Saturday morning. Just watched "The Candidate" last night and am feeling rather cynical. Then the mail guy drops off this package. Enclosed is the return of the greatest band in the world. The heavens part and the sun shines through the cold. Life is better than bliss.

Okay, so now you know my bias. But to be as prolific as they are and still as damn fucking good... This time out, the lyrics have a definite dark tint to them. Most of them have at least a little to do with the recent Gulf conflict, especially the two tracks from a 7" they issued last year with M.I.T. linguist Noam Chomsky.

Longer songs, too. While the album still clocks in right at 30 minutes, there are only 11 songs as opposed to the normal 15+. But who out there is going to bitch? Not me, man.

The songs show more construction, with an occasional lead break (oh my!) and more time to flesh out the music. Why hasn't a major picked these guys up?

Well, I suppose it would be a bitch to leave your own damn label to go big and sell out. So let's all get out and celebrate! Bad Religion has been around for over ten years and is still as vital as they were when their first EP came out in 1981 (tho' a bit more polished, I must say).

Did I mention I love this album?

From Nashville. My girlfriend's from there, and I know the scene pretty well, but this is still a surprise. A power-something trio (did you ever notice that all trios get dubbed power-rock, like Rush, or power-blues, like Cream, or shit like that?) that relies on great musicianship and the occasional pop melody.

For those of you who heard the Bullet Lavolta album last year, when this gets cranking, it reminds me of that. Of course, there's mellow spots as well. But don't let that scare you off (and many of you are playing this). This is not easy listening; it is rewarding listening. I picked up their first album for $3 at an Albuquerque used record store (Record Roundup, I think), and I couldn't have gotten more for my money. These guys are great. Metal, punk, alternative, whatever. Who cares? Good music.

You want me to give you cuts to play? And you call yourselves college radio. I've decided that I'm not going to that anymore. I may mention the occasional song that I really like, but no programming hints from me. If you want to know what track to play, then go somewhere where you get paid to play records. Enough, already.

The second half of my Saturday serendipity (see Bad Religion review if you don't understand). Not a reunion as much as meeting cemented by Mexican food (so the press states). No, they will not tour or even acknowledge the real existence of the band (or even necessarily use their real names, due to major label contracts with other bands). But there's the problem of this album, you see...

And what a problem. Punk is not dead, and today it seems to be the source of the best pop songs out there. While not as fast as many of their hard core buds, Dag Nasty have aggression to spare and great tunes to boot. While many alternative bands are selling out and adding lots of crap to their music, it's refreshing to see Dag Nasty sticking to simple roots.

If you can't find room for bands like Bad Religion and Dag Nasty on your loud music shows, then you are really missing out. You'll not only be depriving deserving bands of airtime, but you'll be depriving your listeners of some of the best music around.

The odd great riff dots the landscape of this brutal onslaught. Unlike many death outfits who sound like they were created in a studio, this has a very live sound to it. The tempos are changeable, and these guys let the groove hang out for a while before they speed your brains to death.

At first this sounded like uncontrolled chaos, but after getting into it, I realized there is direction, and that everything hinges on the drums (very nice work indeed from skin man/vocalist King Fowler). These guys should be amazing live.

Nice hair, good looking guys, fake blood everywhere; why don't I take these guys seriously? You know, the music doesn't help a whole lot either. Not much to find different from other death outfits.

On the plus side, these guys are meticulous players, especially the guitars. They have obviously worked long and hard at songwriting to make sure every note is there. Perhaps that's the problem. I think the aggression got lost somewhere in between.

Definite hard core influences, but also a pop sensibility, with a touch of grunge bass dropping by now and again. This was released a bit ago, but it still sounds damn nice. At times this is also rather reminiscent of latter-day Senator Flux, which is good.

The critics have been raving, and I think that's good. This kind of music has stumped many who try to label it, so I won't try (besides the opening). Very enjoyable might work. So would pretty damn fine. Or, geez, I can't wait 'till they get to my town, or...

When the first Exhorder album came out, the press said they were different from all the other death metal bands. I couldn't hear it. Now comes a note saying "by the way, this isn't a death metal album." They're right this time. One of my reporters called it Slayer-like, and I think that's pretty fair.

One of the band members is wearing what appears to be a Melvins shirt, and that influence is here as well. The music slows almost to a crawl at times. For the most part, this is just thrashy stuff, and, once again, nothing to write home about. It's enjoyable, and I have no problems listening to it, but it is just still rather generic, with the exception of the funk Franky Sparcello keeps wanting to put in his bass.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it is just sort of a wanking noise underneath everything else. You know, it's always a bad omen when the strongest track on an album is a cover. I'm still waiting for the goods.

Once again, it is proved: most of the best death metal is European. Not to slight bands like Atheist (who are rather innovative), but the real rough and ready sounds of a band like Pungent Stench make Morrisound product seem, well, antiseptic. Too clean.

Even when these guys speed it up, the musicianship is still there. Just amazing riffs and speedy, blues-influenced solo work (really, not just that Carl Lewis work people put on most albums). This, like much of the stuff from Relapse and Nuclear Blast, has a raw touch to it. Real fucking power.

And that's what this music is all about: powerdealing. Pungent Stench channel aggression better than any band I've heard in ages. This stuff makes me wish I was fifteen all over again (um, maybe not, but still). Wow.

Epic doom death metal. Like combining Solitude AEturnus and, oh, Morgoth. Almost discernible lyrics and environmental themes, among others. These guys give a damn about something, and they're not embarrassed to say so.

Plus, they can play. The up-and-down thrash gets a little tedious at times, but overall this is a good album. One certainly to check out.

Where many punk-funk-metal kinda bands focus a little heavily on the bouncing bass and ignore real rhythmic innovation and lyrical content, Soul Pit manages to score all three, finding a real sense of power most bands lack. The press says these guys have been around in one incarnation or another for seven years or so, and it shows. There is an obvious tightness and understanding between the players. These guys must put on an incredible live show.

I really must compliment the cover art and liners. Instead of the usual shit job, this is a stylish (still b&w) Macintosh job that is eminently readable and attractive.With all the care put into this release (art-wise and musically) I wonder why someone hasn't noticed these folk yet. I'm sure someone will soon.