Skate Politics: Bad Religion's Recipe For Hate

SCORE: 92/100

Bad Religion share many qualities with other, similar punk bands - but there's no denying that they were the founding fathers in a much larger scale for the skate punk scene. They mix the social politics of the genre with a lighter, more accessible sound with less noise and still enough grit to keep the record rugged around its edges; and the result is yet another album that showcases the band's style incredibly well. 


This album sounds like it could be the soundtrack for a skateboarding game from the 90s-2000s (think Tony Hawk & the 'skate.' franchises) , and it does this so well that the energy is almost infectious. The drumming in particular on this album stands out as one of its leading factors, with striking instrumental quality and great, genre-suited vocals to match, the album remains consistent.


'Recipe for Hate' shares a lot of similarities with NOFX - I found the resemblance between the two bands in terms of their sounds to be striking; and both pull it off so well it's impossible to not enjoy both. It isn't a one or the other situation, it's a situation where both bands are too good to ignore. There are some weaker moments held by this album - but the strongest of the moments make up for any shortcomings held here. There are some moments of variety, but the album does stay highly consistent within an area of comfort that is common for skate punk. 


The vocals on this album are particularly clear, making the lyrics easy to hear and understand (something I don't find to be true with a lot of albums). This makes it much easier to listen to and understand each message of the songs, and it's clear what the band is here to say on each of the tracks. The vocal performances here also suit the instrumental work exceptionally well, and everything comes together into something very crisp and enjoyable.


There are clear influences from other bands while Bad Religion make these sounds there own, making for an entertaining punk record that truly checks all the boxes for a project like this one. It does everything you could want it to with the right energy and the right amount of tone shifts, and the sound of the album is both consistent and comprehensive throughout its short runtime. The songs are still standard length while the album remains short, and it elevates the usual punk album format into something a little more fleshed out. 

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