The Process of Belief | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 22, 2002 | |||
Recorded | 2001 | |||
Studio | Sound City, Westbeach Recorders (Los Angeles) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 36:47 | |||
Label | Epitaph | |||
Producer | Brett Gurewitz, Greg Graffin | |||
Bad Religion chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Process of Belief | ||||
|
The Process of Belief is the twelfth studio album by the American punk rock band Bad Religion. It was produced by its leaders Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz, and was released on January 22, 2002, through Epitaph Records. After touring in support of its previous studio album, The New America (2000), Gurewitz re-joined Bad Religion in 2001 after a seven-year hiatus. The band re-signed with Epitaph, and then began work on its first album for the label in over eight years. The album also marked the first album to feature Brooks Wackerman, who replaced former drummer Bobby Schayer.
The Process of Belief was another huge success (debuting at #49 on the Billboard 200 chart [4] ) and it was well received by both critics and fans. The album has sold more than 220,000 units worldwide. [5] The Process of Belief features one of Bad Religion's well-known songs "Sorrow", the band's first to chart in the US in six years, since "A Walk" (from 1996's The Gray Race ). "Broken", "The Defense" and "Supersonic" also received radio airplay, but all failed to make any national chart (although "Broken" reached #125 on the UK Singles Chart).
The album marked the return to the faster and more energetic songwriting style of Bad Religion's earlier albums, and many have compared it favorably to their past releases.[ citation needed ] Multiple songs of the album have become live staples of the band's shows, most notably "Sorrow".
Bad Religion released their eleventh studio album The New America in May 2000, through Atlantic Records. [6] Bassist Jay Bentley said there was one day where the label was dropping acts that had sold under 50,000 copies; he said that Bad Religion had sold around 61,000 but had told them: "Please throw us off too. I don't want to be a part of this anymore." Bentley said no one in the band was happy while making The New America, and had expected it to be their last album. [7] In January 2001, it was reported that Epitaph Records and Bad Religion founder Brett Gurewitz had re-joined the band. He had left the band in 1994 to focus his efforts on Epitaph; he previously wrote "Believe It" for The New America. [8] [9] Alongside this, it was announced that the band had re-signed to Epitaph, who they left for Atlantic in 1993. [9] In May 2001, it was announced that drummer Bobby Schayer had sustained an inoperable rotator cuff problem, and had left the band as a result. [10]
Throughout June 2001, the band toured across Europe; in the same month, Brooks Wackerman, formerly of Suicidal Tendencies and the Vandals, joined the band as their next drummer. [11] [12] In July 2001, the band said their next album would be titled The Process of Belief, and was planned for release in a few months' time. [13] Later in the month, the band recorded at Sound City Studios and Westbeach Recorders, both in Los Angeles, California, with Gurewitz and Graffin as producers. [11] [14] Gurewitz was critical of the previous producers the band worked with, stating that he understood them better than anyone. [15] Billy Joe Bowers handled recording, while Jeff Mosis and Philip Brousard acted as assistant engineers. [14] In September 2001, Gurewitz mixed almost every track at Larrabee East except for "Epiphany", which was done by Jerry Finn. [14] [16] Bob Ludwig mastered the album at Gateway. [14]
The Process of Belief is a punk rock album, [17] which was compared to Bad Religion's sixth and seventh studio albums, Generator (1992) and Recipe for Hate (1993). [18] The album's title was taken from a lyric in "Materialist", which Gurewitz felt summarizes the band's name fittingly. [16] The opening track, "Supersonic", discusses the speed at which life changes. [19] "Broken" is a mid-tempo rock song, and is followed by "Destined for Nothing", which evokes parts of Recipe for Hate. [20] "Materialist" is an anti-religious track; Gurewitz said it referred to "belief in God and the biological process that causes the belief in God." [16] "Kyoto Now!" is about the Kyoto Protocol to reduce Greenhouse gases and pollution. [19]
