Not only is Bad Religion regarded as a veteran and 'godfather' of modern melodic punk rock, the band is still one of the main protagonists of the genre with The Process Of Belief (2002). to attract a whole new batch of fans. The Empire Strikes First has roughly the same set-up and besides a number of very strong examples of power punk (Sinister Rouge, Let Them Eat War), it also contains elaborated
… and ingeniously constructed songs such as Los Angeles Is Burning and Beyond Electric Dreams. Incidentally, it is amazing to hear with what apparent ease singer Graffin and guitarist Gurewitz manage to write such sparkling songs without falling into repetitions or sounding outdated. With The Empire Strikes First Bad Religion again sets a new standard and leaves bands like Descendents and Pennywise behind. (RWK)more
