Category: | Review - Internet | Publish date: | 1/23/2013 |
Source: | thenewreview.net (United States) | ||
Synopsis: |
True North
Much of my transition into heavy music can be attested to the strong influence of the punks and skunks I hung out with in my youth. Many afternoons were spent spinning records from Black Flag, Minor Threat, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Misfits and Operation Ivy after having spent hours putting canvas shoe to grip tape and rubber wheel to pavement. Yet, when I revisit these fond memories, it brings to light the dismal state of the music I once cherished. Besides all of the aforementioned bands’ disbanded status (refrain from mentioning Jerry Only era Misfits), many of my other favorites have strayed from their punk roots.
AFI have certainly achieved a well-constructed blend of The Smiths and the Cure, but the absence of the hardcore angst found in their back catalogue is still rather unfortunate. The pop in Blink 182’s punk has been stretched to the point of making the band seem more like an Angels & Airwaves side project than an independent act. And Green Day…there are simply no words fit to voice my distaste.
Considering these grievances, it is an enormous relief that the Cali punks of Bad Religion have maintained an admirable balance between consistency and intrigue throughout their three decades in existence. True North, the band’s fifteenth studio album, wastes no time in assuring that this ethos has never rung truer, providing sixteen cuts of refined aggression.
The urgent pace of the album’s faster tracks make for immediate skate film soundtrack candidates, with “Robin Hood in Reverse,” “Vanity” and “My Head is Full of Ghosts” being some particularly choice cuts. Some mid tempo moments appear as well, adding variety and showcasing seasoned songwriting ability. “Dharma and the Bomb” nails a sneering take on the sounds of sixties rock ‘n’ roll, while “Hello Cruel World” maintains a steady gallop full of punk swagger and the band’s signature melodic tendencies.
A notable feature of many of the tracks is the subtle strength of Brett Gurewitz, Greg Hetson and Brian Baker’s guitar work. Whether it is a distinct melody accenting firm power chords or a tasteful solo that trades flash for necessity, the group’s six string trio never ceases to build upon each track until a punk core flourishes into a depth laden anthem of simplistic beauty.
These three gentlemen receive impressive aide from the percussive prowess of Brooks Wackerman and legendary larynx of Greg Graffin. The former is the furnace behind the energy and constantly stokes the fire with rich, thumping coals, and the latter resembles the croon of Michael Graves with an elevated registry and more of a focus on stirring up pits rather than channeling rumbling soul from the fifties.
In a time when bands with as expansive a history as Bad Religion are content with releasing an album that is merely acceptable to diehard fans, True North exhibits the professionalism of a band established in its craft while never forfeiting the intensity that instills greatness in punk. Whether dropping in to an abandoned pool or shooting sparks from a meeting between truck and rail, let True North be the background music for a new generation of skate rats and hooligans.
4.0 / 5
- Scott Murphy