Christmas Songs, Bad Religion (Epitaph)

Probably don't have to introduce this band to punk fans, as they were one of the original California punk rock bands, and they've stayed mostly intact through the years to the present day, with the current incarnation featuring most of the original lineup. This 2013 album is just what you would expect of a punk rock band circa 1980; eight classic holiday carols and pop hits, none over 2:08, with the ninth song being a remixed version of their 1993 classic "American Jesus." Everything is relentlessly uptempo, as you would expect, and the only fly in the ointment is that there have been so many punk rock Christmas performances over time that there's not much new to be found in a collection of Christmas covers. Nevertheless, a band with as long a pedigree as Bad Religion demands attention; while the style may be familiar and maybe even duplicated, these guys do loud-fast punk as well as anybody ever and the performances are very good. Also, Bad Religion has long had strong group vocals as a cornerstone of their sound, and that remains true here, kicking off "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" with a cappella vocals and keeping the group vocal sound going throughout the album. I especially like the way "White Christmas" starts with the riff from "I Wanna Be Sedated," and the way-uptempo approach kind of suits "O Come O Come Emmanuel." All told, a nice job.