NOTE: Today is "non-instrumental day", during which I will post the main non-instrumental albums that I still listen to. After today, very few non-instrumental albums will be posted.
For some reason, I had this strange tendency in my early teens to fall in love with albums that were completely derided or ignored by just about everyone, including the makers themselves. This is one such album. I feel like the only person in the world who genuinely loves this album and has a kind of personal attachment to it. Even Bad Religion themselves have since disowned the album and spoke disparagingly of it, which is kind of a shame. I don't let anybody else's opinion of an album affect how I enjoy it too much, but it's kind of odd and uncomfortable to know that an album you love that sounds so full of heart and soul is passed off by the band that made it as a "dumb decision".
Into the Unknown was an extreme stylistic departure from the fast-paced melodic hardcore punk that Bad Religion have been known for, being a slow-to-midtempo keyboard rock album. The songs are longer -- "Time And Disregard" is 7 minutes -- and feature swirling keyboards, jangling acoustic guitars, spacey and reverbed production, and some rather strange and silly lyrics (although the band still address prominent social/environmental issues in a few of the songs, they also have some cheesy motivational lyrics and pointless narratives). Everyone shits on this album. If I recall correctly, Bad Religion were one of the many punk bands in the 80's who were pelted with garbage and called "sellouts" at the shows by idiotic leather-jacket-and-mohawk clones for experimenting. However, let me state two things:
1. While I can understand why people would be disappointed in this album, it makes NO sense to say that it's "bad". The songs are structured well, the instruments are played well, and there are a lot of great melodies, riffs, and vocal harmonies in here. As far as 80's punk band experiments go, this is probably one of the few that didn't sound like a complete disaster. A lot of the other punk bands that tried experimenting did so in the wrong way -- especially those who went down the awfully hookless and tuneless hair rock route (Discharge's Grave New World, SSD's Break It Up, and TSOL's GOD-AWFUL Hit And Run are a few examples). This is in part because their experiments were really just moments of identity crises or commercial venturing. Into the Unknown, however, sounds like something that Bad Religion genuinely wanted to do, and it's really not a commercial album (although "It's Only Over When" kind of reminds me of a more serious and less corny "Jump" by Van Halen). Unlike other bands, Bad Religion didn't start spraying their hair and thinking that they were Guns 'N fuckin' Roses.
2. I consider this album to be more adventurous, daring, and interesting than most of what Bad Religion has put out since. I'm not saying that this is their best album, per se -- I'm not actually a fan of Bad Religion, so it would be unfair of me to make that claim -- but it's the only one that I actually litsen to anymore. I don't claim to be any kind of "authority" on punk, but experimenting and following your own voice regardless of how many "crusty" morons give you shit for it seems more honest and "punk" to me than putting out the same kind of music with the same tempos, structures, moods, and chord proressions for several years as Bad Religion have done. Into the Unknown may not be perfect, per se, but at least it's not a generic and predictable rehash.
A great album. A bit cheesy, but great nonetheless.
Favorite track: "...You Give Up"
Least favorite track: "Billy Gnosis"
Get it here
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