Bad Religion

Among early-1980s Southern California hardcore punk acts, Bad Religion endured longest, with vocalist Greg Graffin serving as the only member present throughout the band’s existence. Across nearly forty years the ensemble preserved its standing outside the mainstream while avoiding repetitive output. Over time the musicians evolved their sound by incorporating touches of psychedelia, heavy metal, and hard rock, plus stronger melodic emphasis. From the 1982 debut through the first major-label effort, 1993’s Recipe for Hate, and onward to the politically charged 2019 album Age of Unreason, Bad Religion sustained relevance within hardcore circles by sharpening instrumental precision and maintaining intricate, fiercely indignant lyrics.

The group formed in 1980 in Los Angeles’s northern suburbs, with guitarist Brett Gurewitz, vocalist Greg Graffin, bassist Jay Bentley, and drummer Jay Ziskrout. Gurewitz founded Epitaph Records to issue the band’s material. After the self-titled EP and before the first full-length, Pete Finestone took over drums from Ziskrout. Released in 1982, the debut album How Could Hell Be Any Worse? brought national attention within the American hardcore scene. Subsequent personnel shifts placed bassist Paul Dedona and drummer Davy Goldman in the lineup. That configuration recorded 1983’s Into the Unknown, an album whose progressive-rock leanings and prominent keyboard parts sparked backlash among longtime followers.

Further changes occurred when Gurewitz stepped away in 1984 to address substance issues, leaving Graffin as the final original member. The 1984 lineup added former Circle Jerks guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Tim Gallegos, and returning drummer Pete Finestone. The resulting harder-edged Back to the Known EP helped regain trust among core listeners. Following its release, the band entered a three-year hiatus.

Reconvening in 1987 with Gurewitz, Graffin, Bentley, Hetson, and Finestone, the group issued Suffer in 1988 and thereby reclaimed prominence in the U.S. punk and hardcore underground. Subsequent releases included No Control in 1989 and Against the Grain in 1990. By 1993’s Recipe for Hate, alternative rock had entered the mainstream and Bad Religion’s audience ranked among punk’s largest in the United States; those circumstances prompted a move to Atlantic Records.

Although initially issued on Epitaph, Recipe for Hate later benefited from Atlantic distribution. The first album recorded under the major-label deal was 1994’s Stranger Than Fiction, also Gurewitz’s final recording with the band. Prior to that release, Epitaph achieved unexpected commercial success with the Offspring’s Smash, prompting Gurewitz to devote greater attention to the label; accounts also noted his dissatisfaction with the Atlantic contract. Hardcore veteran Brian Baker, formerly of Minor Threat, replaced Gurewitz on guitar for the ensuing tour, which became one of the band’s most successful.

The next major-label album, The Gray Race, appeared in early 1996 yet failed to match prior commercial performance. No Substance followed in 1998, and New America arrived in 2000, produced by Todd Rundgren. Despite containing some of the strongest material in years, the record led to the band’s departure from Atlantic and a return to Epitaph. In summer 2001 Gurewitz rejoined after six years away, and the resulting album The Process of Belief emerged in February 2002 to widespread praise for restoring the creative partnership between Graffin and Gurewitz.

Next the band concentrated on remastering and reissuing its early catalog. The first two discs, Generator and How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, appeared in April 2004; the former added period 7-inch tracks, while the latter supplanted the earlier 80-85 compilation. Both received full remastering, as did later reissues of Suffer, No Control, and Against the Grain. In June 2004 the group released the typically acerbic The Empire Strikes First, an album reflecting heightened anger and defiance within punk and indie circles toward Bush-administration policies.

The 2007 album New Maps of Hell extended that tone of discontent, criticizing perceived widespread apathy amid global crises. Marking the band’s 30th anniversary in 2009, the members entered the studio to record their 15th studio album, The Dissent of Man, issued the following year on Epitaph. Although rumors of an impending breakup circulated, Graffin rejected such claims; the band subsequently released True North in 2013 along with the holiday collection Christmas Songs. February 2016 brought the vinyl-only 30 Years Live, drawn from performances during the 2010 anniversary tour. In June 2018 the group issued its first single in five years, the searing “The Kids Are Alt-Right,” followed in 2019 by the studio album Age of Unreason.