Bad Religion

Bad Religion
Bad Religion in Stockholm, 2004
Background information
Origin	Woodland Hills, California, United States
Genre(s)	Punk rock Melodic hardcore Hardcore punk
Years active	1980–1984 1986–present
Label(s)	Epitaph Atlantic
Associated acts	Bad4Good Black President Circle Jerks Daredevils Dag Nasty Infectious Grooves Minor Threat Pennywise Suicidal Tendencies The Vandals
Website	Official Website
Members
Greg Graffin Brett Gurewitz Greg Hetson Brian Baker Jay Bentley Brooks Wackerman
Former members
Jay Ziskrout Davy Goldman Tim Gallegos Pete Finestone John Albert Lucky Lehrer Bobby Schayer Paul Dedona

Bad Religion is an legendary American punk band, founded in Southern California in 1980 by Jay Bentley (bass), Greg Graffin (vocals), Brett Gurewitz (guitars) and Jay Ziskrout (drums). They are often credited for leading the revival of punk rock and inspiring pop-punk bands during the late 1980s, as well as influencing a large number of other punk and rock musicians throughout their career. In the 28 years since its inception, Bad Religion has had numerous lineup changes, and Graffin has been the only constant member; however, the band currently features three of the original four members.

To date, Bad Religion has released fourteen studio albums, two EPs, three compilation albums, one live recording, and two DVDs. Their 1988 album Suffer has been regarded by some critics as one of the most important punk rock albums of all time, although it was not charted in Billboard. Bad Religion rose to fame with their 1993 album Recipe for Hate, which reached number 14 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, marking the highest initial charting album in the band's career. Their next album, Stranger Than Fiction, featuring the band's well-known hit singles "21st Century (Digital Boy)" and "Infected", was also highly successful and became the only Bad Religion album to obtain gold status in the US. Following Gurewitz's departure in 1994, Bad Religion declined in popularity and poor record sales continued until the release of The New America in 2000. Gurewitz returned to the fold in 2001, making Bad Religion a six-piece band, and contributed to their three most recent albums. The band has discussed the possibility of recording their next studio album, which is expected to be released in 2010, and will also mark the first time that a Bad Religion line-up had not changed in four consecutive studio recordings.

They are particularly known for their sophisticated use of style, metaphor, vocabulary, imagery, and vocal harmonies (the oozin' aahs). Lyrics are often reflective on matters of personal feelings or of personal or social responsibility.