The Lords of the New Church

Released to coincide with the group's 25th anniversary, the double-disc Rockers finds Lords of the New Church co-founder Brian James back in front of the board "re-mixing, re-imagining and re-working" ten cuts from the seminal post-punk outfit's first three records, Lords of the New Church, Is Nothing Sacred?, and Method to Our Madness -- the second disc features nine live cuts from a 1982 concert. Despite the skepticism fans may feel toward the "re-imagining" portion of the above quote, James does little to alter the feel of the originals. While purists may scoff at the very idea of messing with anything that relies on the caterwauls of deceased punk icon Stiv Bators, Rockers remains a decent entry point for those who are unwilling to pick up the original recordings. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide