Category: | Review - Magazine | Publish date: | 5/1/1992 |
Source: | Alternative Press issue 47 (United States) | ||
Synopsis: | A short write up. |
BAD RELIGION
Generator
The golden-intentioned Bad Religion are a touched-up relic of post-punk, pre-trash Los Angeles dingy music, bringing the modern-music aficionado a taste of preserves from such once-heralded acts as TSOL, the Leaving Trains, and Agent Orange. That four of the band's five records fall on the post-1987 half of its ten-year-plus history indicates that Bad Religion has impacted as much by reviving punk as they did originally playing it in the early 1980s.
The quintet tries hard to sustain the ideals of their youth, and make a good show of doing so. Page upon page of lyrics included in a truly beautiful cover booklet reveal a hand-wringing preoccupation with normally adolescent themes such as self determination, self-doubt, and general dissatisfaction, Self-consciously or not, vocalist Greg Graffin assumes the role of wronged innocent again and again. He's asking other people to tell him the answers to life's questions in nearly every song. In one instance - "Two Babies in the Dark," penned by guitarist Brett Gurewitz - he asks a pregnant companion not to be afraid of the dark while he's away, and then shoulders ultimate responsibility for his own fear on the hapless unborn child!
Most of Generator's hummable-but not-memorable material chugs along at a quick tempo, made lively by the chummy guitar communication of Gurewitz and Greg Hetson, a former member of the Circle Jerks and early Redd Kross. However, the band conveys the impression that it desires to be considered a "spirited" act. It isn't one, and the effect is taxIng. Bad Religion does everything correctly, but has forgotten that's not the way to make a good punk record. (Epitaph, 6201 Sunset Blvd., Suite III, Hollywood, CA 90028) - lan Christe