Album Review. Bad Religion - Age Of Unreason (2019)

If I were asked to name key musicians in punk rock, then besides The Stooges, Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Misfits, and The Exploited, I certainly would have added Bad Religion to this list.

These musicians brought to the genre their original vision, approach, philosophy, which later influenced many groups and genre in general. They proved that punk can be melodic, soulful and thoughtful. And their style has become so popular and recognizable that from the first notes of any track you can immediately understand which group is playing now.

Over the past forty years, Bad Religion has been and remains the haunters of all major rock festivals. Throughout his long musical career, Greg Graffin and the company have already released 17 full-length records, each of which went straight from the studio to the personal collections of all fans of the genre. And each of their release was accompanied by the quivering torment of fans in anticipation of a new job.

Six years have passed since the release of the latest album "True North". This is a very long time even for such mastodons as Bad Religion. During this period guitarist Greg Hetson and drummer Brooks Wackerman managed to leave the band. Greg Graffin was engaged in his usual scientific activities, and at the same time the political climate was changing in the United States, and Donald Trump came to power.

Bad Religion, known for their socially and political texts, could not miss such important changes within society and in the country as a whole, so the release of the new album is directly related to the situation in the USA and in the world.

The first unveiled singles "Chaos From Within", "My Sanity" and "Do The Paranoid Style" immediately established themselves as unconditional punk hits. "Chaos From Within", which opens the record, can be called a perfect punk-rock song and can be used as an example of what you should strive for in this genre.

Yes, this is still the same Bad Religion with its incredibly fast rhythms, harmonious melodies and semantic loads in each line. But most of all I am surprised at their relevance, both in terms of writing texts, and in the musical component. Bad Religion were able to bridge the gap between generations and once again confirm that punk rock is still alive and is not going to retire.

I would also like to note the diversity of this album. With the advent of new musicians, the sound of Bad Religion has become even richer and more diverse. Although, in general, they sound like in their best years. This is the real professionalism of any musician - always remain at a high level, despite the time and circumstances.

Another important part of "Age Of Unreason" is that Bad Religion, I think, paid some tribute to punk history. For example, in the track "Big Black Dog" you can clearly see the musical moves in the style of The Clash, and the rhythm section in the song "Downfall" is the classic Ramones.

The most melodious song on the album turned out to be a track called "Candidate". Classical punk ballad in the corporate style of Bad Religion, in which musicians touch upon issues related to the political regime in the United States. The main character is the future presidential candidate who can finally change everything for the better.

I definitely recommend listening to "Age Of Unreason". This is really a very powerful record, containing all for which we love this music.

Thanks for attention! Have a nice week!

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