Dylan Masvidal | Staff Writer
Bad Brains.
I could wrap this up now and you’d be satisfied by just the sheer mention of their name.
A band whose seat at the hardcore punk high table is indicative of one thing: boundary pushers to the highest degree.
This is not only due to operating in the genre they helped create, but also morphing and molding what being “punk rock” means in a grander sense of the term.
It’s more than a sound, it’s an essence.
An understanding of humanity’s constant struggle to get over themselves and achieve some semblance of peace and love.
Well, that’s the impression I got diving into “I Against I”, their third album viewed in many ways as the first official follow-up to their self-titled debut, seeing as the sophomore “Rock for Light” contains countless re-recordings.
“I Against I” is made up of all new material from the group, and it culminates in a listening experience not easily forgotten.
I’d go as far as declaring this to be Bad Brains at their absolute best.
Even as the album opens with its ever-iconic title track known for its unbridled ferocity and primal distortion, the band hints at a change of approach.
Through the song’s second verse, we get a slowed-down exercise in harshly rhythmic metal chords and a staggering display of vocal range from lead singer H.R..
Subtlety transforms into an unambiguous style switch up soon enough on “Secret 77”.
Here is where the proverbial Pandora’s box is cracked open for all to hear as the group put their reggae and funk sensibilities at the forefront in hulking fashion.
Risky doesn’t come close to painting the right picture; what Bad Brains chose to do on “I Against I” made them liable to be labeled “sell-outs” or “polished”, the two most feared words in the underground lexicon.
With hindsight being 20/20, those terms being spoken in the same breath as the band is a hilarious oxymoron.
It’s like saying a silencer makes a pistol less lethal.
On the contrary, the band’s attempt at doubling down on their eclectic nature gives their identity and lyrical themes an even greater potency.
H.R.’s impassioned wails on love, Rastafarianism and the importance of both in overcoming the ills of society speak directly to the listener’s soul when combined with lead guitarist Dr. Know’s piercing warm tones.
Enter “Re-Ignition”: the crown jewel of the record.
Melodic screeching has never been more undeniable than H.R.’s on this track, especially when dishing out such a sticky hook with the pressing theatricality of a Jekyll and Hyde performance.
Dr. Know’s slamming guitar solo on the back half of the song is simply savory icing on a legendary riff-layered cake.
You’ll be overjoyed to know the album’s succinct runtime is a result of being all killer, no filler.
“Let Me Help” finds the group executing their vintage hardcore sound once again as they shout “Stop it!” to “psycho-plastic brutality”.
The unrelenting groove of “Hired Gun” further cements the album’s matured coolness while also standing out as a storytelling tune.
And I’d like to call checkmate on those who label the band’s evolving sound as “edgeless” when “Sacred Love” exists: an ironic clash of scuzzy power chords and lovey-dovey lyrical sentiment that features a muffled vocal performance from H.R. due to him recording his part from the comfort of a D.C. jail office.
In case my personal bias hasn’t shown itself already, I implore you to thoroughly digest this album.
There’s once in a lifetime and there’s Bad Brains.
Instead of rightfully coasting on what made them permanent etches in rock history, they continued to embody the underground youth’s rebellious spirit and said to hell with that on “I Against I”.
An exemplary case of embracing experimentation by staying true to themselves.
Besides, what’s more punk rock than refusing to be boxed in?
I’ll wait.
CLASSIC/10
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