Update (2-23-2013) - More reviews added! Rock Cellar Magazine, glide magazine, R13 Room Thirteen, the milk carton, Squabble Box, Snob's Music, Something Gold Something New, ProjectShanks, nowtoronto, examiner, music OMH, Live Music Guide, ultimateGuitar, themusic.com.au, For the Love of Punk, whizz kids radio beta, theDailyer Nebraskan, The Charlatan, The Spill magazine, My Two Cents, Rock Transmission, and The Punk Effect.

Also, remember Geoff? Well, this time we couldn't convince him to come up with an exclusive video review for us (apparently he's become a metalhead nowadays) but we are now proud to present to you a freakingly effing f*cking video review courtesy of YT channel Reviews with Booze. F*ck yeah!

If video reviews is your thing, you will find seven more True North reviews here.

Still not sure what you think about the new album? Do you need the "music experts" to provide you with some guidance and light? Fear no more: we have done our best to compile all the True North reviews that have surfaced on the Internet over the past week! (you can click on links to read full reviews)

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"True North continuously finds Bad Religion not just accepting their past, but fully embracing it (...) Many view 2002's The Process Of Belief as the band's unofficial "return." It marked not only a return to Epitaph Records, but also reintroduced founding guitarist Brett Gurewitz, whose songwriting partnership with Graffin is nothing short of legendary. True North shares a similar feeling of rejuvenation, but pulls more directly from the past in a very demonstrative manner (...) True North is nothing short of a celebration of Bad Religion as a permanent fixture in music history, and maybe more importantly, a testament to a timeless history of influence and epic releases. Nothing comes off as stale or self-serving. It's easily the band's best release in the last 10 years, and with time it will garner more appreciation in the overall catalog. I don't look forward to the day Bad Religion calls it quits, but if True North is their final offering, it would unquestionably be the perfect ending." [Punknews - 5/5]

"Since their last offering, "The Dissent of Man", Bad Religion has made a conscious effort to put together the most-loved elements of their repertoire. The result is "True North", and their efforts have prevailed. The songs are fast, catchy, full of backing vocals that will blow the socks off even the most casual fan and riffs that really just top off an already carefully crafted piece of art that feels both considered and refreshing (...) There’s something to love in every Bad Religion album (yes, even "Into The Unknown") and "True North" is no different. In fact, it packs an immediate punch that should get most punk fans and definitely all Bad Religion fans slam dancing in no time. Like all Bad Religion records, it’s rife with lessons about logic, tons of energy and a marriage of intricacy and speed that will never lead to divorce. It takes the best of what Bad Religion has done before and adds enough spice to feel both like a reflection of the band’s sound and an evolution of it." [Alter the Press! - 5/5]

"Upon listening to it, it’s clear that Bad Religion still remains faithful to their philosophies and observations about society and politics while sounding thrilling and catchy musically." [examiner - 5] 

"The album itself is just over thirty-six minutes long, and is composed of sixteen tracks generally following the short and fast conventions of the genre to condense a song into less than three minutes. Although the tracks are not particularly long, what they do offer in lyrical content and musical finesse more than compensates (...) After listening to the album, there is a sense of empowerment to be gained. It is rare to find an album which encourages thought on the level that this one does whilst maintaining incredible musicianship and talented, technical playing (...) The entire album is a piece best listened to multiple times. This will allow different meanings to be extracted; alternative interpretations of the lyrics can be discovered, and even the way the instruments come together can be heard in a way you'd swear it hadn't been upon the first play through.'True North' is an absolute gem of an album which any punk rocker should be proud to have as a part of their collection." [My Two Cents - 5/5]

"With 16 tracks, 10 written by Greg Graffin and six by Brett Gerewitz, Bad Religion doesn't hold back on True North. The album fires up short, crisp storytelling songs with the run time of the entire album played out in about 35 minutes. It's another testament that the punk band they formed in Los Angeles in 1979 still remains relevant, only they are more inclined to write about a more universal human experience than being rebellious youth. But that's not to say the two voices are separate. One is an extension of the other, a concept that drives the album from beginning to end. True North by Bad Religion breaks for the human connection with the passion of punk. Everything about the album was a conscious decision, including writing songs that play to what they do and have done best. Just as they were once a band that played a very specific kind of music before evolving into rock anthems, they have come full circle. Rather than evolution, they wanted revolution. In this case, True North shoots for the hard and fast tightness of who they were, while still serving up intellectual lyrics. Several songs are cut from the wisdom that Graffin and Gerewitz have amassed. And this time out, they touch the intellectual and emotional side of the music. It's smart and primal at once (...) This truly is a standout album by the band. While In The Dissent Of Man proves the band wasn't locked into punk, True North proves punk is still where they play most at home. It will easily appeal to fans who have tracked them over their 30-year plus career, but also makes a great introduction." [The Liquid [Hip] - 9.6/10]

