Bad Religion's Christmas Songs

If you want to put a little skip into Santa's step this holiday season, throw on Bad Religion's new album, Christmas Songs, to greet him as he slides down your chimney. You read correctly, Bad Religion has released a Christmas album. Eight traditional holiday songs, plus the BR classic "American Jesus," are guaranteed to turn your holiday party into an impromptu stop on the winter Warped Tour this holiday season. Is that Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer in the corner over there? Nope, it's just a random elk that wandered into the mosh-pit and ended up with a bloody nose.

For a band that often questions the merits of religion, it's amazing how well these traditional songs gel with Bad Religion's modern-day angst. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "O Come All Ye Faithful," and "Angels We Have Heard On High" all turn into light-speed anthems, while "White Christmas" gets a bit of a Ramones spin in its delivery.

The MVP on this short album is easily drummer Brooks Wackerman, whose playing gets pretty mind-blowing on a handful of these songs. Bad Religion may seem an unlikely fit, but their Christmas songs on speed quite often lift these celebratory carols to new heights. The King of Angels would be proud.

• Album: Christmas Songs
• Artist: Bad Religion
• Label: Epitaph
• Songs: (1) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (2) O Come All Ye Faithful (3) O Come, O Come Emanuel (4) White Christmas (5) Little Drummer Boy (6) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (7) What Child Is This? (8) Angels We Have Heard On High (9) American Jesus