"Sorrow" was inspired by the biblical figure Job, with Gurewitz saying it was "very difficult to account for suffering in the world from a theological perspective". [16] The song opens with a Police-esque ska beat, before switching to the band's typical melodic hardcore sound. [21] "Epiphany" is a mid-tempo song that talks about the negatives of self-examination, and is similar in form to "Stickin in My Eye" (1992) by NOFX. [19] [20] [22] The mid-tempo rock song "The Defense" is an attack on the Patriot Act, and features sitar playing from Mikaleno. [14] [20] [22] The opening guitar riff in "The Lie" recalled on the one heard in "I Want to Conquer the World", a track from the band's fourth studio album No Control (1989). [22] "You Don't Belong" deals with the positives and negatives of nostalgia. [23] The closing track, "Bored and Extremely Dangerous", is about the issues facing pre-Columbine kids. [19]
In August 2001, The Process of Belief was delayed from October 2001 to early 2002, which Bentley said was due to the Epitaph's aversion to releasing albums during the holiday season. [24] On October 5, 2001, the album's artwork was posted on the label's website. [25] On October 31, "Sorrow" was made available for free download through the label's website, followed by "Can't Stop It" on November 15, through eMusic. [26] [27] On January 11, 2002, "Supersonic" was made available for free download through a microsite for the album. The Process of Belief was made available for streaming between January 18 and 22, [28] before it was eventually released on January 22, 2002. [29] To promote its release, the band held four releases shows across San Francisco and Los Angeles, California, and appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien . [30] [31]
The music video for "Sorrow" was posted online on January 29, 2002. [32] On February 8, the band performed "Sorrow" on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn . [33] Following this, the band embarked on tour of Europe in February 2002, [34] and a tour of the US in March, with support from Hot Water Music and Less Than Jake. [30] In April 2002, the band performed at the Groezrock festival in Europe. [35] "Broken" was released as a single on April 22, 2002; the CD version featured the non-album track "Shattered Faith", "Supersonic", and the music video for "Sorrow". [36] Three days later, the music video for "Broken" was posted on the band's website. [37] Between late June and mid-August, the group went on the 2002 edition of Warped Tour. [38] In September, the band performed at the Inland Invasion festival. [39] They were due to tour Australia and New Zealand in October; however, the trek was cancelled for unknown reasons. [40] In April and May 2003, the band embarked on a US west coast tour, with support from Sparta and Snapcase, [41] and headlined the Slam City Jam. [42] In September, the band went on another west coast tour, which included several multi-day shows in different cities. [43] Some of the shows were supported by the Living End, Maxeen, and Throw Rag. [44]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 74/100 [45] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [46] |
Blender | [23] |
E! Online | B+ [47] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [48] |
Ox-Fanzine | Favorable [49] |
Pitchfork | 5.1/10 [50] |
Rolling Stone | [51] |
RTÉ | [52] |
Slant Magazine | [22] |
Yahoo! Launch | Favorable [17] |
The Process of Belief was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 74, based on 13 reviews. [45]
The staff at E! Online said Gurewitz's return to Bad Religion "prove[d] rejuvenating for all. With the combustible reunited dynamic" between Graffin and Gurewitz, "the band has energy and urgency anew". [47] RTÉ reviewer Harry Guerin said that despite the band members being double the age of modern acts, the album "finds them growing old gracefully and highlights how much a new generation needs their open-your-eyes anthems." [52] Entertainment Weekly write Jim Farber said the album had "catchier melodies and more breathlessly clever wordplay" than the band's previous releases. [48] Joachim Hiller of Ox-Fanzine wrote that the band had "created the[ir] best album in years", having sidestepped the "mediocrity and insignificance" of their previous two "not really bad, but irrelevant albums". [49] Yahoo! Launch's Rob O'Connor called it "a MY-T-FINE punk rock album, chock full of swirling harmonies", though there was "no real surprises here". [17]