"‘True North’ bears Bad Religion’s classic stamp, so expect no shock or surprise in the construction of the record. They’ve still got those rich vocal harmonies, guitar leads with plenty of distorted bends and choruses that will get stuck in your head for days. The album will fulfill both casual listeners and those searching for lyrical wisdom while clutching a notebook and magnifying glass, which has been Bad Religion’s M.O. for well over 30 years (...) ‘True North’ isn’t just another notch on Bad Religion’s bedpost. Much like their 2010 LP, ‘The Dissent of Man,’ their latest album is masterfully directed and offers a wealth of depth along with a spotlit entrance for both longtime fans and curious newcomers." [Loudwire - 4.5/5]

"True North is their sixteenth album (featuring sixteen tracks), which is incredible. No matter the actual quality of the album itself, that is an impressive feat. Luckily though, True North has a lot more to offer than a number. The hype around it has colored it as a return to form, a faster and more vital collection of songs meant to hearken back to the era of Suffer and No Control. Miraculously, it does exactly what it promises, and while it’s not a perfect record, it comes damn close (...) On True North, Bad Religion have culled the best of themselves from a history spanning over three decades. Unlike other scene veterans, content to be just another legacy act, Bad Religion continue to be relevant and exciting. True North is no exception." [dying scene - 4.5/5]

"Bad Religion have nothing left to prove in 2013. They come to True North, their sixteenth studio album, having refined their style to the nth degree (...) For what could very well be their last record, the band have tipped their hats to BR’s considerable discography and produced True North, a veritable “best of” in a way that aims to achieve the double-speed nirvana of their two masterpieces, No Control (1989) and Against the Grain (1990). If lightning-fast guitar licks and socially-charged lyrics are what you want, then this is the album for you (...) True North is exactly what you expect from Bad Religion but its yet another hit in their collection that takes short, barbed songs and bleeds every last ounce of energy from them. No other long-running punk act has managed to stay this consistent, and if they call it quits on recording here, then they will end their discography on an indisputable high (...) Punk, my friends, isn’t dead… but if these guys hang up their guitars, then they just might take what’s left of the genre with them…" [Squabble Box - 4.5/5]

"Bad Religion slams out of the gate with 16 tracks of pure, unhinged fury that show no signs of the cobwebs that sometimes trail other “aggressive” bands in their third decade. Halfway through the record though, as with most Bad Religion albums, the listener starts to realize that not only are these guys fast, pointed, and talented... they’ve also got a socially-conscious head on their shoulders. Vocalist Greg Graffin tackles issues on True North ranging from intellectual poverty to the impact of religion in our world today (...) From the band’s Hardcore upbringing in the early ’80s to their present day “Godfathers of Punk” standing, Bad Religion have always been a force to be reckoned with. True North is no exception, and the band shows no signs of slowing down in their fourth decade of existence. This record is a must-have for diehard fans, new listeners, or any devotee of loud, fast Punk Rock who yearns for the snarl of the golden years of Hardcore." [The Spill magazine - 4.5/5]

"Bad Religion is not one of those bands that will ever just go away. There will eventually be a day when they stop playing live shows (and I urge you to see them before that time comes), but their music, including True North, will always stand the test of time. In a world where bands like Guns N’ Roses and Styx need to just quit already, I urge Bad Religion to keep pressing on and continuing to give listeners the gift of smart, mature music." [Under the Gun Review - 8.5/10]

"Bad Religion has long been in conflict with itself—not about its secular-humanist ideology, but about its sound. Ever since the veteran punk band disowned its prog-steeped (and underrated) sophomore album, 1983’s Into The Unknown, singer Greg Graffin and crew have veered back and forth between fiery hardcore and the more populist tendencies of arena rock and power pop. Bad Religion’s last two albums embody this schism: 2007’s New Maps Of Hell is scathing and jagged, while 2010’s The Dissent Of Man references Rush and sports an appearance from Tom Petty sideman Mike Campbell. On the group’s 16th full-length, True North, the title’s compass metaphor bears out: Once again, Bad Religion is orienting itself home, to the hardcore scene that spawned it (...) True North’s closest relative in Bad Religion’s catalog is 1992’s Generator—an album that perfectly balances the punk yin and the rock yang that the band has always sought to reconcile. For Bad Religion, that’s always been a perpetual, open-ended process. But on True North, that shotgun marriage not only succeeds, it brings out the most forceful—and the most tuneful—elements of each." [A.V. Club - B+]

"Bad Religion remarked that when writing “True North” they insisted on strict guidelines that, rather than restricting their song writing, set it free.  This is easily understandable when you take into account this is their sixteenth album together in thirty years. One common critique angled at them is the formulaic nature of their music which some find uninspiring. It’s true that they have nailed down their sound over the years but they do it so well that anyone who is into it will be hooked for life. As the middle of the road banality of previous release Dissent for Man showed, experimenting with their sound doesn’t seem to work, so this back to what they do best approach is a fitting way for Bad Religion to bow out, should they decide to hang up their boots." [Bring the Noise - 8/10]

"Where 2010’s The Dissent of Man experimented with longer songs and slightly more mainstream rock textures, True North pares back once more to the short, sharp adrenaline shots that characterised 1988’s Suffer and its 1989 successor No Control. Although guitarist, co-lyricist and co-producer Brett Gurewitz (whose return for 2002’s The Process of Belief inaugurated the band’s current phase) recently hit fifty and the other band members aren’t far behind, True North is awash with evidence that their youthful fire is far from burned out (...) A succession of yet more confrontational, fiercely intelligent and memorable lyrics set to yet another 35 minutes of consistently searing guitars and drums, True North simply doesn’t need to be original or inventive. Bad Religion’s sound is as effective a shield against the numbing white noise, both political and musical, that makes up much of the world outside as it was in 2007, 1988 or 1979." [PopMatters - 8/10]

"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 (...) 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." [The NewReview - 4/5]

"With True North, the Bad Religion faithful have been rewarded.  A mere handful of tracks in and the listener will quickly realize that Bad Religion has been born again. Hallelujah! (...)  While the band has not strayed from its time-tested formula of thought-provoking lyrics, Graffin’s stern vocals, and church choir-like vocal harmonizing set to driving melodic punk rock, the power and aggression of earlier recordings – such as Suffer (1988), No Control (1989), or Generator (1992) – can be heard on True North, especially in the title track, True North, as well as the songs Vanity, Fuck You, My Head Is Full of Ghosts, and The Island (...)  True North is easily their best record since 2002’s post-major label Process of Belief or maybe even 1994’s Stranger Than Fiction, and it is the most musically aggressive recording they have produced in many years." [Rock Cellar Magazine - 4/5]

"It may have been over 30 years since their inception, but Bad Religion are back with what is an astonishing 16th full length release (...) By the end of the title track opener, if there were any doubts that the band may be in any sort of decline or going to go for a change in musical direction, then them doubts will be firmly quashed. To be honest, the sextet pretty much obliterate any sort of fears that anyone may have had as the record progresses at the fast pace you would expect from any Bad Religion release (...) Bad Religion prove in True North that despite existing for three decades they can still produce some top quality hits which are still relative in this world today. It may not be recapturing the perfection of former glories such as Stranger Than Fiction, Suffer and Against the Grain, but the new release comes pretty close to past successes for sure. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?" [Rock Transmission - 4/5]

"Like the great British post Punk band Goldblade, there are some bands that typify their genre, the big brash sound and verbal generosity that makes them just sound a cut above so many of their peers and those following in their wake. Bad Religion might not appeal to everyone, but they are truly one of the greats, live and in the studio. Bad Religion’s latest offering, the sublime True North, follows on their rich tradition of wrapping great stories up in the heat and bitter furnace of punk’s anti authority and like Goldblade they succeed in getting you to question just what is being force fed down the throat (...) There are some truly classic tracks on True North, some rip-roaring tunes that are designed to keep the heart beating and the anger building long after the album has finished. The fantastic Robin Hood in Reverse, Land of Endless Greed, Dept. Of False Hope and Nothing to Dismay are legendary and unrepentant punk classics waiting to happen." [Liverpool Sound and Vision - 4]

"Sixteen albums in and Bad Religion are still at it. Their latest album, True North, is thirty-five minutes of exactly what Bad Religion do best. Fast and aggressive punk songs that manage not to lose their melodic edge or catchy guitar riff. For me, the band has always been a punk rock AC/DC, they do what they do and that’s what they do (...) Inspired by the political and social unrest, True North is the most concise Bad Religion album in several years. Perhaps it’s that guitarist and song writer Brett Gurewitz stepped back behind the producing table, or maybe the band is just more pissed off, regardless, True North fires laser accurate attacks on the government, media, social inequality and the forgotten ones who must suffer the biggest burden." [Crave Online - 7.5/10]

