Bad Religion Against The Grain CD

Bad Religion: Greg Graffin (vocals); Mr. Brett (guitar, horns, background vocals); Greg Hetson (guitar); Jay Bentley (bass, background vocals); Peter Finestone (percussion).
Additional personnel: Keith Morris (background vocals).
Recorded at Westbeach Recorders, Hollywood, California in May 1990.
The third in a flurry of releases that followed Bad Religion's 1988 reunion, Against the Grain found the band's edge honed sharper than it had been in years. Epitaph's 2004 remaster respects this. Increased clarity between mouthpiece Greg Graffin, guitarists Brett Gurewitz and Greg Hetson, and the rhythm section of Jay Bentley and Pete Finestone increases the inherent melodic tension and amplifies Graffin's righteous lyrical anger. "My path renewed/Against the grain/That's where I'll stay" -- for many, Graffin's resolve over Grain's martial pace was a restatement of purpose, a refueling of belief in the punk and hardcore ethos as a new decade dawned. "21st Century (Digital Boy)" was a throaty, gritty, gang-vocal anthem that name-checked No Control and bitterly dismantled middle-class complacency in the technology era. One of Graffin/Gurewitz's pet themes, it also guided cuts like the rapid-fire opener, "Modern Man" ("I'm a cyborg just like you"), and the acerbic anti-greed rant "Quality or Quantity." Bad Religion had always warned against the excesses of the future and the assimilation of individuality. But the gospel cut deeper with Against the Grain. Songs began in an instant, with the single crack of a snare drum signaling the beginning of another screed. The guitars came in, twining between fiery leads and urgent, sometimes hyper chording -- the album seemed like a signal fire to the lost tribes of hardcore. Its best moment might be "Turn On the Light." As a thick, trademark Bad Religion melody rips in the background, Graffin spits out lyrics that define ideology with literate pacing, even as they ignite the genre's base emotions. "I'll construct a rack of tempered beams and trusses and equip it with a million tiny suns," Graffin sings. "...and I'll burn like a Roman f*cking candle." ~ Johnny Loftus
For a period during late '80s and early '90s there was both good news and bad news for fans of punk stalwarts Bad Religion. The bad news was that the band kept putting out the same album over and over again; the good news was that the album was fantastic. AGAINST THE GRAIN, like its predecessors NO CONTROL and SUFFER, is arguably a punk masterpiece. It showcases a band at the top of its game, bursting with punk hooks, intricate multi-syllabic lyrics and the trademark upper and lower register backing vocals that set Bad Religion apart from mere imitators.
A true classic from "Modern Man," to "Faith Alone," to "Misery and Famine," AGAINST THE GRAIN never for a moment slows its pace or intensity. The band still performed most of this record live a decade down the line, and both "Entropy" and the title track remained firm fan favorites. "Twenty-First Century Digital Boy" was later (less successfully) re-recorded for the band's major label debut STRANGER THAN FICTION.(Jan.-Feb./91) - "Aside from the corny cover, Bad Religion waste no time or effort as `Against The Grain' is screechingly released hot on the heels of last years punk hit `No Control' which sold so many copies, why not keep the formula untouched?...as much as I like to ignore such a massively accepted `punk' record, the exuberance of this release is kinda tuff ta' blow off."
Kerrang (Magazine) (p.52) - "[H]ome to a slicker, more polished output from a band in their prime, boasting a host of classic tracks to prove it."