"To state the obvious / This world is perilous / For us . . . I won't resign until the struggle ends." So sings Bad Religion's Greg Graffin in "The Defense" on his band's new album The Process of Belief, and whether his topic is politics, ecology, or human nature, he has stayed true to this promise. Bad Religion formed in southern California and released their first record in 1983 on guitarist Brett Gurewitz's Epitaph label. Gurewitz started the label initially to release Bad Religion's music, and he eventually left the band to concentrate on the label and deal with personal problems. The Process of Belief marks his return to the band, and the band's return to Epitaph after a stint on a major label. Over the their almost 20-year history, through line-up changes, label changes, and being equally ignored and pandered to by the media, one thing has remained: Graffin's unswerving search for "The Truth". He is the ace up Bad Religion's sleeve, ready to use his even yet impassioned voice (and words) to let us know what is on his mind. And it's nothing like the empty banter and misogyny of today's TRL-lite "punk" bands.
The Process of Belief opens with "Supersonic", an apt title for a song pondering the pace of life and culture (and delivered at an equally rapid pace). "Well, am I making haste / Or is haste making me . . . I gotta go faster / Keep up the pace / Just to stay in the human race" leads to the question "Everything is alien / How does it feel / To be outstripped by the pace / Of cultural change?" Many of Graffin's more interesting songs involve the human condition. "Epiphany" is the most introspective song here, while speaking of the pitfalls of self-examination. Opening with "A new age of reason / Brain treason to trick the mind / What good is searching / If nothing's there to find?," the point is driven home in the last line: "It's oh so relative / Subservient in total / To one's perspective." Being true to thine's own heart isn't so easy when one doesn't know thineself. There is also the problem of introspection to a fault, as "Bored and Extremely Dangerous" brings to mind the problems of a pre-Columbine-like youth ("Yeah sure I might do harm / And bear my right to arm / Retribution / If only someone would listen to me"). Some of that may also be Graffin's own desire to be heard, and not just preaching to the converted.
The natural world and mankind's exploitation of it is also a theme here. Graffin completed a Masters of Science in Geology at Cornell University over the course of the existence of the band, and is close to his Ph.D. This education has coloured his outlook and informs his lyrics, and more than one song on The Process of Belief reflects his stance. On "Materialist", though he sings of believing in the here and now, what he can se and feel, he knows that "Like Rome under Nero / Our future's one big zero / Recycling the past / To meet immediate needs." The world's resources are finite, and in the most political/ecological song on the record, he makes his plea. "Kyoto Now!" refers to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol agreement to reduce global (greenhouse) emissions and pollution. With lines like "The media parading / Disjointed politics / Founded on petro-chemical plunder / And we're its hostages," Graffin makes his case for the countries of the world to look past their greed and ignorance to save a desperate planet.
Brett Gurewitz's return seems to have rejuvenated the band musically, along with the addition of new drummer Brooks Wackerman. This being a punk band, and having been at it for as long as they have, the arrangements and playing are tight, and more often that not, fast. A complaint over the years has been the basic "sameness" of the band's music from album to album. Indeed, each does strike several similarities, as does any artist's catalog. The trademark vocal harmonies are still here, as is the familiar voice of Graffin. The last few albums, The New America and No Substance lacked some of the fire of their best work, but this new record, though covering little new ground musically, has an urgency that has been missing. And as always, Graffin's words are at the forefront. Punk is about challenging the status quo and asking questions, and Bad Religion understand the importance of letting the words be heard and not obscured or upstaged by the music. It makes for an appropriate and thoughtful balance. "Kyoto Now!" not only challenges world policy in its' lyrics, but also the listener. "You might not think there's any wisdom / In a fucked up punk rock song." As always, with Bad Religion, there is. Nothing more punk than that.
— 20 June 2002
