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Rating: It's been quite a while since my last review (not that I've written many, but still...) and my mission continues: writing reviews that no one has ever reviewed on this site.
Let me start by saying that I won't be here to discuss, as many fans of Bad Religion and others have done throughout history (from 1983, the year this album was released, to today), the enormous difference between this album and the others by Bad Religion. I want to talk about the album itself.
Alright, let's talk about it calmly.
As mentioned above, Into The Unknown was released in 1983 and is the second full-length by Bad Religion. The album is notable for the enormous difference in sound compared to the first album (How Could Hell Be Any Worse?) and the self-titled EP: the latter had launched Bad Religion into a strictly Hardcore Punk environment, but with Into The Unknown there is a total change of style, moving to a Rock filled with Progressive influences (notable and massive use of keyboards and electric organs) and Pop but with some Punk sounds in the depths.
The first track is "It's Only Over When..." which immediately conveys the intentions of this album, presenting all the aforementioned characteristics of the album. It's followed by a very fun track that might be my favorite on the album, "Chasing the Wild Goose"; an equally cute and fun "Billy Gnosis"; followed by the longest track on the album (7 minutes and 4 seconds) "Time and Disregard", a Progressive track, I dare say, with its very melodic acoustic guitar parts; "The Dichotomy" and "Million Days" follow, the first track features darker and slower sounds in some parts (the bass has an important role in this track, with attention to some interesting organ parts) and the second with very melodic and light sounds, seasoned with good piano parts and acoustic guitars; followed by another of my favorites, "Losing Generation", a very engaging track with fantastic keyboard parts; the album closes with "...You Give Up", a slightly less convincing track than the others at first listen but still a good track in the end, with very nice piano parts.
I would like to conclude simply by saying that this album needed more than 8 tracks because it's always really enjoyable to listen to this album.
BAD RELIGION, REPRINT IT!!!
Tracklist and Lyrics
03 Billy Gnosis (03:34)
A crack developed and a name blew in
Billy Gnosis, weak and thin
He moved to California to start a new life
'Cause back in his hometown he just killed his wife
He started drinking heavy back then
He started eating things that made his head spin
Then his brain became a factory
For making chemicals that shouldn't be
Oh Billy couldn't remember his name
Billy Gnosis was going insane
And soaked in blue light he played and played
I can still hear the sound he made...
Billy burned his home and blew up his car
He sat and watched TV and played the guitar
And read a book that made his head spin
How could he have known that there were worms within?
And the worms ate into his brain
Through his eyes and through his ears they came
They left a hole so they multiplied
And feed on Billy's chemicals in paradise.
Oh Billy couldn't remember his name
Our unsung hero had gone insane
And soaked in blue light he played and played
The only thing that killed the worms like made...
05 The Dichotomy (05:02)
Hey did you find the
Pieces your mentor left behind?
And did you care, did you
Trade his genius for your dispair?
Did you walk the line, did you
See the mongrels on either side?
Did greasy fingers grasp for pieces of your mind?
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