Bad Religion is an American punk rock band formed in 1980 in Los Angeles. The musicians managed the impossible - after appearing on the stage, they occupied their niche and gained millions of fans around the world.
The peak of the popularity of the punk band was in the early 2000s. Then the tracks of the Bad Religion group regularly occupied leading positions in the country's music charts. The compositions of the group are still popular among old and new fans of the group.
The history of the creation and composition of the Bad Religion group
The first line-up of the punk band included the following musicians:
- Brett Gurewitz - guitar
- Greg Graffin - vocals
- Jay Bentley - bass
- Jay Ziskraut - percussion.
To release albums, Brett Gurewitz founded his own label, Epitaph Records. Between the release of Epitaph's debut EP Bad Religion and the first full-length LP, How Could Hell Be Any Worse? Jay left the group.
Now a new member was playing behind the drum kits. We are talking about Peter Feinstone. However, this is not the last change in the composition of the group.
In 1983, after the presentation of the second album In to the Unknown, new members joined the band. Instead of the old bassist and drummer, Paul Dedona and Davy Goldman joined the band.
In 1984, Gurevits left the group. The fact is that then the celebrity used drugs. He was undergoing treatment at a rehabilitation center.
Thus, the only member of the original line-up was Greg Graffin. At the same time, Greg Hetson, former Circle Jerks guitarist and Tim Gallegos, joined him. And Peter Feinstone is back on drums.
During this time, the team experienced a stage of creative stagnation, the collapse of the team and reunification. In 1987, when the team returned to work again, the Bad Religion group entered the stage with the following line-up: Gurevits, Graffin, Hetson, Finestone.
Soon Jay Bentley took the place of the bass player. Later guitarists Brian Baker and Mike Dimkich joined the band. In 2015, Jamie Miller took over as drummer.
The creative path and music of the Bed Religen group
Almost immediately after the creation of the line-up, the musicians began to record tracks. In the early 1980s, the band presented a full-length debut album, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?. The release of the collection was incredibly successful, subsequently the collection began to be called the standard of hard rock punk.
The presentation of the second studio album did not take place on such a grand scale. The fact is that the songs of the second album In to the Unknown turned out to be a little “softer” due to the presence of a synthesizer. The use of the musical instrument featured was atypical for punk rock.
After the musicians presented the EP Back to the Known, everything returned to its place. The "fans", who turned away from the guys after the presentation of the second album, once again believed in the bright musical future of Bad Religion.
After the presentation of the EP, the team disappeared for a while. The group returned to the stage only in 1988. The musicians are back with a new album Suffer. The success of the album was so overwhelming that the punk rock band was offered to sign a contract with Atlantic Records.
In 1994, the band expanded their discography with the album Stranger Than Fiction. They recorded the collection under the wing of a new label. At the same time, the musicians visited the tour, festivals, and also did not forget to please the fans with live performances.
The next album No Substance turned out to be a "failure". Fans and music critics received the collection coldly. The musicians had to cancel a number of concerts, including in small nightclubs.
The peak of the group's popularity
Members of the team quickly rehabilitated. In the early 2000s, they added The New America to the band's discography. Subsequently, music critics recognized the collection as the best album of Bad Religion.
The album was produced by Todd Rundgren. To record the album, the musicians left for an almost uninhabited island. The absence of people and absolute silence had a positive effect on the tracks of the best Bad Religion record.
The musicians are back in the spotlight. Label Epitaph Records after the successful presentation of the new album offered the guys to sign a contract. A few years later, the musicians presented the album The Process of Belief on a new label.
The new collection failed to repeat the success of the previous disc. But, despite this, the compositions of the album were warmly received by critics and fans of the Bad Religion group.
In 2013, the band members announced that Greg Hetson had left the band for personal reasons. This decision, most likely, the man made because of the divorce from his wife. Greg's place was taken by the talented Mike Dimkich. As a result, a year later, Mike became a permanent member of the Bad Religion group.
A few years later, drummer Brooks Wackerman left the band. Initially, he planned to do solo projects. But two weeks later, he changed his plans, becoming part of the Avenged Sevenfold. Wackerman's place was taken by Jamie Miller, who was part of And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Snot.
Interesting facts about the group Bad Religion
- The video clip for the song Wrong Way Kids used videos from different years. On them you can see what the soloists of the team were like at the beginning and what they have become now.
- About Bad Religion in numbers (2020): the band has released 17 studio albums, 17 live albums, 3 compilations, 2 mini-albums, 24 singles and 4 video albums.
- In 1980, Greg Graffin's favorite bands were: Circle Jerks, Gears, The Adolescents, The Chiefs, Black Flag. It was these groups that influenced the formation of musical taste.
- The soloists of the group say that punk is a movement that refutes social relations that were eternal due to the conscious ignorance of man.
- BRAZEN ABBOT's third album (1997) cemented the band's reputation as one of the flagships of traditional hard 'n' heavy.
Bad Religion today
In 2018, some sources reported that the musicians were preparing a new album for fans. For the first time in 5 years, the band presented a new single, The Kids Are Alt-Right. And in the fall, another one - The Profane Rights of Man.
In 2019, the band's discography was replenished with the 17th collection. The new album is called Age of Unreason.
