Epitaph / Ada
1990
Against The Grain
About This Album
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.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,8 and 10)

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