"True North is a by the numbers Bad Religion record and that fact their trademark style remains exciting rather than tired is a testament to their quality (...) True North sees the band return to the stripped down, no nonsense approach that they demonstrated so well on their early classics No Control and Suffer. There’s nothing fancy on display here, Bad Religion fire out fast, melodic, ballsy songs that you’ll be singing along to by the second chorus. The riffs are as strong as ever and Brett Gurewitz delivers some short but sweet solos to further whet the listener’s ears. A strong chorus has always been at the core of any decent Bad Religion song and you can be sure that there are plenty on offer here (Land of Endless Greed, Nothing To Dismay) that will have you singing along and fist pumping as hard as ever (...) With ‘True North’ Bad Religion have delivered one of their most solid efforts to date, it’s a turbo charged album filled with instant anthems. Whether the band will stick around to release another remains to see but after hearing this it’s clear that fans will be begging the Californian legends for a follow up. As inspiring as anything they have done before." [Media Blasphemy - 7.5/10]

"It'll be no surprise to anyone that the sixteenth Bad Religion album, "True North", is fast, melodic skate punk in the exact mould that they created for themselves all those decades ago. After rediscovering some of their high speeds on 2010's "The Dissent Of Man" they've picked up the ball and run with it, upping the tempo a couple of notches across most of the sixteen tracks. You may have already read a review of a Bad Religion album in the last ten years – if you have, read it again and imagine it applies to this new batch of songs not only in sound but in quality. That's their consistency (...) Musical expression is limited by the tools of punk trade but master raconteur and quintessential punk singer Greg Graffin only has the form of his rhyming couplet to consider, and always has something different to say." [ultimateGuitar - 7.3]

"Founding guitarist Brett Gurewitz and the rest of the band do an admirable job of keeping the ship afloat by keeping the tempo high, the triple-guitar attack LOUD (and oh boy, is it loud), and shredding solos plentiful (...) These guys perfected their sound and lyrical attack lifetimes ago, and if you like that sound and message, you’re going to like True North (...)  As we get older, chances are we’ll end up seeing a good friend after a long separation and being surprised that they’ve gone gray around the temples and developed a bit of a paunch. That friend may look a little different on the surface, but they’re still the same old friend you’ve always had. True North is that older friend, and it also proves that, for the most part, Bad Religion still knows how to put the chords in the right order." [the milk carton B- or 7.2] 

"While the hardcore-tinge was long ago replaced by alt-rock chug, and True North (their 16th LP) lacks the visceral power and focused sense of purpose their trio of post-Epitaph return albums had, the band nevertheless sound unwilling to go gently into that good night. Songwriters Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz continue to rail against American institutions in a manner that belies the generic sloganeering of the L.A. hardcore scene that birthed them." [exclaim.ca - 7/10]

"At over three decades in the business, originality might no longer reign in the world of Bad Religion, but reliability and accessibility certainly do – True North is another solid addition to a formidable canon." [The Line of Best Fit - 7/10]

"Abetting Dr. Graffin and his SAT-ready vocab, the three guitarists and killer rhythm section have crafted Bad Religion's most consistently engaging album since 1994's Stranger Than Fiction. That's because it also ranks among their most concise: Nearly half of the songs here burn out before the two-minute mark, making for their shortest record overall since 1992's Generator. Such fat-trimming gives the album an edge sorely lacking on the group's aughts albums, and results in one of the smartest moves they've ever made (...) From the title track to the infectiously catchy closer "Changing Tide," True North delivers one succinct, poppy punk tune after another, covering such socio-political topics as religious parasites and national avarice, along with, of course, lots and lots of advocacy for atheism." - [Spin - 7/10]

"The old adage ‘if it ain’t broke, why fix it?’ makes perfect sense in the case of BR guitarist/Epitaph label owner Brett Gurewitz and his band (...) They deal in fast-paced, hook-laden anthemic songs, many of which carry a political message to boot, and few in the genre do it better." [The Shields Gazette - 7/10]

"‘True North’ makes a strong attempt to breathe new life into the songwriting partnership of Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz by utilising the tried and tested method of getting back to their roots (...) While ‘True North’ doesn’t often hit the heights of No Control, or even predecessor ‘Suffer’, there’s plenty here to keep fans of the band very happy indeed (...) 'True North', with its concise (only one song breaks the three minute barrier) bursts of dissatisfaction and alienation, includes some of the strongest, most focused material that the band have recorded in many years. Whether this renewed vigour can be sustained is yet to be seen but for now Bad Religion can look back at their younger selves and hold their heads up high." [This is Fake DIY - 7/10]

"True North provides the usual collection of two and three minute straight ahead punk ditties laced with an articulate political message way beyond the comprehension and ability of the many lightweight, identikit outfits who sometimes get more headlines (...) In a world where the gap between them and us is being unrelentingly widened, bands like Bad Religion remain essential in the effort to give voice to the views of the increasingly disenfranchised majority." [The Digital Fix - 7/10]

