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New Maps of Hell (Deluxe Version)

Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell (Deluxe Version) Audio CD

A fair review of the Bad Religion "New Maps of Hell (Deluxe Version)" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Bad Religion reviews here, or go back to the Bad Religion tabs.

Band: Bad Religion
Title: New Maps of Hell (Deluxe Version)
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-07-08
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: 52 Seconds 2: Heroes & Martyrs 3: Germs of Perfection 4: New Dark Ages 5: Requiem for Dissent 6: Before You Die 7: Honest Goodbye 8: Dearly Beloved 9: Grains of Wrath 10: Murder 11: Scrutiny 12: Prodigal Son 13: The Grand Delusion 14: Lost Pilgrim 15: Submission Complete 16: Fields of Mars 17: Won't Somebody 18: Adam's Atoms 19: Sorrow 20: God Song 21: Dearly Beloved 22: Chronophobia 23: Skyscraper

Great DVD bonus included
Personally, I thought that the concert footage on this DVD was better than that of the Live at the Palladium DVD. The bonus DVD alone is worth the price of the deluxe package. The cinematography and sound mixing were more balanced on this one.

The album itself is pretty good. Mostly standard Bad Religion stuff, which is not a bad thing. But even if the album sucked, I would still recommend buying this for the concert DVD.

great cd
i've liked just about everything they've done, with maybe one or two exceptions. i have to say first off that i'm a huge fan of BR.

i bought the deluxe version mainly because i wanted the additional acoustic tracks, and it was well worth the extra couple of bucks. the dvd is well produced, with a complete show included; the cd, in my opinion, is a good one, and you get two BR posters to hang on your wall - what's not to like?

have to say, for die-hard BR fans, this is a great buy.

New Maps of Brilliance
What other band can claim to have a PhD in zoology as their front man? I even own the ill-conceived "Into the Unknown" album. I must acknowledge that I am a diehard Bad Religion fan. I will also be the first to admit that I was pissed when I heard that BR released a deluxe edition of this cd. Luckily, I had only spent ten dollar on the digital version, which sounded horrible thanks to inferior MP3 technology. I hedged on buying this album due to the cost, but eventually I gave in to my BR addiction and purchased the deluxe cd. When I received it from my local record store, I greedily tore into the box and gazed upon the treasures within. There is a lot here for the price. A complete album with an extra E. P. length add-on of amazing acoustic material, a bonus dvd with a complete live concert and various other goodies, and some posters. I was more than happy when I popped the cd in and gave it a whirl. I will review the different parts of this album below.

New Maps: This is a great album. I was not a big fan of The Process of Belief, so this came as quite a shock to me. I know, a lot of neophytes love Process, but I just couldn't groove on the sound. The lyrical content was pure Bad Religion and there were some good songs, but it was not an album experience that stuck with me. Not so with New Maps. This record sounds vintage. It rocks! The band has managed to capture their intellectual fury and distill it into sonic forms. I am amazed at the quality of this album after being around so long (ahem, Metallica fans take note). Graffin continues his quest for rational thinking, and Mr. Brett is right there shredding away. The album is worth a sit down listen. It closes with "Fields of Mars" an awesome track. It reminds me of No Control a bit, which also happens to be my favorite BR album.

The new album alone is worth a purchase. But with the end of New Maps, the pleasure had just begun. The acoustic tracks are simply amazing. They go far beyond anything I had expected from this album and mark a new direction for Bad Religion. The sound is incredible. Hearing the thoughtful lyrics combined with Graffin's vocals is something to witness. The new songs are great. "Won't Somebody," and "Adam's Atoms," both bounced around in my skull for days. The acoustic versions of the vintage BR songs are sublime. "Sorrow" is one of the best songs I have ever heard, much, much better than the original. "God Song" moves to a new level of skepticism - the lyrics pack a powerful punch when delivered in the acoustic tone. "Dearly Beloved" is also great. "Skyscraper" closes the album, it is incredible. I cannot say enough about these new tracks. They show the mastery of the group the confidence of playing for two decades. Anybody who complains about the acoustic songs is simply NOT A FAN OF THE MUSIC. They are simply into the image and caught up in simple-minded punk rock groupthink ignorance of the highest caliber.

DVD: The concert is great, and the quality is very good. An entire concert to go along with my awesome new album? It seems too good to be true. My personal favorite on the bonus DVD is, not suprisingly, is the short documentary of the making of the acoustic tracks. Mr. Brett and Graffin are featured. The creative process of the music is discussed, and there is great footage of the two performing the tracks. Superb. Graffin state that they write all of their songs in acoustic versions first. Take that faux-punkers. The making of video for New Maps is very good as well. Several videos are also included.

All in all this is a great value. Expanded album with simply amazing new material that elevates Bad Religion above most bands on the planet, especially any punk band out there - genius! Fans of BR must have this album, it is that good. I would recommend this to anybody interested in getting to know BR as well. A good alternative would be No Control, it is cheaper and great. Love live rationality!

"Think before you die!" - Greg Graffin

.

Worth spending the extra cash
I was impressed, I guess, but it sounded awful 'poppy' for a BR CD. Like most here, I bought the original USA version of NMoH when it first came out.

I heard one of the acoustic tracks on YouTube and decided I really wanted to spend the money on the Deluxe version. Well worth the money in my opinion, especially as a fan who also enjoys folk music. (A friend of mine told me that punk was 'the new folk music' and now I agree with him. )

I personally think it's really cool to see Greg and Brett talk about how they write songs and how they were too unsure of themselves when they were younger to be willing to play the songs the way they were written. .

Damaged
I would have returned it but being shipped to Iraq and back to Amazon it would have been more than the item was worth. I purchased this new item to send to my son in Iraq for his birthday when he received it the DVD was damaged and could not be played.

You can see a complete list of all Bad Religion discography, or go back to the Bad Religion tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.