The Process of Belief

AlbumJan 22 / 200214 songs, 36m 55s96%
Punk Rock Melodic Hardcore Skate Punk
Popular

After reuniting with Bad Religion to tour in support of *The New America*, Brett Gurewitz officially rejoined the band he co-founded for this album. It was a welcome homecoming. Though the group had written classic songs in Gurewitz’s absence, there was no substitute for the creative frisson between Gurewitz and lead singer Greg Graffin. The process of reforming with Gurewitz and returning to Epitaph was certainly personal for the band, and *The Process of Belief* is notable for its shift toward songs written from an internal, individualized perspective. Gurewitz songs like “Supersonic” are introspective, while “Broken” and “You Don’t Belong” identify with the adolescent struggles of young punk characters. Graffin, meanwhile, launches into political attack mode with “Materialist” and “Kyoto Now!,” but he also expands into new territory with “Evangeline,” a tale of crime that alludes to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1755 poem of the same name. Instrumentally, the band is in fighting form, with a three-pronged attack in the form of guitarists Gurewitz, Greg Hetson, and Brian Baker. A feeling of unity has always abounded in the ranks of Bad Religion, and it shows in the band\'s songs.

5.1 / 10

I know what you expect from this review, and you should be ashamed of yourself. None of you readers are ...

Discover The Process of Belief by Bad Religion released in 2002. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.

Bad Religion’s return to Epitaph seems to signify a desperate grasp at the levers of a time machine.