Above the ringing grind of bad ass guitars, pugilistic bass and incendiary drums, Bad Religion has always had a melodic edge to its vocalization. Recipe For Hate, the band's latest release, damns the torpedoes with more driving guitars and tuneful wordplay. "lt's almost a tradition that we've had a lot of harmonies and a lot of emphasis on the vocals," says lead singer Greg Graffin. "One way of making that emphasis is by coloring the lyrics with nice harmonies." But clean vocals don't mean the tunes are weak, says Greg, Bad Religion could never sell out because the masses could never accept them. "A song like 'Watch lt Die' is kind of poppy," he explains, "but what makes it hardcore is the shredding guitars and the rumble of the low end. The harmonies are not going to make it a song that people will hear on the radio because I don't think people can comprehend what it's saying. People can't accept the fact that now it's time to watch the planet die, and if that's the most distinctive lyric in the entire song, then people can't handle it"...

- Brian Brannon