The Empire Strikes First - Bad Religion
The Empire Strikes First Image
Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 21 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Summary: The veteran Southern California hardcore punk band returns with--as you may have guessed from the title--a political-themed disc, complete with carefully-footnoted lyrics.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. Spin
    91
    Good records from the Descendents and Bad Religion in one year? Joe Strummer's ghost must be keeping close watch. [Jul 2004, p.110]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. Mojo
    80
    This is the band at their melodious best. [Jun 2004, p.112]
    All this publication's reviews
  3. All Music Guide
    60
    The Empire Strikes First isn't a return to Bad Religion at its most vitriolic and unstoppable -- whether that could ever really happen is unclear, and probably unnecessary.
  4. Village Voice
    30
    A bore of an album.

See all 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. BobBananas
    10
    Wonderful!
  2. BrianD
    8
    Great album but not compared to process of belief, it is a slight let down. Also, I needed more songs like gods love.
  3. JoshW
    7
    Not the best Bad Religion but still good tunes. I always enjoy what they have to bring to the table.
  4. Member27
    2
    Same crap as their other albums. Left wing politics translated into psuedo-insightful obtuse lyrics put to the tunes of some awesome punk music. The lyrics totally ruin the experience of Bad Religion and no matter how good the music is, and it is good, I will never be able to like them because of it. Not that I am a right-winger or anything, I just find their lyrics to be awfully patronising and instead of constructing a lyrical arguement they are reasonless blind protests against very tired targets.… Expand

See all 17 User Reviews

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