This is Just a Punk Rock Album (Gray Race - Bad Religion)

Member Name: rleigh

Product:	Gray Race - Bad Religion
Date:	25/06/08 (34 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The album consists of a number of excellent punk rock tracks.

Disadvantages: Not so strong as 'No Control' or 'Against the Grain'.

'The Gray Race' is the ninth studio album from Bad Religion, it's a fifteen track punk rock album and one that I hold in incredibly high regard. It's not my favourite of the Bad Religion albums; 'No Control' and 'Against the Grain' are my two favourite albums of choice in the Bad Religion back-catalogue, this one does however come a very close third in terms of enjoyment that I gain from listening to this album. I love all fifteen tracks on this album, and with a run time of 38 minutes and 4 seconds 'The Gray Race' provides for an absolutely exceptional overall listening experience.

From first track 'The Gray Race' right through to closing classic 'Cease' the music is hugely impressive here, so many excellent punk rock anthems are contained within this album and always the music greatly enthrals. In terms of highlights this album possesses plenty; 'A Walk', 'Punk Rock Song', 'Pity The Dead', 'Ten in 2010' and 'Drunk Sincerity' to name but a few. Every track on this album is fantastic, my absolute favourite from this release has to be seen as 'Come Join Us' however; it's a rousing punk rock anthem and every time I hear the chorus to the track I just have to sing along at the top of my voice. It clocks in at just over 2 minutes in length, it's a fine piece of punk rock and it's my opinion that 'Come Join Us' is one of the best tracks that Bad Religion has ever written as a band.

'Pity the Dead' and 'Drunk Sincerity' seem to possess the same driving guitar riff, I love them both equally though and despite their instrumental similarities they are both absolutely excellent punk rock tracks. These two tracks are incredibly stylistically similar, then again variation has never been a fine point in the music of Bad Religion and always the bands best material sounds very much the same; no bad thing in my opinion as I love the bands music and for a number of years now have greatly enjoyed listening to the many albums of Bad Religion.

The choruses of Bad Religion songs are always excellent I find, never have I come across a Bad Religion song that does not possess an incredibly infectious chorus and 'Punk Rock Song' does I feel have one of the very best on this album. As the bands lead vocalist Greg Graffin chants 'This is just a punk rock song' he's not wrong there; this is just a punk rock song, a very good one but just a punk rock song nevertheless. 'Punk Rock Song' is nothing more, nothing less; it provides the punk rock music that the title would suggest and although it's an incredibly simple piece of music it is also supremely effective in its approach.

I'd definitely recommend this 'The Gray Race' release from Bad Religion, this 1996 released album is a fine creation of music from the band and one that I personally greatly enjoy listening to. It's not the bands best, it does however have some stiff competition and although the band has produced better albums than this; 'The Gray Race' is most definitely an album that I personally would highly recommend investing in. Fifteen excellent tracks are featured here, you can't go far wrong with this fine album from the band and if you like your punk rock then 'The Gray Race' is a Bad Religion album that you should certainly seek to include in your personal music collection.

Summary: An exquisitely fine album in the Bad Religion back-catalogue; well worth investing in.