Album Review: Bad Religion - True North

Album number 16 sees Bad Religion in a nostalgic mood. Adopting a 'back to basics' mentality the band gave themselves a challenge to produce a set of stripped-down rapid-fire punk rock that would have fitted on 1988's Suffer. While one could question this rationale (I mean, have Bad Religion ever really deviated from their core sound?) there's no questioning the quality of the results. True North is yet another glorious explosion of infectious melodic punk, with thought-provoking lyrics from Prof. Graffin and of course those patented 'oohs n aahs'.

Each of True North's 16 tracks is memorable in its own right, but the cream of crop is found in the visceral Fuck You, the super cynical The Dept. Of False Hope, and Robin Hood In Reverse, the catchiest Bad Religion tune since Sorrow. If you're looking for a departure point from previous album, The Dissent Of Man, there are definitely fewer mid-tempo tunes (although the brooding Hello Cruel World is one of the better slower songs the band has ever produced) and a reignited anger that makes you forget that Bad Religion are now well into their middle-aged years.

In short this is yet another superb collection of effortlessly vital music from a band that by now must be acknowledged as the finest punk rock band still going today – and possibly even the finest punk rock band of all time. Bad Religion left the epithet 'legendary' behind many years ago. These six guys are now nothing short of an institution.