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Bad Religion

New Maps of Hell [Deluxe Edition] [CD/DVD]
2008
Epitaph

Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell [Deluxe Edition] [CD/DVD] (Cover Artwork)

Review by: xcarlupanddiex
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Published on July 8th 2008

For once in a lifetime, a cool punk rock record comes out in Europe one month earlier than in the United States. This probably has to do with the headlining tour Bad Religion started in Europe in June, but you can't imagine the surprise when I found the deluxe edition of New Maps of Hell in stores on June 2nd when I signed on my calendar July 8th as the release date (yes I keep a calendar for these kinds of things, what a nerd!). It makes you smile, like when you get a record two months before it's released.

With that said, I know a lot of so-called fans will blame Mr. Brett for re-releasing a record that came out less than one year ago, but seriously, who cares? I get pissed when record labels like Victory Records and Tooth and Nail keep on reissuing CDs three months after they originally came out, but for Bad Religion, I am cool with that. This is actually worth it, with cool content.

The reissue comes out in an awesome deluxe package with a CD and DVD, where you can hear the original New Maps of Hell (no re-mastering or changes at all), but you get some bonus stuff too, as the seven new acoustic tracks that you might have previously heard on some bootleg or some lo-fi video. The "new" acoustic songs sound really great, especially "Won't Somebody," which has a magnificent chorus with dual vocals and lyrics that go "Won't somebody please come up with something / 'Cuz Jesus just don't seem to be impartially working" in pure Graffin style. The acoustic versions of "Sorrow," "God Song" (which were already heard on the Japanese release of New Maps of Hell) and "Skyscraper" were already quite known to most hardcore fans, but the new versions of this album sound so much better because they basically sound like new songs, even to my ears, which got used to the electric versions. Only one song from the original New Maps of Hell is given the acoustic treatment, and it is "Dearly Beloved"; it sounds much slower of course, but it still have its classic charm and I must say Greg's vocals sound even better on the acoustic part. The other songs are "Adam's Atoms" and "Chronophobia," which are actually new to me; the first is maybe the darker acoustic song of the bonus portions, and it reminds me of the Generator era, while the latter sounds more like a waltz here and there. Not bad at all.

The DVD is basically divided into four parts, and it doesn't contain a lot of bonus material as you may expect; there is the making of the acoustic songs with Brett and Greg recording the seven new songs (totaling less than 10 minutes), the music videos for "Honest Goodbye" and "New Dark Ages," a video footage with the making of New Maps of Hell (about two minutes), but most important, there is a a 22-song live show recorded live in Las Vegas where you can hear the band playing old-school classics as well as songs from this album. Bad Religion's shows are classic, and it's no different here; from the opening threesome "American Jesus," "Modern Man" and "Generator" to the newer tracks as "Supersonic" and "New Dark Ages," to everything in between, like "Infected," "Come Join Us," "Do What You Want" and the older songs they play ("We're Only Gonna Die"). The show ends with "Sorrow," apparently the most famous song among Bad Religion fans, but not me.

The best part of this release is, of course, the package; it comes in a digipack with a nice slipcase and contains four booklet, two of which are foldout posters, one a 20-page lyric booklet and the other one a small book with lots of pictures, not of the band, unluckily. I think this would be a good way to curb illegal downloading, including such physical bonus assets.

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Posted by reject on 2009-02-03 22:29:36
My Score:

The acoustic tracks are great. One of the best albums out 2008 and 2007.

Posted by XCARLUPANDDIEX on 2008-07-11 14:44:13
My Score:

the package is awesome and the 80-85 style poster is fucking amazing.

fuck the haters.

Posted by mattp330 on 2008-07-11 00:28:00

its tough man. i've kept meaning to pick up this album, and then a couple months ago i decided i would just wait and pick this up when it came out. 25 bucks is too hefty of a price tag though. im sure ill love the album, but only have passing interest in the acoustic songs, watch the dvd once, and have no use for the posters. guess ill just buy the original

Posted by NotPatriotic on 2008-07-10 21:00:07

I like this band a lot, but this album isn't that special. Some bands are just too old and they just don't have that spirit a younger person has. Punk rock is all about energy and this album lacks it IMO.

Posted by -Strewtho- on 2008-07-10 19:40:06
My Score:

Good review, keep it up. Also, this is still one of their best albums, might pick up this version.

Posted by mattramone on 2008-07-10 13:15:10
My Score:

Let's exploit rock'n'roll to its fullest potential.

Posted by spoon_of_grimbo on 2008-07-10 07:57:54
My Score:

Score is for the original version of the album. I might pick this up in about a year's time, probably buy it used and get it cheap...

Posted by dlangl4 on 2008-07-09 23:30:02

I posted just to say "cha ching"

Posted by maverick on 2008-07-09 22:40:51
My Score:

"Won't Somebody" is soooooooooo good. Also, I don't think I've ever seen a deluxe edition reissue of an album be more deluxe than this. The whole package is just gorgeous.

-Scott

Posted by BrandonSideleau on 2008-07-09 20:15:01
My Score:

"Adam's Atoms" is up there with "Do What You Want", "I Want To Conquer The World", among others........it's just a fantastic song that embodies all of the lyrical content that I love about Bad Religion. Cannot fucking wait to hear it in rock format.

Posted by Matthew330 on 2008-07-09 17:45:43

I was going to get this until I found out it was 25 bucks.

Fuck. That.

Posted by LORD-OF-THE-GAYS on 2008-07-09 13:32:37

This record was mediocre at best, and no cash-grabbing "deluxe edition" that fucks over the fans that paid money for the original version is going to disguise that fact. Get fucked BR.

Posted by baseball on 2008-07-09 13:30:20
My Score:

Album kicks ass. Not going to bother with a deluxe edition though, rather spend that money on new music.

Posted by RoyalWithCheese on 2008-07-09 11:48:46

buy the cd then go check the vids on youtube...cha ching$

Posted by danpib08 on 2008-07-09 10:07:42
My Score:

II guess Brett needed some more money before the next mediocre BR record comes out, all Epitaph releases is shit now anyway. Cha Ching, time to go buy some more hot rocks for Mr. Brett.

Posted by TheMike on 2008-07-09 07:47:23

Haven't picked this up yet, but on the DVD, what version of Generator do they play? They did the normal version on the Live at the Palladium DVD, so I kind of hope this is the slow one.

Posted by VictorIkpeba24 on 2008-07-09 04:53:21

"I get pissed when record labels like Victory Records and Tooth and Nail keep on reissuing CDs three months after they originally came out, but for Bad Religion, I am cool with that."

Well in the end it's the same thing, if you're pissed at Victory you should be pissed at Epitaph in the same way. I'm pissed about neither, I don't care. This album is good but not great at the point I'm going to buy it a second time just because there are bonuses. And by the way, now Epitaph is up there with Victory and Tooth And Nails in terms of suckiness of their new signings and of blatant cash-grabbiness of their business practices.

Posted by nameless on 2008-07-09 02:25:20
My Score:

My beef with this is that Brett had an idea in his head to come out with a double album before the original New Maps came out. Why not wait 'til you got all that material before putting anything out? It would be more special, and it wouldn't seem like such a cash grab.

Posted by splendidtune on 2008-07-09 01:35:33
My Score:

Not spending $25 for an album I have. I already bought the first DVD so yeah. Buying this means I've spent $35 on an album that was only ok in the first place. LAME.

Posted by Wesley_Snipes on 2008-07-09 01:08:22
My Score:

$ $ $ Yay 4 deluxe edition! Moneys in the bank! $ $ $

Posted by blip on 2008-07-09 00:28:48
My Score:

pointless cash grab! the original is fine!

Posted by fallingupwards84 on 2008-07-09 00:20:00

amazing album, one of their best

Posted by King_Rodney on 2008-07-09 00:02:18
My Score:

It's still their best since Generator.

Posted by holy_balls on 2008-07-08 23:15:24

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