Artist: Bad Religion
Album: The Empire Strikes First
Label: Epitaph Records
Rating:
Reviewer: John Frank

Bad Religion is a band that has been around forever and has earned everything they have ever received. While some may say that they have lost their edge with age, if the guys did the exact same songs from their early days, they would be accused of not being able to be diverse. The Process of Belief was their last release before the Empire, and it definitely had a sound to it unlike their other discs. For any fan of these guys, The Empire Strikes First is a well anticipated release from the punk pioneers.

The opening track, “Overture” is a very good intro for a Bad Religion CD, it has kind of an ominous tone to it, followed by a quick drum intro on the next song “Sinister Rouge”. The pace of the album seems to be carrying quite nicely as the third song is also driven by a very punk sounding drum beat. The only problem is that it is starting to sound very similar to The Process of Belief. Each song carries with it the same beat that was interesting on the first song, but every time you hear the same sound it loses a bit of its energy.

“To Another Abyss” changes the pace up, but it is a bit too late. Just at the point where you start to become bored with the sound, the album takes a turn for a slower sound…just what you don’t need to hear when you are listening to a CD that sounds too redundant. The Empire Strikes First is an album that has fallen to the level of many Cds, that is, it is full of songs that aren’t bad, but the album as a whole is less than stellar. Any of the tracks would be considered decent at worst, but they all sound the same and bring the album down to a point that you almost don’t want to listen to it anymore.

This disc is not a terrible one that would be a complete waste of money, but I don’t think I will be rushing out on release day to get it. It is just a let down from what I would usually expect from this band, and while they may be trying to branch out with their style, they needed to keep some of the energy on this disc. Any Bad Religion fan should at least listen to it, but I see no replay value in it, and it will turn into one of those CD’s I have simply to complete my collection. Hopefully The Empire isn’t their last strike at an album, because it would be disappointing for this band to leave on a note like this disc.