The Empire Strikes First
Studio album by Bad Religion
Released	June 7, 2004 June 7, 2004 June 8, 2004
Recorded	November 2003-February 2004 at Sound City in Los Angeles, California
Length	39:42 (U.S. version) 42:43 (Japanese version)
Label	Epitaph
Producer	Brett Gurewitz and Greg Graffin
Professional reviews
Allmusic link IGN link Robert Christgau link Rolling Stone link Ultimate Guitar link
Bad Religion chronology
Punk Rock Songs (2002) The Empire Strikes First (2004) New Maps of Hell (2007)

The Empire Strikes First is the thirteenth studio album by Bad Religion released on June 8, 2004.

Title inspiration

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2008)

The title is a reference to the new Bush Doctrine of preventive war, and a play on the name of the popular Star Wars movie The Empire Strikes Back.

Production and marketing

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Like its predecessor, The Process of Belief, the album was recorded at Sound City in Los Angeles, California. Recording lasted from November 2003 to February 2004. There is a poster for the album, along with many other epitaph/hellcat bands, in the film Superbad

Reception

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The Empire Strikes First was released on June 8, 2004 and peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200 album chart,^[1] the highest position the band had attained at the time. The album scored a minor radio hit with, "Los Angeles Is Burning", which also reached #40 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Although some of the album is related to the Iraq war, the band also touches on familiar topics like religion, the environment, and the media on the hit song "Los Angeles Is Burning." Throughout the album, and especially in the song "Boot Stamping On A Human Face Forever," are references to the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Track listing

1. "Overture" – 1:09 (Gurewitz)
2. "Sinister Rouge" – 1:53 (Graffin)
3. "Social Suicide" – 1:35 (Graffin)
4. "Atheist Peace" – 1:57 (Graffin)
5. "All There Is" – 2:57 (Gurewitz)
6. "Los Angeles Is Burning" – 3:23 (Gurewitz)
7. "Let Them Eat War" – 2:57 (Gurewitz, Francis, Wackerman, Baker, Bentley)
8. "God's Love" – 2:32 (Graffin)
9. "To Another Abyss" – 4:07 (Graffin)
10. "The Quickening" – 2:19 (Gurewitz, Wollard, Wackerman)
11. "The Empire Strikes First" – 3:23 (Gurewitz, Baker)
12. "Beyond Electric Dreams" – 4:02 (Gurewitz, Wollard, Wackerman)
13. "Boot Stamping on a Human Face Forever" – 3:49 (Gurewitz)
14. "Live Again (The Fall of Man)" – 3:35 (Graffin)

Japanese Bonus Tracks

15. "The Surface of Me" – 3:01 (Graffin)

Personnel

Bad Religion

• Greg Graffin – lead vocals, producer
• Greg Hetson – guitar
• Brian Baker – guitar
• Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backup vocals, producer
• Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backup vocals
• Brooks Wackerman – drums, percussion

Additional Personnel

Musicians

• David Bragger – violin on "Atheist Peace"
• Mike Campbell – guitar on "Los Angeles is Burning"
• Sage Francis – guest vocals on "Let Them Eat War"
• John Ginty – Hammond B-3 on "Los Angeles is Burning"
• Leopold Ross – Sonic Alienator on "Beyond Electric Dreams"
• Claude Sarne – goth choir soprano on "Sinister Rouge"

Other

• Atticus Ross – programming
• Joe Barresi – engineer, mixing
• Tom Baker – mastering
• Pete Martinez – assistant engineer
• June Murakawa – assistant engineer
• Nick Pritchard – design
• Sean Murphy – photography
• Matt Rubin – photography

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Singles - Billboard (North America)

References