"It doesn't matter what the genre, you'll be hard-pressed to find a band as articulate and passionate (and who will make you reach for a thesaurus as frequently) as punk legends Bad Religion. The band are set to do it all one more time as they release their latest studio album (...) After stumbling for a patch in the '90s it's clear that Bad Religion have righted the ship and are in a groove that's unshakable.  While they may not be at their creative apex, the band has made a string of consitently good records. True North only adds to the already impressive body of work." [Snob's Music - 7/10]

"True North manages to capture the essence of Bad Religion without sounding repetitive or stale. And with 15 previous albums, that’s a very hard goal to accomplish. The tracks on True North are easily identifiable as Bad Religion songs, but they don’t sound redundant of previous hits. Bad Religion discovered that happy medium of creating songs that still sound like the music they are known for but are entirely different than past songs (...) Bad Religion’s intelligent lyrics and social and political commentary really separate them from other bands. They don’t just sing about their own personal problems, they sing about issues in America and the rest of the world.  (...) True North is all you love about Bad Religion. It’s a little more punk than their previous album The Dissent of Man, and it contains all their signature trademarks. There are no real surprises here, but both the casual listener and diehard fans will enjoy it." [Live Music Guide - 7/10]

"Now 11 years into their artistic resurgence, Bad Religion sound younger than they did a decade ago. True North, their sixteenth (!) full-length release, finds the band once again snugly in its comfort zone of conceptual lyrics, bristling guitars, slaughtered drumming, and harmonized background vocals. And while this is a rabbit that they’ve been pulling out of their hat for almost 35 years, it still resonates with brutal clarity (...) The wide swath of tracks on True North crackle with the machine gun energy of albums like 1988′s Suffer, 1989′s No Control, and 1990′s Against The Grain, and that in itself is high praise." - [TIME; Consequence of Sound - 3.5/5]

"True North arrives with the story that the band set out to revisit the late-’80s/early-’90s albums that established Bad Religion as kings of melodic hardcore. Sure enough, even by the standards of this group, there’s a furious urgency to most of these 35 minutes, from the title track’s staccato guitar intro to Changing Tide’s final surge of harmonies. The few frills accumulated over the last two decades have been trimmed; this means we’re deprived of a bulletproof singalong to match Los Angeles Is Burning (from 2004’s career highlight The Empire Strikes First), but it also means we aren’t dealing with the classic-rock heroics that stretched parts of 2010’s The Dissent of Man out of shape (...) True North may be elemental, but the album takes time to absorb, if only because of its full-throttle tempo. There are thrilling high-speed touches that barely register on first listen: the brutally efficient 12-second guitar solo in Land of Endless Greed; the thrash-speed drums battering down the door in My Head Is Full of Ghosts (...) Graffin’s typically polysyllabic discourse also rewards multiple listens (...) True-blue punk though these songs are in sound, many are folk songs in spirit. If they were slowed down and strummed, In Their Hearts Is Right and Dept. of False Hope could be campfire protests." [The Montreal Gazette - 3.5/5]

"Bad Religion remain iconic and a magnet for respect (rightly so), and ‘True North’ will no doubt solidify that for a few more years. At some point they’re going to have to call it day, but not before you drag them kicking and screaming from the studio and stage. A fine way to start off 2013."  [Punktastic - 3.5/5]

"Bad Religion brought their crisp, concise, relentlessly melodic punk sound into the studio for the 16th and possibly final time on True North (...) It wouldn't be a Bad Religion record if the band's catastrophically catchy maelstrom of guitars and impassioned vocals weren't intact (...) This is a fine record on its own merit. As caffeinated and verbose as ever, the songs on True North - much like the rest of the band's best work - warrant careful analysis as well as plenty of exaggerated air guitar approvals." [glide magazine - 3.5/5]

"True North is Bad Religion’s 16 studio album and quite frankly one of the band’s best, revisiting its earlier sounds from the late ‘80s and ‘90s that made punk hardcore more relevant than it had been before. This album is one of the band’s best, not just because of the aforementioned reasons, but because almost all the songs on True North showcase the best of Greg Graffin and Bad Religion’s  ability to rock three-person harmonies and showcase guitar solos without sounding like a dated punk band. And with the album only lasting 30 minutes, there is no reason you can’t take the time to listen to it (...) Glad to see that a band that has helped immortalize punk hardcore over the past 35 years is still rocking with the best of them. They are showing a new generation how to survive an ever-changing music industry." [Highlight Magazine - 3.5/5]

