Review: Bad Religion – Christmas Songs

Bad Religion

Christmas Songs

Epitaph

Street: 10.29

Bad Religion = Buzzcocks + Hüsker Dü + The Replacements + 7 Seconds

It makes some sense to me that Bad Religion would come out with a Christmas record because they’ve always had some of the best vocals in punk rock, and to back that up, they’ve always had top-notch production on most of their records. The record is made up of eight classic holiday tunes such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “What Child Is This.” Although I can’t say exactly what I was expecting from this record, I have to say, other than its oddball appeal, the jovial seasonal tunes didn’t really scratch the itch I got when I first heard about this project. Maybe it just doesn’t live up to True North, the vicious full-length the band released earlier this year. And the question of whether releasing a Christmas album is considered a “punk rock” thing to do? Well, I’m not even going to try and tackle that one. –James Orme