Bad Religion - The Process of Belief (Epitaph)

Although the 21-year-old Bad Religion had undergone some drastic changes in the past year - their drummer since 1992's Generator, Bobby Schayer, sustained a career-ending injury, the quintet became a sextet with the return of original guitarist Brett Gurewitz and the band returned home to indie powerhouse and Gurewitz's own label, Epitaph -- these absurdly prolific punkers have managed once again to barely stray from the sonic style of their previous releases. On their 12th full-length, newly enlisted stickwielder Brooks Wackerman (Vandals, Suicidal Tendencies, Pressure 4-5) anchords the band now, making Bad Religion heavier and tighter than before, especially on blink-and-you'll miss-it speed rockers like "Can't Stop It", "Prove It" and "Supersonic." But like every album since their superior 1993 Atlantic debut, Recipe For Hate, The Process of Belief's hyper beats-per-minute yield to poppy gems. This time around, singer Greg Graffin hits those same sweet notes on the anthemic "Epiphany" and on the head-nodding tempo of "The Defense," which is propped up by staccato call-and-response vocals. Microscopic alterations from 2000's The New America aside, this is no doubt a Bad Religion album replete with the same melodic, lyrical and thematic ingredients they've had since their inception in 1980. "Oozin Aahs" still wrap themselves around Graffin's stark commentaries -- the way they always have, the way they always will.
>>>>Dylan P. Gadino