Eighteen years and a dozen albums down the line, Bad Religion just won't give up the ghost. Southern California's longest-lived hardcore band has survived lineup shifts – most notably the departure of founding member Brett Gurewitz – a label change, and the death and rebirth of punk. The Bad Religion of No Substance are tougher-than-thou veterans whose anthems have slowed from thrash to stately midtempo fare: Singer Greg Graffin now warbles more than he rants, and guitarists Greg Hetson and Brian Baker embellish their usual riffage with flourishes of noodling. On such melody-driven songs as "Shades of Truth" and the title track, bassist Jay Bentley and drummer Bobby Schayer get the short end of the stick, left to plod where once they raced. Bad Religion's politics remain unchanged, however, and Graffin rails against the usual societal malaises: meaningless consumerism, meaningless fashion, meaningless politics. Not exactly cutting-edge radical, but not yet passé, either. And really not too shoddy for a bunch of snot-nosed punks in their dotage. (RS 790-791)

NEVA CHONIN