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Bad Religion
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Bad Religion is an influential punk rock band known for poignant, erudite lyrics, and biting social commentary. The band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1980 by high school students Greg Graffin (vocals), Jay Bentley (bass guitar), Jay Ziskrout (drums), and Brett Gurewitz (guitar). In 1981, the band released their eponymous debut EP on their own newly-formed label, Epitaph Records, managed and owned by Gurewitz. 1982 saw the release of their first full-length album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, gaining the band a sizeable following. During the recording of How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, Jay Ziskrout left the band and was replaced by Peter Finestone. The name 'Bad Religion' comes from a song by old-school heavy metal band, Motorhead.
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Bad Religion is a punk band from Los Angeles, California, known for poignant, erudite lyrics, and biting social commentary. The band was formed in 1980 by high school students Greg Graffin (vocals), Jay Bentley (bass guitar), Jay Ziskrout (drums), and Brett Gurewitz (guitar). In 1981, they released their eponymous debut EP on their own newly-formed label, Epitaph, managed and owned by Gurewitz. 1982 saw the release of their first full-length album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, which gained them a sizable following. During the recording, Ziskrout left the band and was replaced by
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Bad Religion had serious second thoughts about that direction, broke up and, upon regrouping, reversed its allegiance, taking pains to renounce eclecticism. Half the original lineup, joined by guitarist Greg Hetson (on loan from the Circle Jerks) and a guest bassist, made a conscious reversal on the one-sided 12-inch EP, Back to the Known, which banishes the stylish keyboard sound in favor of an unreconstructed punk assault. Still, Greg Graffin's articulate vocals are way above average, and the stun-volume chords don't swamp out the melodies or lyrics. Not bad at all.
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Bad Religion formed in 1980 in the San Fernando Valley, just north of Los Angeles, CA, as the early Hollywood punk scene was fading and the new hardcore sound was exploding out of the suburbs. Recent high school dropout Brett Gurewitz recruited drummer Jay Ziskraut, bassist Jay Bentley, and singer Greg Graffin. The latter two were both 15 and still attending Brett's old school: El Camino Real High. From the beginning Bad Religion stood out from their SoCal peers. They eschewed both the violent nihilism of Black Flag and TSOL and the "party band" humor of the Circle Jerks. Although fast like other hardcore bands, their sound was rooted in Graffin's literary, Darby Crash-inspired lyrics and almost Beatlesque vocal harmonies that soared over the straightforward hardcore riffs.
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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.
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Bad Religion's fourteenth (and most recent) studio album, New Maps of Hell, was released on July 10, 2007. On June 29th of that year, which happened to be Greg Hetson's 46th birthday, Epitaph Records started selling New Maps of Hell at Warped Tour in Pomona, California. Bad Religion ... joined the 2007 Warped Tour to support the album.[12] Today, the band continues to tour and perform in support of the album. On February 27. 2008, Punknews.org reported that Epitaph will be releasing a deluxe edition of New Maps of Hell.[13]
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Bad Religion