My relationship with punk rock has never been quite as warm as some might expect from a fan of aggressive music. That does not mean that there are no punk bands that I enjoy. The hardcore scene in particular contains more than a handful of bands with the musical chops to keep me interested. Bad Religion was never the most complex of those, but their keen ear for melody and incredible vocal harmonies always justified their legendary status to me. But while their classic work is definitely worth hearing, their later works appeal to me much more, 2007’s ‘New Maps Of Hell’ most prominently.

One of the main reasons why ‘New Maps Of Hell’ has lasting appeal is because it combines a degree of sophistication with Bad Religion’s tried and true energetic three chord progression formula. While the aggression in the chord work remains, there is a thread of disappointed melancholy present throughout the album that is often present in the songs that singer Greg Graffin writes. This is enhanced by dramatic guitar melodies – the guitar harmony in ‘New Dark Ages’ being the most prominent example – and tasteful arrangements in terms of layering guitars and vocals with different sounds.

While the genre tag “hardcore” elicits an image of blunt aggression, Bad Religion’s calling card is to combine that force with melodies that have a lasting value. A song like ‘Dearly Beloved’ is full of aggressive chord work, but the chorus would have worked just as well for a pop song without sacrificing the band’s edge. Even a track like ‘Requiem For The Dissent’, which with its gang shouted chorus and bulldozing rhythms sounds closer to what a layman would think is punk, or the short, punchy opener ’52 Seconds’ harbor a degree of sophistication that a lot of pop producers or progressive rock bands should envy.

Bad Religion albums tend to be quite brief and because that, I tend to listen to them in one sitting and take them in as such, but ‘New Maps Of Hell’ does have a handful of highlights. ‘Grains Of Wrath’ immediately became one of my favorites due to the way its heartfelt chorus works towards its climax, ‘Before You Die’ has an infectious swing and another strong chorus and ‘Lost Pilgrim’ almost feels like an alternative rock song with a short, but fantastic guitar solo. Out of the shorter bursts of speed, ‘Heroes & Martyrs’ and ‘Germs Of Perfection’ are the melodic ones and ‘Murder’ particularly old school hardcore.

If you ask me what my favorite Bad Religion album is, it would be a close call between ‘New Maps Of Hell’ and its immediate predecessor ‘The Empire Strikes First’. ‘New Maps Of Hell’ just seems to slightly have the edge over the other because of its superior flow. You cannot really go wrong with Bad Religion, every album is at the very best worth listening to, but there is a crossover appeal to the albums released after Brett Gurewitz’s return to the band without sounding radically different than their core sound. Measured aggression, excellent harmonies and a nearly unending supply of strong melodies defines this album and I for one couldn’t ask for more.

Recommended tracks: ‘Grains Of Wrath’, ‘New Dark Ages’, ‘Before You Die’