Bad Religion - The Empire Strikes First (Epitaph)

National prosperity doesn't suit Bad Religion: After blazing through the Reagan and Bush 1.0 years with a string of politically charged punk classics, the burgeoning e-conomy of the mid- to late- '90s gave singer Greg Graffin little to rail against as his band spun its wheels through an Atlantic Records contract. Given that, our in-the-shitter financial picture and war-fomenting government is perfect to fertilize the band's resurgence. Though never named, Dubya lands squarely in Graffin's sight as he attacks American jingoism ("Social Suicide", "Let Them Eat War") and "nation building" ("God's Love") with a passion and verve absent in his voice for too long. That urgency spreads to the whole band, underscoring the blazing start of "Sinister Rouge" and peaking when pop culture takes a beating on the anthemic "Los Angeles Is Burning." The Empire Strikes First (How long do you think they've been sitting on that title?) reaches its thematic apex on the title track, as Graffin laments that "even 10 million souls marching in February couldn't stop the worst." Come what may in November. it's good to know Bad Religion still fights through the worst of times.
>>>>Chad Swiatecki