Category: | Review - Internet | Publish date: | |
Source: | allmusic.com | ||
Synopsis: |
Review: The Dissent of Man
by Jason Lymangrover
allmusic.com
On Bad Religion's 15th album in 30 years, the stage opens with a sentimental but roused Greg Graffin reminiscing, “Do you remember when we were young?/Adventure had no end/Those were the days, my friend,” to recall the melodic blast of their early years. Still, even die-hard fans recognize the lack of trajectory for the band; the first album ruled, and if you like the mid-career songs, the late songs are pretty much the same. Producer Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool) attempts to add range with some midtempo pop/rockers like “The Devil in Stitches,” "Won't Somebody," and “Cyanide,” the latter with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell on slide guitar. In these, guitarist Brett Gurewitz’s songwriting seems more fitting for the Gin Blossoms or Lemonheads than a rapid-fire punk group, but it's a change. Elsewhere, "Only Rain" takes it back to their roots and features some of Bad Religion’s most heady anti-Christian commentary -- which is saying a lot for a band with a crossed-out cross for a family crest.
3 / 5