Bad Religion – ‘The Empire Strikes First’ (Epitaph
Records)
As we all know, Bad
Religion has been around for quite some time, and their thirteenth album, ‘The
Empire Strikes First’, is definitely evidence of that. Their seasoned,
experienced sound has carried them through the years, and they are still able to
make hit singles. Mixing catchy choruses, strong backing vocals, and
head-bopping beats, Bad Religion delivers a strong album that will satisfy their
many fans. Made up of Greg Graffin on vocals, guitarists Brett Gurewitz, Greg
Hetson, and Brian Baker, bassist Jay Bentley, and Brooks Wackerman on drums, Bad
Religion offers this album, quite possibly one of the "fiercest and most
focused" they have done. "After so many years of doing this, we're really only
interested in making a record, writing the songs and producing it if we know it
will be really good," says Graffin. And really good it is. Fueled by
their single, "Los Angeles Is Burning", Bad Religion will be featured on this
years Warped Tour, and will be bringing the punk rock sound they've been
bringing since their creation in 1980. "Los Angeles Is Burning" was definitely
my favorite track on the album, but I was also intrigued by "The Quickening",
the title track, "The Empire Strikes First", and "Boot Stamping on a Human Face
Forever". ‘The Empire Strikes First’ is a strong record that will keep longtime
fans happy, and should bring in lots of new fans, as well. (Melani Alleshouse)
Beseech is a seven piece unit
from Sweden. (Digression: /ON) Hold on, yet another superb Swedish hard rock
band? What is it about that country, anyway? I mean, most music scenes would
love to have two or three great acts emerge on the national (or international)
scene each year. Yet every time some janitor at a Swedish label farts or blows
his/her nose, it's awesome! (Digression: /OFF) This is their fourth full
length album, but just the first to be "officially" released in America. Their
previous efforts had been import only, with the video clip for "Between The
Lines" (from "Souls Highway") being heavily traded and downloaded with the
band's full permission. This technique has paid off, with Ryko picking up their
latest effort. In a word, this album is: awesome. Erik Molarin's vocals are
less Peter Steele-ish this time around, and the band is truly developing a style
all their own. Female singer Lotta Haglan's style is likewise getting more
diverse, and the songwriting has been kicked up a notch. In the past, Beseech
has been compared to HIM and Evanescence, and not unfavorably. This album is
more mature and less derivative, and a thoroughly pleasant listen. Standout
cuts include "Drama" (the first single), "Forever Falling", and "Addicted". If
you like dark, melodic, gothic heavy metal, then this is one album you shouldn't
miss! (Taliesin Govannon)
Concrete Trampoline are almost
a Jeckyl and Hyde band. On the one had, they crank out an awful lot of good but
completely typical fast and melodic punk that sounds like about a million other
bands. Songs like “No Regret”, “Opportunity”, and the title track no doubt
smoke live and get the kids moving, but they won’t win any awards for
originality. On the other hand, “Stand Up”, “Degeneration”, and “Channel Surfin”
sound like the work of a more mature band with diverse influences. Not all the
non-punk tracks thrill me. “Wings at Gary’s” has kind of a commercial sound
(perhaps intentional, since it’s about emo bands), and the Curt Cobain tribute
“Twenty Seven”, while obviously sincere and heartfelt, just doesn’t work for
me. Production is pretty good, but SFL really needs to start pressing their
discs as real CDs, not CD-Rs. Go to the SFL Records
website if you want to order a copy. (Bob Ignizio)
The critics have been split on
the latest from the Cure. When they heard parts of it, they said it was the best
since (insert your favorite Cure record here). Then, when it came out, they said
it was too angry, and that they were like a cover band covering themselves.