Phil Udell of Hot Press wrote that the band come across as "sounding as fresh and inspired as in their early days ... [with] sweet harmonies and a passionate belief in the power of music." [53] Rolling Stone writer Tom Moon said the album had "fourteen throttling songs designed to remind Sum 41's worshippers about the oft-neglected cerebral side of punk." [51] Slant Magazine contributor Aaron Scott found the album to be "supercharged with Gurewitz’s solid production and enough old school Bad Religion hooks to begin healing years of perceived misdirection," however, it was "not a big enough band-aid to cover all the cuts of time." [22] AllMusic reviewer Jack Rabid wrote that repeated listens of the album awards the listener with "brute, lashing power and wild honey melodies" that disarm "such critical impulses as efficiently as a martial arts master." [46] Pitchfork 's Rob Mitchum found that on occasion, Graffin and Gurewitz display a "strong hook-writing ability"; however, the majority of the album was "indistinguishable from anything post-No Control". [50]
The Process of Belief peaked at number 49 on the Billboard 200 album chart, [4] and also number 1 on Top Independent Albums. [54] It became the first Bad Religion album to chart on the Irish Charts. Alternative Press ranked "Sorrow" at number 56 on their list of the best 100 singles from the 2000s. [55]
All songs written by Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz. [14]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Supersonic" | 1:46 |
2. | "Prove It" | 1:14 |
3. | "Can't Stop It" | 1:09 |
4. | "Broken" | 2:54 |
5. | "Destined for Nothing" | 2:35 |
6. | "Materialist" | 1:53 |
7. | "Kyoto Now!" | 3:19 |
8. | "Sorrow" | 3:21 |
9. | "Epiphany" | 3:59 |
10. | "Evangeline" | 2:10 |
11. | "The Defense" | 3:53 |
12. | "The Lie" | 2:18 |
13. | "You Don't Belong" | 2:49 |
14. | "Bored and Extremely Dangerous" | 3:27 |
Total length: | 36:47 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
15. | "Shattered Faith" | 3:38 |
Personnel per booklet. [14]
Bad Religion
Additional musicians
| Production and design
|
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and extensive use of three-part vocal harmonies. The band has experienced multiple line-up changes, with singer Greg Graffin being the band's only constant member, though fellow founding members Jay Bentley and Brett Gurewitz have also been with the band for most of their history while guitarist Brian Baker has been a member of the group since 1994. Guitarist Mike Dimkich and drummer Jamie Miller have been members of the band since 2013 and 2015 respectively. To date, Bad Religion has released seventeen studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, three EPs, and two live DVDs. They are considered to be one of the best-selling punk rock acts of all time, having sold over five million albums worldwide.
Gregory Walter Graffin is an American singer and evolutionary biologist. He is most recognized as the lead vocalist and only constant member of punk rock band Bad Religion, which he co-founded in 1980. He embarked on a solo career in 1997, when he released the album American Lesion. His follow-up album, Cold as the Clay, was released nine years later. His newest solo work is Millport, released in 2017.
Pump Up the Valuum is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on June 13, 2000, on Epitaph Records, their last through the company.
Brett W. Gurewitz, nicknamed Mr. Brett, is an American musician and record producer best known as the co-founder and guitarist of the punk rock band Bad Religion. He is also the owner of the music label Epitaph Records and a number of sister labels. He has produced albums for Bad Religion as well as Epitaph Records labelmates NOFX, Rancid, and Pennywise, among others. Gurewitz also had a project called Error, which also featured Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, and Greg Puciato. He is also the co-founder of comic book and graphic novel publisher, Black Mask Studios.
Indestructible is the sixth studio album by the American punk rock band Rancid. It was produced by Brett Gurewitz and released by Hellcat Records with distribution through Warner Bros. Records on August 19, 2003. Despite critical acclaim, the band was criticized by some of its fans for Indestructible's "poppier" sound on some of its tracks. It debuted at number 15 on the charts, selling 51,000 copies in its first week. It was Rancid's highest debut at the time, which was surpassed six years later with their 2009 album, Let the Dominoes Fall. Indestructible marks the last recording by drummer Brett Reed, who left the band in 2006 and was replaced by current drummer Branden Steineckert. Additionally, it is the only album that features songwriting contributions from Reed.
The New America is the eleventh studio album by punk band Bad Religion. It was released in 2000 and is their last album on Atlantic Records.
