Bad Religion
The Process of Belief

THE REVIEW

Twelve years ago one morning, while quietly dipping my chocolate breakfast treat into milk, my life changed. Yes, twelve years ago I discovered Bad Religion. And since then it was love, strong and intense... there are a lot of people who don't like BR, especially the new generations, but in the end, I'm happy... better that way, they don't know, they don't understand.

What I've always liked about Graffin & Co. is the simplicity, integrity, and ability to produce always sincere and honest records with a decidedly more disillusioned and mature perspective. BR are the link with the punk/Hardcore of the last two decades, and anyway, they have always been and still are far from that label and attitude that in the long run, as you go a bit further and mature, ends up becoming tiresome. Unique.

A singer with two degrees and almost a university professor who loves to write and synthesizes his beliefs giving meaning and placement to the word "Punk," which already by the second half of the 80s had started to almost lose significance, a guitarist self-made entrepreneur who has also managed to come to terms with himself, two seasoned guitarists who have made punk rock/Hardcore history playing in respectable and early bands like Circle Jerks and Minor Threat.
Always committed lyrics that have led history to see in BR almost the intellectuals of the movement, always against the pre-imposed dogmas of society, keen critics of religion and politics, and passionate about human nature and its behaviors.

Musically, BR are Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz who in 2002, after a lot of events, come back together and release "The Process of Belief" which finally (re)brings them back to their former glory. "Supersonic" a minute and 46 seconds to tell us to be careful with the constant wanting to do, want to say, want to appear without representing anything. "Prove it" and "Can't stop it" are two sonic assaults to be played loudly, "Broken" where an acoustic guitar(!) makes an appearance is more Rock than punk. "Destined for nothing" tells all those who believe blindly, that in the end, there is nothing to see. I add that to fully enjoy the impact of Bad Religion you need to read their lyrics. I can't say much else about the songs, apart from the fact that Greg's voice is the usual wonderfully hoarse, melodic, very fast, with perfect and clean backups, masters of the "oooh-aaahhh" and the voices that enter, tracks that are driven with guitars once again imaginative and melodic.

I close with one last thought: today, what does the word punk mean? Maybe this: "Punk is the personal expression of uniqueness that comes from the experiences of growing up in touch with our human ability to reason and ask questions" You don't belong.