"New Maps Of Hell" has been hailed as the band's best album in years. This deluxe package features seven new acoustic songs, including three never before heard tracks, a full 23-song live DVD from House Of Blues Las Vegas, foldout posters, and an expanded 20-page lyric book. The band is constantly being rediscovered by a new generation of fans, most recently through their extensive appearances in games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Product Description
I purchased this new item to send to my son in Iraq for his birthday when he received it the DVD was damaged and could not be played. I would have returned it but being shipped to Iraq and back to Amazon it would have been more than the item was worth.
September 11, 2008Ugh, tell me every thinking punk's favorite band is now trundling down the "Deluxe Edition" path. Well, examining what's here will tell the story: the CD we all bought 365 days ago, 3 new acoustic songs, 4 old BR songs done acoustically, and a DVD. The CD we all bought a year ago is good, the 3 new BR acoustic songs aren't. Adam's Atoms is the only one of the 3 that shows promise, the other 2 are cringe-worthy efforts that give me no solace in the future of BR's 2 aging principal songwriters. 4 BR songs done acoustically begs 1 question: When did Sorrow become some sort of latter-day BR classic? It shows up everywhere, and it's practically acoustic in its album form already, so i don't know why Greg & Brett have such a hard-on for it. God Song actually works nicely in an acoustic version, Dearly Beloved is OK, and Skyscraper is almost mournful (made me think they wanted us to remember when even the throwaway BR numbers had stunning, soaring substance.) On to the DVD, you get a chintzy 'making of' section that tells you nothing, a couple of videos, and a complete live concert that fails & I will tell you why. I've seen my share of Bad Religion live footage & they aren't a tremendously interesting live act. Not bad, but nothing grab-you-by-the-throat compelling either. So what makes the live set worthless is firstly: the mostly muffled sound (how do you mix 4 guitars at once? poorly!) and secondly: I severely dislike seeing a bunch of teenage tools sporting their crisp Hot Topic patented 'punk rawk' t-shirts, bumbling around like fools because they're at the House Of Blues, which is about as 'punk rawk' as The Jonas Brothers. You know these same poseurs will be sticking around for the Sum41 show coming up next, after some ads from Mountain Dew and Scion. It's just sad seeing hall-of-famers like Greg & Co. have to cater to such a crowd. It would have been nice to see a show with heart in an intimate venue that didn't scream "corporate sponsorship." So ultimately paying 2wice the price for this is dumb. The new stuff here isn't anything you'll miss.
August 16, 2008So, I already have the original release...why do I need a second copy? Because I'm a seriously devoted Bad Religion fanL: I collect their albums (even re-releases) and I like to support them and the Epitaph label. This release not only has the original songs from New Maps of Hell, but also has some amazing acoustic tracks!! The DVD included is a fantastic bonus...great footage which reminded me of their lastest club tour which I was fortunate enough to see. The posters and general presentation of the album is classic Bad-Religion-style (great imaging and kinda angry) and is a must-have for those who still appreciate cd artwork and packaging. If you just want the New Maps of Hell album and aren't a devoted nut-case-of-a-fan like myself, you might just want to purchase the original release or download it off i-tunes like the kids do nowadays...but if you are a B.R. collector...drop the twenty bucks, pretend its 1994 when cd's were the thing to have and get stoked off it!!!
August 3, 2008I did not think the original "New Maps of Hell" was a terrific CD. There were perhaps three songs that I feel are really strong tracks. But this, the deluxe version, is a fantastic value. I would have paid $20 just for the acoustic songs, which are just excellent. I hope more acoustic versions of Bad Religion songs are forthcoming. I love the punkier and rockier stuff a lot, but after a while, it's a little like Taco Bell--you know they're only working with about four ingredients, and no matter how many combinations you put the ingredients together in, the taste is going to be largely the same. With the acoustic stuff, a lot of nuance and subtlety emerges, and the brilliance of the lyrics shines through better. And the acoustic guitar work on "Sorrow" was a revelation. A band this musically capable shouldn't restrict themselves to a narrow style, any more than a truly talented chef should be making chalupas. A very impressive work, which restores my faith in the band's direction. Incidentally, someone commented that if the concert footage included in this package is representative, then Bad Religion must not be a very good live band. It's impossible to say where questions of taste are concerned, but I think Bad Religion is a wondeful live act. I've seen them four times so far and they put on a hell of a show. If I have a complaint at all it's that they could do with a little more variety. I realize they might be suffering from the "Misery" trap--give the fans what they want, or they'll chop off your foot and hold you hostage. But even hard-moshing punks can be won over to a tasty little anthem or ballad or folk ditty if it's used judiciously as a change of pace. Graffin put out a CD of folk songs a while back, and while I thought most of them were average or barely above, there were a couple of stand-outs. I would love to hear a little more of that at a Bad Religion concert--there'd still be plenty of time for the high-energy tear-em-ups that made the band famous.
July 14, 2008 |  | A Great Album!!!! Awsome DVD & Posters!!!! |  |
A Great Album!!!! The 7 Acoustic tracks are really good! I only wish there were more acoustic songs like Only Entertainment, The Answer, Struck A Nerve, Sanity, etc....... I really enjoyed having the Subtitles (lyrics) to the songs on the Live At The Palladium DVD. It would have been nice if they had that feature on the live show on this deluxe edition of New Maps Of Hell, but I am happy with it anyways. Great posters!!!! A++++
July 14, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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