By now, your opinions on Bad Religion are probably firmly entrenched. The band has been around for fifteen years, and in that time they've been called everything from corporate sellouts, for signing with Sony, to the fathers of SoCal punk, for having a sound which numerous bands, from the Offspring to Green Day to Blink-182, have emulated, often with significantly more success than Bad Religion have themselves enjoyed. With all this in mind, it's hard to think of anything to say about The Process of Belief that hasn't already been said about the band before.

The album is solid, though hardly anything spectacular. This late in the band's career, few people honestly expect them to break new ground. Like it or not, Bad Religion have made the same music for long enough that it has become Product -- as governed by, and subject to, expectations as a Big Mac. While a few of the songs here seem uninspired -- "Broken" being the most obvious example -- none are truly sub par. Occasionally, as on "Supersonic" and "Sorrow", the band excels, proving that they still deserve to be recognized as leaders of the genre. Faint praise it may be, but The Process of Belief is a stellar album, and should help keep Bad Religion's place secure in the punk rock hierarchy.