Recipe for Hate is the seventh studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on June 4, 1993. It was their last album on Epitaph Records for nine years and the band had switched to Atlantic Records, who re-released the album several months after its release.
The Gray Race is the ninth full-length album of the punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released in 1996. It was the follow-up to the band's highly successful 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction.
The Empire Strikes First is the thirteenth studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on June 8, 2004. The album is heavily influenced by the then-current Iraq War and also has some nods to George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, the latter most likely inspired by the Patriot Act.
The War on Errorism is the ninth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on May 6, 2003, through Fat Wreck Chords.
All Ages is a compilation album by the American punk rock band Bad Religion. It was released on July 26, 1995, through Epitaph Records. The compilation contains songs from How Could Hell Be Any Worse? to Generator, and two live tracks recorded during their 1994 European tour, which were the first tracks to feature guitarist Brian Baker.
Home from Home is the fifth album by Swedish punk band Millencolin, released on 12 March 2002 by Epitaph Records. The songs "Kemp", "Man or Mouse", and "Battery Check" were each released as singles with accompanying music videos.
Anchors Aweigh is the sixth studio album to be recorded by American punk rock band the Bouncing Souls. It was released on August 26, 2003, though Epitaph Records. Following the release of their fifth studio album How I Spent My Summer Vacation (2001), bassist Bryan Kienlen ended an intimate relationship and wrote new material as a result of it. Recording took place at Lakeview Farms, North Brookfield, Massachusetts, and Water Music, Hoboken, New Jersey, with John Seymour as the main producer, and Kienlen and guitarist Pete Steinkopf as co-producers. Anchors Aweigh is a pop-punk and punk-rock album that has a darker sound than its predecessor; the band experimented with melodies and rhythms during the writing stage.
New Maps of Hell is the fourteenth studio album by Bad Religion, released on July 10, 2007.
"Sorrow" is a song written by Brett Gurewitz and Greg Graffin, and performed by Bad Religion. It was the first single to be released from their twelfth studio album, The Process of Belief, which was released in 2002, although the single was first played in the fall of 2001 by the L.A. radio station KROQ. An acoustic version hit radio on June 24, 2008.
Let the Dominoes Fall is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Rancid, released in Europe on June 1, 2009 and in the US on June 2, 2009 by Hellcat/Epitaph. It was their first album of new material in nearly six years, following 2003's Indestructible, and their first with drummer Branden Steineckert, who joined the band in 2006 after the departure of founding drummer Brett Reed.
The Dissent of Man is the fifteenth studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released on September 28, 2010. It was their first album in three years, following the release of New Maps of Hell in 2007. The band commenced writing new material in 2008, but would not begin studio work until May 2010. The writing and recording process spanned two years and was slowed down considerably by touring schedules. The album was finally finished in June 2010. Some of the material was originally performed live by Bad Religion on its 30th anniversary tour in early 2010. "The Devil in Stitches" was released as a single to accompany the release of this album, while "Cyanide" and "Wrong Way Kids" also received radio airplay. Clocking in at 43 minutes, The Dissent of Man is Bad Religion's longest album to date.
True North is the sixteenth studio album by the California punk rock band Bad Religion, which was released on January 22, 2013. After touring in support of their previous album The Dissent of Man (2010), Bad Religion began writing new material for an album that was planned for release in 2012. During their 2011 tour, frontman Greg Graffin stated that Bad Religion would make "one more album and then all join the navy, do honest work", which led to speculation that they were breaking up, although this turned out not to be the case. The recording sessions took place in July and August 2012 at Joe's House of Compression, a studio owned by Joe Barresi, who produced the album.
Age of Unreason is the seventeenth studio album by American punk rock band Bad Religion, released on May 3, 2019. It is the band's first studio album to feature guitarist Mike Dimkich and drummer Jamie Miller, replacing Greg Hetson and Brooks Wackerman respectively, and the first one to be produced by Carlos de la Garza, thus ending their collaboration with Joe Barresi, who had produced, mixed or engineered every Bad Religion album since 2004's The Empire Strikes First; Barresi did, however, mix "The Kids Are Alt-Right", which had already been released as a one-off single in 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)