(img)http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/DDram/taggy.gif(/img) Styles: * American Underground * punk * Hardcore punk * Alternative Pop/ Rock * L.A. punk Artist: Bad Religion (img)http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drP100/P147/P14723K70N7.jpg(/img) Formed In: 1980 in Los Angeles, CA Bio: Out of all of the Southern Californian hardcore punk bands of the early '80s, Bad Religion stayed around the longest. For over a decade, they retained their underground credibility without turning out a series of indistinguishable records that all sound the same. Instead, the band refined their attack, adding inflections of psychedelia, heavy metal, and hard rock along the way, as well as a considerable dose of melody. Between their 1982 debut and their first major-label record, 1993's Recipe for Hate, Bad Religion stayed vital in the hardcore community by tightening their musical execution and keeping their lyrics complex and righteously angry. Bad Religion formed in the northern suburbs of Los Angeles in 1980, comprising guitarist Brett Gurewitz, vocalist Greg Graffin, bassist Jay Bentley, and drummer Jay Ziskrout. Gurewitz established his own record company, Epitaph, to release the band's records. Between their self-titled EP and their first full-length record, Pete Finestone replaced Ziskrout as the group's drummer. Into the Unknown, their debut album, was released in 1983 and gained them some attention on the national U.S. hardcore scene. After its release, the group's lineup changed, as bassist Paul Dedona and drummer Davy Goldman joined the group. In the meantime, the band's lineup was undergoing some more shakeups. Gurewitz had to take 1984 off to recover from various substance abuse problems, leaving Graffin as the band's only original member. In addition to Graffin, the 1984 incarnation of the band featured former Circle Jerks guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Tim Gallegos, and returning drummer Pete Finestone. Bad Religion's next release, the harder, punkier Back to the Known EP restored faith among the group's devoted fans. After its release, the group went on hiatus for three years. When Bad Religion returned in 1987, the band featured Gurewitz, Graffin, Ziskrout, Hetson, and Finestone. They released Suffer the following year, a record that re-established the group as prominent players in the U.S. underground punk/hardcore scene. They followed with No Control (1989) and Against the Grain (1990). By the time of their 1993 album, Recipe for Hate, alternative rock had become popular with the mainstream; in addition, the band's following was quite large. These two factors contributed to Bad Religion signing a major-label contract with Atlantic Records. Recipe for Hate was originally released on Epitaph, but it was soon re-released with the support of Atlantic. The group's first proper major-label album was 1994's Stranger Than Fiction; it was also Gurewitz's last album with the group. Before the release of Stranger Than Fiction, Epitaph had an unexpected hit with the Offspring's Smash, causing Gurewitz to spend more time at the label; reports also indicated that he was displeased with Bad Religion's major-label contract. The group replaced Gurewitz with hardcore veteran Brian Baker for their supporting tour, which proved to be their most successful to date. Bad Religion released their second major-label album, The Gray Race, in early 1996, but it didn't achieve the same results as its predecessors. No Substance followed in 1998, and two years later the band returned with New America, which was produced by Todd Rundgren. Although it featured Bad Religion's best work in years, Atlantic subsequently dropped the band, and they returned to Epitaph. In the summer of 2001, Gurewitz rejoined the lineup after a six-year absence, and the group began work on The Process of Belief. The album appeared in February the following year, and was widely hailed for its recalibration of the Graffin/Gurewitz axis. Bad Religion's next project was the remastering and issuing of their early catalog. The discs began appearing in April 2004 with the release of Generator and How Could Hell Be Any Worse? The former included relevant 7" material from the era, while Hell took the place of 80-85, which had previously accounted for the band's earliest output. Both were fully remastered, as were subsequent reissues of Suffer, No Control, and Against the Grain. Bad Religion then returned in June of that year with The Empire Strikes First, a typically acerbic LP that reflected the surge of anger and defiance in the punk and indie music communities toward the policies of the Bush administration. Album: Stranger Than Fiction (img)http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000002J11.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg(/img) Tracks: 1. Incomplete 2. Leave Mine To Me 3. Stranger Than Fiction 4. Tiny Voices 5. The Handshake 6. Better Off Dead 7. Infected 8. Television 9. Individual 10. Hooray For Me 11. Slumber 12. Marked 13. Inner Logic 14. What It Is 15. 21st Century (Digital Boy) Review: It seems that Bad Religion's eighth LP is a rare case of selling out in reverse. Having signed to the big bad major wolf ("what big teeth you have, Grandma Atlantic"), the bandmembers seem too intent on showing their fans they're not going wimpy, so they turn their back on the advances of Generator and Recipe for Hate in order to bring back the naked aggression. Stranger Than Fiction is back to the go-for-the-jugular stuff, pretending that the wonderful modifications and variety of their recent work never existed -- thus the qualms about this LP. It feels too regressive, a sort of pandering. That said, if they are going to go backwards, I for one am going with them -- there is still no one better at this stuff. The opening "Incomplete" features some of the most intense verse singing by the ever-soaring Greg Graffin, behind a muscular, punishing sound helped by guest guitar from the MC5's Wayne Kramer. Almost as storming in the same vein are philosophical songs such as "Leave Mine to Me," "Individual," "Tiny Voices," and the powerhouse "Marked," all uptempo barnburners, pulverizing in their rapid passion. The biggest gratification, though, is that a few songs do seem more in line with the maturity of the previous two LPs. "Handshake" is the album's summit, thanks to an oven-hot chorus and an outro-coda that has to rank among their ten best moments. "Slumber" is a slower show-stopper, with a pleading barrage of harmony vocals, while the title track builds on Generator's "Atomic Garden" with an unusual Beatles/Jam singsong melody. On the negative side, "Infected" into "Television" are the two least effective songs of their 15 years, the former a third-rate "Sanity," the latter bereft of hooks. In any case, it is not to be missed and it will haunt you in your sleep. Rating: 5 of 10 Release Date: Aug 30, 1994 Label: Atlantic Bitrate: * 320kbps File format: * mp3 File size: * 88 MB Group Members * Brian Baker * Jay Bentley * Brett Gurewitz * Pete Finestone * Jo Galletta * Greg Graffin * Greg Hetson * Bobby Schayer * Jay B. Ziskrout * Paul Dedona Similar Artists * Rancid * Minor Threat * Fugazi * Bad Brains * All * The Offspring * Von Zippers * No Use for a Name * NOFX * Nova Mob * Hüsker Dü * Fear * Agent Orange * The Adolescents * Cro-Mags * 7 Seconds * The Vandals See Also * The Circle Jerks * Greg Graffin * Error * Daredevils Influenced By * Black Flag * The Sex Pistols Followers * All * Kreator * Zack de la Rocha * Good Riddance * Manic Hispanic * The Krays * Cleveland Bound Death Sentence * Bombshell Rocks * Wide * The Story So Far * Bad Astronaut * Devon * All Wound Up * The Applicators * Side Effect * BBS Paranoicos * Rock Kills Kid * Story of the Year Performed Songs By * Greg Graffin * Brett Gurewitz * Brian Baker * Greg Hetson * B.J. Baker * Jay Bentley Tracker: http://kindmetal.net/forum/tracker/announce.php