"For their 16th studio outing since 1979, the elder statesmen of the mosh pit make a conscious effort to pare down their already economic songs further down to the bone. What remains are concentrated bursts of tightly coiled energy such as the howling fury of "Land of Endless Greed," the stinging riffs of "Dharma and the Bomb" and the soaring attack of the title track. None of those three exceeds two minutes (...) Bad Religion packs all of this and more into 16 tracks in just over 35 minutes, and the band has never sounded crisper, more focused and more efficiently devastating." [Press-Telegram; dailybreeze.com - 3.5/5]

"Bad Religion do two things very well. First, they can play at a relentlessly fast pace while still sounding cogent, coherent, and accessible. Second, they layer their songs with an array of harmonies, call-and-response vocals, and generally give the impression they spend as much time rehearsing a cappella as rocking out (...) So it’s business as usual for Bad Religion. 30 years on, they still rail against corruption, greed, and irrational stupidity (...) They haven’t slowed down – if anything, this album marks an acceleration, which if they could only match up with the songwriting from The Process Of Belief era, would produce a worthy epitaph for a sterling punk career." [music OMH - 3.5/5]

"The release is your standard 16 track US punk. Except a little better. As you would expect from a band that tours regularly, has been around for a while and has released 15 previous albums, the parts that should be good are very good. Harmonies that are their trademark are clear, the songwriting and song structure is hard to fault, the rhythm from bass and drums is crisp and defined, the guitar work is of a skilled player. What is a little surprising is, even though it should add up to a good album, that it’s possibly their best release for quite some time. Easily surpassing New Maps Of Hell, there seems to be a refreshing energy in the recording. The 16 tracks are paced very well, and does not have that samey feel that can haunt BR (and Pennywise, NoFX etc) (...) What i really thought gave this album a boost was the lead guitar adding a forceful edge to the songs overlayed with those fantastic 3 part vocals. Clearly, these guys have found a new way to enjoy themselves. And me too. A  great album to have in the car, turn it up, have a woooahhh to yourself and wait for the guitar to kick in." [Something Gold Something New - 3.5/5]

"Little has changed and the sound is still that which has kept their legions of fans happy for years (...) The album doesn’t disappoint yet if you’re not an avid fan it isn’t going to blow your mind (...) It’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s their tried and tested formula that has resulted in success." [whizz kids radio beta - 3.5/5]

"This is no disappointment. It's still that crisp, clear, smooth production that the band have stuck with now since The Empire Strikes First a dozen years ago." [R13 RoomThirteen - 9/13]

"On the whole ‘True North’ is consistent and clearly sees the band sticking to its roots; but on repeated listens you can’t help but think this diminishes the record, as some ideas come across as recycled. However there is energy and urgency that holds ‘True North’ together and stops it being completely forgettable. It may not be the most memorable Bad Religion release but ‘True North’ certainly has the ability to expand their legacy and influence." [Already Heard - 3/5]

"As a veteran group, it would be easy to go through the motions at this point, but for their 16th album, True North, Bad Religion are still fully inspired and delivering sturdy, memorable, and solidly crafted material. Released on guitarist Brett Gurewitz's Epitaph Records, after more than 250 songs, the founding member clearly knows what works for the band, and he sticks to the formula of uptempo, muscular anthems with chunky guitar parts and contemplative lyrics (...) True North shows flashes of their earlier work, and is a step up from their last album, 2010's The Dissent of Man, in terms of aggression. No straight-ahead pop tracks to be found here. Just 16 rapid-paced songs in under 35 minutes. Even after lineup changes, this latest edition of Bad Religion -- Graffin, Gurewitz, guitarists Brian Baker and Greg Hetson, bassist Jay Bentley, and drummer Brooks Wackerman -- operates like a well-oiled machine and plays its classic anti-establishment brand of So-Cal punk effortlessly. So well, in fact, that many of the songs on board hold up against the best material they've written since adding a third guitarist." [AllMusic - 3/5]

"True North directly follows the album that most BR fans were disappointed by but I loved (The Dissent of Man) and the follow up to Empire that I was disappointed in but every other BR fan seems to like more than me (New Maps of Hell). True North feels like a combination of Dissent and Maps. It is 16 tracks and 35 minutes of punk rock aggression. Which is impressive since they’re all in their 50s now (...)  Longtime fans of the album will probably dig it and find a handful of tracks to cling on to. It’s neither the best nor worst of their career. It’s great that they still are able to crank out album after album and still have something to say." [ProjectShanks 3/5]

"True North sees them attempting to return to a pre-The Empire Strikes First sound; stripped back, full throttle and minimal production value – often Bad Religion at their most exciting and visceral." [Our Zone Mag - 6/10]

"Very much business as usual" [Q - 6/10]

"Bad Religion see no reason to mess with the formula. Which is reassuring." [Mojo - 6/10] 

"Perfectly plotted two-minute bursts of disgust and attrition." [Uncut - 6/10]

“The process of perfecting that signature sound continues with Bad Religion’s new, 16th album, which represents the band’s fastest, angriest, and most visceral collection of songs in over a decade.” - [Revolver]

"Bad Religion have fun with this record, the ethical standpoints, pointed warnings and altruistic relevance are all there, but it’s a step-up from a list of objections doused in aggressive percussion; this time it's a play on everything: genres, double entendres and Graffin’s vocal melisma (...) While nothing can top Suffer and Stranger Than Fiction, it’s easy to forget Graffin has been offering his two-cents on U.S. government since he was fifteen, and co-founding member/Epitaph Records owner Brett Gurewitz since he was just seventeen. Presidents, policies and opinions have changed but Bad Religion have owned a sense of immediacy for 34 years (...) Although political punk has taken the back burner since the everlasting ascent of bubblegum punk - whose leaders top alternative charts and sing about girls and disowning their parents - as long as bands like Bad Religion exist, those in their formative years may toy with the idea of insurrection and vigilantism, which is infinitely more interesting than floppy hair, auto-tune, and the artists who perform the President’s inauguration." [The Music Network]

“The LP is a ferocious family of sixteen songs creatively juiced enough to hold its own against Bad Religion's contributions to the theoretical punk hall of fame -- staples like 1988's "Suffer" and 1994's "Stranger Than Fiction." - [Billboard.com]

"One of the strongest and most influential classic punk bands of their time, Bad Religion, is back in full force with their newest effort, True North – an album that proudly shows the world they never lost their reigning hold on the punk scene (...) Rest assured that True North is exactly what long time fans have been looking for. Bad Religion has not given up anything that has made them a staple in the hardcore punk world. Their music is still fun - a perfect thrashing, danceable beat, paired with lyrics that, if you take the time to listen, deliver a powerful commentary on the current state of the world, cleverly stylized with tongue in cheek wordplay (...) It’s everything you love about Bad Religion amped up to a hundred (...) The 16 tracks delivered on this album are bursts of everything that punk should be – short and to-the-point songs (the longest being “Hello Cruel World” at just shy of four minutes), full of frantic and fast musicianship - tight guitars, steady and driven drums, and powerful vocal play (...) True North is a quick album, half an hour from beginning to end, full of punk anthems to be played loud and proud, rock out to, dance, kick and stomp to your heart’s content. My only complaint is that it ends too soon." [Lithium Magazine]

“…True North is an engaging return to from." – [Alternative Press]

"In fewer than three minutes, this Californian sextet manages to showcase a number of qualities on various levels. There’s high-class songwriting, blistering pace, superior musicality, highbrow lyrical concerns and a lovingly throwaway reference to a group the naivety of which Bad Religion are capable of making a mockery. Despite being too cerebral and too damn fast to ever be truly a mainstream concern, over a 30-something year career Bad Religion have amassed a body of work of sufficient quality to secure its authors a seat at the high table in the American punk rock hall of fame. The truly impressive thing about this most intellectually probing of groups, however, is their refusal to sunbathe on past glories, and the effort and care they bring to taking forward steps (...) With its high-minded lyrical concerns, its family-sized choruses and its authors’ buoyant pursuit of what, in lesser hands, could be a restrictive musical form, True North is a superior addition to Bad Religion’s already towering body of work." [BBC]

"Well, the most articulate punk band of them all, Bad Religion, finally went and did it: There’s a song simply called “[Expletive] You” on “True North.” But don’t consider that any sign of burnout or laziness; rather, that simple celebration of going for the most blunt of verbal weapons is part of the big picture on “True North,” in which Bad Religion shaves its anti-establishment messages down to bare essentials and sounds practically feral. Barbed but melodic guitar riffs and circle-pit-igniting drums drive these tirades against greed, vanity, and cruelty." [The Boston Globe]

   "Bad Religion return to the anger and energy that made them leaders of the 80s SoCal punk-rock scene." - [Total Guitar]

"Album number sixteen for these punk rock elder statesmen and my initial thought is they haven't sold out, nor have they mellowed either (...) I therefore hail 'True North' to be a winner and Bad Religion do it again going for quality over quantity and turning in 2013's finest album thus far. With the album spanning sixteen tunes keeping them short and very sharp is a great move - take 'Popular Consensus' quickly followed by the rapid 'My Head Is Full Of Ghosts', venomous and pummelling, more than enough to keep BR fans happy."  [über Röck] 

"For their anticipated follow-up to 2010′s The Dissent Of Man, Southern California’s Bad Religion has successfully assembled a memorable short but sweet punk record that is True North. 16 songs long and clocking in at roughly 35 minutes, the album was clearly inspired by where the band has been and the roots of their early years bringing them later commercial success in the 90′s (...) True North will certainly win over many old(er) heads sounding like a cohesive hybrid of The Gray Race, Stranger Than Fiction, and The Process Of Belief. This is achieved musically through simple yet surprising elements via the classic Bad Religion sound without sounding recycled." [pop break]

"A new Bad Religion album is like a bowl of tomato soup. It’s not the most complex or flashy offering, but you more or less know what you’re getting, and it can be comforting when you need it most (...) It recalls 1988’s Suffer, with plenty of anthemic choruses, chunky guitar riffs and songs under two minutes (...) They’ve managed to age more gracefully than most of their peers – I’m looking at you, NOFX – without sacrificing a drop of fury." [nowtoronto]

"Sixteen albums and more than 30 years into their career, the godfathers of melodic So-Cal punk still have plenty of vitriol and an equal amount of energy. This 16-song outing is sonically more stripped back than some of the band’s more recent releases, recalling earlier albums such as 1993’s Recipe For Hate and Against The Grain (1990). That said, True North contains everything one has come to expect from a Bad Religion album – brisk power chords and sparse solos, Greg Graffin’s insightful, socially aware lyrics, three-part vocal-harmony-laden backing vocals (“oozin’ ahs”) and the watertight rhythm section of Jay Bentley and drummer Brooks Wackerman (...) Bad Religion might not be the most progressive band in the world, but as they’ve proven once again on True North, they’re one of the most consistent." [themusic.com.au]

"It's hard to believe that it’s been nearly 11 years since they blew me away with Process of Belief; an album that displayed a re-invigorated band doing what they do best and I’d say that this latest release comes closest to capturing the raw determination and unrivaled skill that caused me to fall back in love with Bad Religion. True North, as a whole, does a great job of combining all eras of Bad Religion into one fierce and well-paced album (...) Graffin and Gurewitz are still at the top of their game as lyricists. In a world, unfortunately, filled with many of the same problems that faced these young punks in ’79, they’ve had plenty of time to hone their craft they’re certainly still pissed off (...) On True North, they’ve created some of their lushest textures to date but tempered the layers a bit to create a perfect balance of rawness and the vocal chorus they envision and True North delivers one of the band’s strongest collection of songs yet. Once again, Bad Religion has captured my attention and proved why they are, still a force to be reckoned with after all these years." [For the Love of Punk]

"In a word, the album can be described as “familiar.” Bombastic guitars? Check. Pounding, (generally) 4/4 drumming? Check. Lyrics that condemn the very nature of government, yet insist that they should do more? Check. Bad Religion did not make this album for anyone but themselves, and that should honestly be commended (...) It delivers what fans of contemporary “punk” have come to expect." [theDailyer Nebraskan]

"With over thirty years in the business under their belts, the band shows no signs of slowing down on their 16th release, True North. On this record, Bad Religion stick to what they do best — offering up a record full of concise, energetic, and politically-charged punk rock songs that pack a punch, thanks to trademark soaring vocal harmonies and a load of lyrical intelligence (...) Long-time listeners will instantly recognize the band’s grandiose three-part vocal harmonies, which are featured on almost every song. Lyrically, Bad Religion are as sharp as ever, with frontman Graffin putting pen to paper once again to touch on issues such as the government, society, and the human condition (...) It’s another day at the office for Bad Religion, as they turn another page in their lengthy punk rock legacy with True North. Containing all the essential elements one would expect in a typical listening experience from the band, it stacks up as another excellent record in their prolific back catalogue. In a world where a lot of punk music seems to lack that extra kick, this is exactly what the genre needs." [The Charlatan]

"True North is the most recent in the line of unique yet faithful albums. Straight from the first track, we hear that familiar sound we’ve grown to love, with that “je ne sais quoi” that a new album brings. All the Bad Religion staples are here; the cool yet simple riffs, the thought-provoking vocals, the classic guitar solos and the 4-part vocal harmonies. And yet, they still haven’t worn thin. I’ve heard 16 albums packed with these calling cards, and I still enjoy every new album I hear. Again, Bad Religion have found that perfect meadow between new and old, and set up shop there permanently. It’s inspiring to see that after 33 years, a band can still make their signature style sound fresh (...)  It has Bad Religion’s reliable sound, with a little dose of something we haven’t heard from them before. The songs are faithful to the old material, with their own edge, all glued together by some underlying unity." [The Punk Effect] 

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If you found one we're missing (really?), feel free to let us know and we'll get this updated together with more of them as they pop up in the next days...