Well, the new record IS angry, and it's an awesome thing. The Cure are one of
the best bands to come out of the 1980's, and one of the only bands that still
survive the test of time. On their latest disc, produced by Ross Robinson (Korn,
Slipknot), the band find themselves in a whole new mood. The music is much
moodier than the last few efforts, and Robert Smith's lyrics are, well, pretty
brutal. "I dont want you anywhere near me, get your fucking world out of my
head", he sings in "Us Or Them", and the theme continues with "Go if you want
to, I never tried to stop you", as Smith sings in the first single "The End Of
The World". A theme of confused love is rampant on this record. Despite what
some have said, the quirkiness is still here. Robert Smith's blurting noises of
joy still appear. In between the rough stuff, there are still those "cure-ish"
moments, like in "Taking Off" and "(I Don't Know What's Going) On". Ross
Robinson did NOT make them rap-rock. What he did do, was help to find some of
the more angry thoughts that lurk in the heads of the Cure. It makes for an
interesting listening experience, and goes to prove that the Cure are one of the
best bands ever, and that they continue to be a fresh and creative source for
music. (Eddie Fleisher)
As we all know, Bad
Religion has been around for quite some time, and their thirteenth album, ‘The
Empire Strikes First’, is definitely evidence of that. Their seasoned,
experienced sound has carried them through the years, and they are still able to
make hit singles. Mixing catchy choruses, strong backing vocals, and
head-bopping beats, Bad Religion delivers a strong album that will satisfy their
many fans. Made up of Greg Graffin on vocals, guitarists Brett Gurewitz, Greg
Hetson, and Brian Baker, bassist Jay Bentley, and Brooks Wackerman on drums, Bad
Religion offers this album, quite possibly one of the "fiercest and most
focused" they have done. "After so many years of doing this, we're really only
interested in making a record, writing the songs and producing it if we know it
will be really good," says Graffin. And really good it is. Fueled by
their single, "Los Angeles Is Burning", Bad Religion will be featured on this
years Warped Tour, and will be bringing the punk rock sound they've been
bringing since their creation in 1980. "Los Angeles Is Burning" was definitely
my favorite track on the album, but I was also intrigued by "The Quickening",
the title track, "The Empire Strikes First", and "Boot Stamping on a Human Face
Forever". ‘The Empire Strikes First’ is a strong record that will keep longtime
fans happy, and should bring in lots of new fans, as well. (Melani Alleshouse)
Beseech is a seven piece unit
from Sweden. (Digression: /ON) Hold on, yet another superb Swedish hard rock
band? What is it about that country, anyway? I mean, most music scenes would
love to have two or three great acts emerge on the national (or international)
scene each year. Yet every time some janitor at a Swedish label farts or blows
his/her nose, it's awesome! (Digression: /OFF) This is their fourth full
length album, but just the first to be "officially" released in America. Their
previous efforts had been import only, with the video clip for "Between The
Lines" (from "Souls Highway") being heavily traded and downloaded with the
band's full permission. This technique has paid off, with Ryko picking up their
latest effort. In a word, this album is: awesome. Erik Molarin's vocals are
less Peter Steele-ish this time around, and the band is truly developing a style
all their own. Female singer Lotta Haglan's style is likewise getting more
diverse, and the songwriting has been kicked up a notch. In the past, Beseech
has been compared to HIM and Evanescence, and not unfavorably. This album is
more mature and less derivative, and a thoroughly pleasant listen. Standout
cuts include "Drama" (the first single), "Forever Falling", and "Addicted". If
you like dark, melodic, gothic heavy metal, then this is one album you shouldn't
miss! (Taliesin Govannon)
Concrete Trampoline are almost
a Jeckyl and Hyde band. On the one had, they crank out an awful lot of good but
completely typical fast and melodic punk that sounds like about a million other
bands. Songs like “No Regret”, “Opportunity”, and the title track no doubt
smoke live and get the kids moving, but they won’t win any awards for
originality. On the other hand, “Stand Up”, “Degeneration”, and “Channel Surfin”
sound like the work of a more mature band with diverse influences. Not all the
non-punk tracks thrill me. “Wings at Gary’s” has kind of a commercial sound
(perhaps intentional, since it’s about emo bands), and the Curt Cobain tribute
“Twenty Seven”, while obviously sincere and heartfelt, just doesn’t work for
me. Production is pretty good, but SFL really needs to start pressing their
discs as real CDs, not CD-Rs. Go to the SFL Records
The critics have been split on
the latest from the Cure. When they heard parts of it, they said it was the best
since (insert your favorite Cure record here). Then, when it came out, they said
it was too angry, and that they were like a cover band covering themselves.
Well, the new record IS angry, and it's an awesome thing. The Cure are one of
the best bands to come out of the 1980's, and one of the only bands that still
survive the test of time. On their latest disc, produced by Ross Robinson (Korn,
Slipknot), the band find themselves in a whole new mood. The music is much
moodier than the last few efforts, and Robert Smith's lyrics are, well, pretty
brutal. "I dont want you anywhere near me, get your fucking world out of my
head", he sings in "Us Or Them", and the theme continues with "Go if you want
to, I never tried to stop you", as Smith sings in the first single "The End Of
The World". A theme of confused love is rampant on this record. Despite what
some have said, the quirkiness is still here. Robert Smith's blurting noises of
joy still appear. In between the rough stuff, there are still those "cure-ish"
moments, like in "Taking Off" and "(I Don't Know What's Going) On". Ross
Robinson did NOT make them rap-rock. What he did do, was help to find some of
the more angry thoughts that lurk in the heads of the Cure. It makes for an
interesting listening experience, and goes to prove that the Cure are one of the
best bands ever, and that they continue to be a fresh and creative source for
music. (Eddie Fleisher)