- Stranger Than Fiction (Deluxe Edition Remastered) · 1994
- Recipe for Hate · 1993
- Stranger Than Fiction (Deluxe Edition Remastered) · 1994
- The Process of Belief · 2002
- Christmas Songs · 2013
- No Control · 1989
- No Control · 1989
- Christmas Songs · 2013
- The Empire Strikes First · 2004
- Christmas Songs · 2013
- Christmas Songs · 2013
- Christmas Songs · 2013
- True North · 2012
Essential Albums
- Their major-label debut is now remastered in immersive Spatial Audio.
- 1989's No Control (remastered in 2004) is the zenith showcase for the watertight twin guitars of Brett Gurewitz (lead) and Greg Hetson, the yearning, melodic vocals of Greg Graffin, and the cynical lyrical exhortations they became known for. ("Don't be a henchman — stand on your laurels! Do what no one else does and praise the good of other men.") The group's members have ebbed and flowed over the years, but this line-up (with Jay Bentley on bass and Pete Finestone on drums) was the epitome of a tight, focused, and impassioned Bad Religion. The songs on No Control burrowed just a bit deeper to bite where it hurt, to hook listeners with classics-in-the-making like "Big Bang" and "Automatic Man" (one still marvels over the breakneck speed of those guitars) while at the same time getting them to sit through Social Crit 101 and at least fleetingly ponder the evils of greed and power. A large order, to be sure, but mixing the message with hammering rhythms and impossibly infectious vocals wrapped around soaring, stinging guitars delivered like mini-bombs in two-minute blasts proved to be a consistently winning formula.
- After disintegrating in 1985 and nearly succumbing to personal turmoil, Bad Religion tentatively reunited in 1987 and rediscovered itself with 1989’s Suffer, a wholly focused, sober, and scholarly piece of punk rock. Songs like "1000 More Fools," "Suffer," and "When?" put Bad Religion at the vanguard of a new wave of punk principles. Brett Gurewitz and Greg Hetson created a guitar-based assault that's as thick as it is quick, but the band's brain and soul came from singer Greg Graffin. Even when he was singing Gurewitz’s words—the pair split the lyrics on Suffer—Graffin was perhaps the first punk vocalist who showed it was possible to be hyper-articulate and direct at the same time. His lyrics spoke to the suburban teenager shown aflame in the album art. But rather than indoctrinate that teen with nihilism, “Delirium of Disorder” spouted philosophy and science: “Yeah, I am just an atom in an ectoplasmic sea/Without direction or a reason to exist/The anechoic nebula rotating in my brain/Is persuading me contritely to persist.”
- 2013
- 1998
Music Videos
- 2007
- 1993
Artist Playlists
- Aggressive, intelligent, and hook-heavy classics from the kings of melodic hardcore.
- Saluting the elder statesmen of SoCal punk.
- Finding new ways to make resistance fun.
Singles & EPs
About Bad Religion
At their first show, Bad Religion opened for fellow Southern California punks Social Distortion. ∙ At age 16, guitarist Brett Gurewitz created the band’s controversial logo, which has become one of punk’s most iconic symbols. ∙ They have released most of their music on Gurewitz’s label, Epitaph, which later signed Rancid, The Offspring, and NOFX. ∙ Noted music critic Robert Christgau hailed their 1988 album, Suffer, as a “hardcore milestone,” while NOFX frontman Fat Mike called it “the record that changed everything.” ∙ Featuring the hit singles “21st Century (Digital Boy)” and “Infected,” 1994’s Stranger Than Fiction became the group’s best-selling album. ∙ More than 20 years into their career, they found a new fanbase with the singles “Sorrow” and “Los Angeles Is Burning,” as well as the Top 20 album True North. ∙ In 2003, frontman Greg Graffin received his PhD in zoology from Cornell University, reinforcing Bad Religion’s reputation as one of punk rock’s smartest bands.
- ORIGIN
- Los Angeles, CA, United States
- FORMED
- 1980
- GENRE
- Hard Rock