secret conference
underneath the pontiff's nose
and only god will ever know

...

Give us this day our daily bread
and then you'll see we'll not forget
lick the wounds, cleanse the land
the modern world rejects your hand

Social Suicide has a much more distinct Bad Religion sound to it, with Gurewitz's lead kicking in and sounding exactly like it did almost 20 years ago. Wackerman once again works around a simple beat and makes it more interesting with his quick fills around the kit, and is backed by Jay Bentley's quick and intricate basslines. This solid structure supports Greg Graffin's aggressive yet melodic singing. Although the song is awesome, it runs barely over 1 and half minutes, making it feel a bit too short.

Like you,
perserverance is a useless tool,
like a patron on a ship of fools,
feigning interest in the cast and crew,
while you've broken every single rule...

The onslaught of minute-long punk rock songs is rounded out with Athiest Peace, which continues to attack religious fundamentalists that fight wars for no better reason than they think their god is better. The song is probably the weakest of the rockers, since it doesn't really discern itself from the others with any kind of powerful riff or memorable line. It's definitely not bad, but compared to the past two songs, it's a bit on the unimaginative side, especially for these guys.

All There Is has the same style of fast paced power chord attacks that the previous four songs had, except that it runs nearly 3 minutes this time, which gives the band more time to show off their skills both musically and lyrically, as Brett Gurewitz kicks in with a searing guitar solo about halfway into the song. Brooks Wackerman's drumming is once again excellent, as he kicks in some simple but awesome fills that bridge the gaps between Graffin's vocals. The effect is pretty damn cool too. All There Is rounds out the first 1/3 of the album in a very positive way. This material, reminiscent of their work from albums like Suffer and No Control, is sure to win over the hardcore fans. The next part of the album is where the classic stuff is though.

The next song on the album is also the album's first single, Los Angeles is Burning, a pop rock song based on the California wildfires. Still, the lyrics aren't exclusive to the wildfires, as they also add in shots at the media and their coverage of the whole event with lines like and you can't deny that living is easy / if you never look behind the scenery / it's showtime for drag lines /
and bedlam is dreamin' of rain , and I cannot believe the media Mecca / they're only trying to battle reality / catch it on prime time / story at nine /
the whole world is goin' insane. The song berates the media during the backdrop of the wildfires, making the criticism even more harsh and searing. It's also incredibly catchy and a great choice for the first single. It's not quite classic, but it's pretty bada*s. Hardcore fans will also note a pretty cool reference to the band's famous rhetorical question "How could hell be any worse?".

The probable second single of the album is the brilliantly titled Let Them Eat War, obviously a play on Marie Antoinette's response to the French masses when she said "Let them eat cake" in response to their suffering. In many ways this what the song is all about. Graffin and Gurewitz point out similiarities between the rich upper class of America today and that of the French, and their poor treatment of the working class. Graffin mocks the upper class thinking as he sings Let them eat war / let them eat war / that's how to ration the poor!. Towards the end of the song is an awesome interlude by rapper Sage Francis who drops some searing lines between some impressive work on the toms by Wackerman. Francis's short rap is even more critical of the poor treatment of working class America and also one of the highlights of the entire album. Francis makes the artisocratic class out to be violent criminals, but his aggression is balanced out by BR's heavy but calculated verbal attack on the upper classes.

We've got to kill 'em and eat 'em
Before they reach for their checks,
Squeeze some blue collars
Let them bleed from their necks,
Seize a few dollars from the people who sweat,
Cause it's freedom or death and they won't question it ,
At a job site the boss is god like
Conditioned workhorses park at a stoplight,
Seasoned vets with their feet in nets
A stones throw away from a rock fight,
But not tonight, feed 'em death...

The music is also top notch. Instead of a riff led by simple power chords, the lead offers a catchy and anthemic yet powerful guitar riff that the band works around perfectly to create the song. Once again Wackerman goes beyond the standard punk beat by using the toms to perfection, especially during the chorus and the Sage Francis rap while Gurewitz heads the main riff. Musically and lyrically this is one of the strongest on the album.

God's Love continues the band's riff on the hypocrisy of religion. Graffin and company ask why overtly religious people believe that God's love is shining down on them when in reality everyone is suffering, which is summed up in the line ...Who needs perspective when it leads to pain and harm?. The music here really sets it apart from the other songs though, as it includes a few noteworthy solos and an awesome breakdown at the end of the song as Graffin yells "My pain is God's love!". The vocal harmonies here are also at their best, and it mixes especially well with the heavy riffs and drumbeats. Strip away the music and you'll hear something that sounds like 50's pop group singing. The melodic nature of the song makes instantly listenable, yet it's also just as much of a sting towards it's targets.

The final third of the album (also the best part) kicks off with a blistering punker, The Quickening. Graffin's vocals are their best here, especially during the chorus. The chorus consists of only one line, but each time it's repeated it becomes more and more powerful. Graffin even yells the same refrain over 10 times at the end of the song, but backed by the full force of the band, it just ends up making the song even better. The riffs just keep getting tighter and the music more intense as the song passes. As far as 100 mph punk rockers go, this is one is hands down the best on the album, lyrically and musically. The guitar solo that kicks in halfway really makes this song for me. The first part of the solo is typical punk rock, but then the whole band plays over it while Gurewitz and Graffin go crazy, giving the song a frenetic and ridiculously energetic feel right at the end, almost as if a bomb were exploding. This is punk rock at it's finest.

Things get a bit slower in tempo but certainly not in energy with the best overall song on the album, the anthemic, fist-pumping track The Empire Strikes First. Many people groan at the obligatory "The Iraq War Sucks" song, but Bad Religion's take on it is unsurprisingly fresh and very effective. Wackerman kicks off the song with more impressive tom work, until Gurewitz kicks in with his main riff. Graffin makes his grand entrance in the form an awesome verse which sets the stage for the whole song and sets forth the satirical nature of the piece.

We strike first / and we're unrehearsed / here we go again / to stage the greatest show on heaven and earth / come on get your money's worth!

The chorus is a simple shout along chorus that does it's job perfectly. You'll probably be chanting it by the end of the first time you hear it. Graffin and company take a simple few lines consisting of Don't wanna live / don't wanna give / don't wanna be / E-M-P-I-R-E! and turn it into a rallying cry that puts just about 99% of those political punk rants to shame in an instant. Leave it to a bunch of aging punk rockers to be the most energetic of the bunch. This leads into an awesome bridge where Gurewitz once again bangs out a solid solo, unspectacular but still a great listen. The end of the song is once again awesome, descending into near chaos which really drives the point home.

Beyond Electric Dreams follows, and although it's a good listen for the first few times, it's lack of a discerning quality makes it one of the weaker tracks. The next track is Boot Stamping on a Human Face Forever is the second 1984-like song, filled with depressing imagery and a somber atmosphere. The guitars roll out in overdrive with thick distortion, almost sounding like foghorns for a few seconds. The verses are played by light strumming typical of a reggae or ska song, but it's slowed down to match the pace of the song. Graffin's narrative is about depressing as you can get. The song focuses more on painting a dark and dystopian image than on hooks and musicianship, which is why many will find it hard to initially embrace. But, it's actually one of the album highlights, a powerful and unique song that shows that the band isn't as easy to pigeonhole as you may think.

The album finishes with Live Again...The Fall of Man, where Bad Religion attacks the idea of karma and those who believe that they will live again with the clever line What good is something if you can't have it until you die?. The song features some of the band's best hooks, which is pretty impressive considering that they've been doing this for 20+ years. The album ends with a final question posed by Graffin...would you give it all up to live again?

In a time where political punk (not to mention almost every genre in music) is continually settling for less, The Empire Strikes First is one of the few albums that actually showcases some actual effort and raises the bar for the genre. After over 20 years, Bad Religion still hasn't lost a step in their attack, offering up some of their finest work to date and showing a level of energy bands half their age are incapable of mimicking. Once again, BR strikes gold in the both lyrics and music, offering up some of their most memorable lines and hooks, and at the same time showcasing a level of musicianship rarely seen in punk music. Brett Gurewitz re-establishes himself as one of the most underrated and talented punk guitarists and songwriters, while Greg Hetson and Brian Baker back him up to create a formidable trio of guitarists. Jay Bentley and Brooks Wackerman also do a hell of a job, innovating around the standard punk beat and creating some awesome fills and basslines while they're doing it. It may only be June, but The Empire Strikes First has already established itself as one of
the best punk albums of the year. Minus the short running time and two average songs, this one is a definite must buy for punk fans.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving