The Bad Religion boys, Greg Graffin, vocals; Jay Bentley, bass; Mr. Brett, lead & rhythm guitar; Greg Hetson, lead & rhythm guitar; and Bobby Schayer, drums, have cemented their career with "Stranger Than Fiction," their major label debut and eighth album overall. Yep, these guys have been doing this for 14, count 'em, 14 years, on Epitaph Records. Punk, for the moment, is hip.

They cover teenage awkwardness in "Incomplete," to your inner conscience in "Tiny Voices," to championing the individual spirit in "Hooray For Me..."

The CD really gets going with "The Handshake," and continues through "Better Off Dead," and "Infected" -- which is getting a lot of play on MTV and airwaves -- but slows with a wacky, 1984-ish song about "Television." They lament the hold TV has over our everyday lives, and rightfully so.

"Oh yeah! I want to bathe in your golden light"
"submerge in electric waves"
"I need my injection"
"from the world outside."

½ The mood spills over with the next track, "Individual," in which the disappearing uniqueness of individualness is apparent in our society. These guys come off as anti-technology, apparent in "21st Century (Digital Boy)," which may not be a bad position to take. Anyway, that's a whole 'nother can of shit.

"Slumber" reminds me of a plea to help change the rampant environmental damage we do every day to the planet, and that each person, whether rich, poor, black, white or whatever, can make a difference, one way or the other. But it's really a suicide song. (Dr. Kervorkian comes to mind). So all you out there looking to blame somebody else, here's a target. Does anyone remember Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priests' troubles over suicide songs?

Anyway, they kick ass. Go buy this one and enjoy.

Reviewer:  Frank Renda