Bad Religion find the perfect Process for punk
By TOM O'CONNELL
Scene Music Critic
Bad Religion is one of the bands responsible for bringing punk rock to the mainstream. In 1980 they scraped together enough money to produce their first album and their record label, Epitaph, was born. Since then, they have grown a reasonably large fan base, which is unique for a genre that is usually more on the fringes of mainstream. Bad Religion put forth some quality efforts in the 1990s, with such moderately successful albums as Generator, No Control and Stranger Than Fiction. While continuing to make their own records, Bad Religion have spent the last 20 years grooming and producing other punk rock acts such as NOFX, Minor Threat and their first platinum-selling band, The Offspring.
Lead singer/guitarist Greg Graffin and lead guitarist Bret Gurewitz are responsible for most of Bad Religion's songwriting, and their unique styles reflect well off each other. Gurewitz is the better musician, writing some of the better guitar riffs, while Graffin's intelligent lyrics and conflicting harmonies give the songs a deep meaning. The vocabulary used in Bad Religion songs is always sophisticated and complex, prompting the listener to occasionally refer to a dictionary to understand just what the hell the song is actually about.
In the late 1990s, Brett Gurewitz split with the band so that he could run Epitaph full time. The band did not take his departure well, and a small feud followed. Other band members wanted to see him remain a musician, while he was leaning more toward the business aspect of their small enterprise. Eventually the band convinced him that their music would be hollow without his input, and he agreed to go back into the recording studio. Gurewitz's influence definitely added songwriting quality, and the album shows it with 14 tracks of mostly high quality punk rock.
"Supersonic" kicks off the album with a fast fury and a message about the unnatural fast pace of today's society. "Everything is alien, how does it feel to be outstripped by the pace of cultural change?" This song is a perfect example of Graffin's harmony arrangements. In many of his songs, most notably in the 1992 classic "American Jesus," he sets up two different sets of lyrics, both sung simultaneously, parallel to each other. What is so good about this style is that the lyrics do not step on each other, rather they blend into each other seamlessly.
Bad Religion are long known for their social messages, and this album is no different. "Materialist" is a song about rejecting the social conformity brought upon us by advertising and the media. The lyrics preach about why we find it so hard to differ from the belief system that has been forced upon us. "The process of belief is an elixir when you're weak/ I must confess, at times I indulge it on the sneak."
The best song on the album is "Kyoto Now!" The song refers to the United Nations conference and the Kyoto Protocol that were to set emissions standards and other guidelines in order to slow pollution and global warming. As of yet, few countries have made much progress on the agreed upon changes. The song makes it plea from a realistic approach without being preachy. "A brutal sun is rising on our sick horizon/ It's in the way we live our lives/ Exactly like the double edge of a cold familiar knife/ It's never really what you own but what you threw away/ And how much did you pay?/ In your dreams you saw a steady state/ a bounty for eternity."
It's good to see Gurewitz back for this album, because the band definitely reaches equilibrium with his presence. While not a masterpiece like No Control, The Process of Belief certainly has its high points. The band is talented, and they still remain one of the few musical groups that actually have a decent message.
Bad Religion is never going to top the charts. You'll probably never see them on MTV, and Puff Daddy won't be bastardizing any of their songs with a ridiculous cover any time soon. But quality often lies on the fringes. If you're right in the middle, all you see around you is just like you. If you stand on the edge, it's much easier to see what's beyond the mainstream.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, February 5, 2002
