Reviews (page 4 of 7)
It alright. Definitely a unique punk album, but not my favorite punk album i’ve ever heard.
Loved it the first time, not so much on second listen when u paid more attention. There are some decent ideas in here but it’s let down by the 80s cheap sounding production . It’s also stylistically a bit all over the place. Never heard them before though so thanks generator
Loved the punk stuff, towards the end a lot started to blend but a real cool listen and something I had been overlooking
This album cool as hell, secret 77 is a really groovy song but with The Cure vibes, neat. I enjoyed this lots 3.5 stars
This was okay
Solid punk album with a few great riffs. Not too long.
Not the best thing bad brains has done but pretty good stuff still
Totally fine representation of the genre.
Love a good 30 minute punk album.
I like the energy and feel it's got going for it. It just never hit a banger of a song. Something I would listen to again, but not going out of my way to do so. 6 hog calling contests out of 10 lizard wizards
I think the best appreciate this album. You need to be a long-term Bad Brains fan. Overall, the production qualities are great, which is unusual for a punk album. But much this album feels reminiscent of what Bad Brains was doing back in the 1980s. That one thing I have always appreciated about Bad Brains is the fact that they are a black punk band who is still going strong after nearly 30 years. That’s pretty rare in this industry. I’m not sure if they offered a whole lot that was new, though. Secret 77, my favorite song on the album, felt very early 1990s. She’s Calling You could’ve been produced in the Depeche Mode late 1980s. And Return to Heaven could’ve been a Mötley Crüe song. What I liked about this album was it was retro, but I’m not sure if that’s what it was intended to be, which is conflicting.
Random thoughts: * I never listened to any bands in n 80s hard core punk scene. I wasn’t a skater and I wasn’t cool. * I had no clue Bad Brains was a black band. Blew my mind. * The music is alright. Just not exactly my jam. * I liked She’s Calling You because it had a more funky bass line. * I can see how this ended up influencing Rage and others that I like better. * I wonder if this music was so beloved because of how hard it was to listen to it. I don’t think this music was very accessible and therefore seemed more special than it actually was. Just a thought.
Great for doing dishes to. A bit too fast/noisy/hard to understand for my taste right now though. Faves: I Against I, Re-ignition
i've heard the S/T album many years ago, but my memories pretty foggy when it comes to their music tbh Intro - no rating I Against I - 5/5 House of Suffering - 5/5 Re-Ignition - 4/5 Secret 77 - 4/5 Let Me Help - 3/5 She's Calling You - 3/5 Sacred Love - 2/5 Hired Gun - 3/5 Return to Heaven - 3/5 Average score: 3.6/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ this had a pretty strong start, but it's pretty hit-or-miss overall. a few of the later tracks weren't executed all that well in my opinion. S/T is far better in my opinion
Good overall album. Reminds me of the alternative music I’m used to listening to… definitely from the era of good alt rock from the late 80’s to early 90’s.
Decent. 2.8.
Too American metal, not punk enough
Pretty rough around the edges, but not without some decent tunes.
not something I would listen to on my own
Its like 80s punk. Its not bad but definitely not for everyone.
Rock.
I didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I can see the influence and I probably need to do another listen to be sure.
Way more interesting than I thought based on apple listing them as alternative
Hmm y a différentes vibes c'est dur à dire. A l'écoute des trois premiers sons j'étais en mode : c'est très technique et donc assez impressionnant à cet égard, de même que le mix rock virtuose / métal / rnb, mais ça me touche pas trop -> le tempo effréné et le caractère assez saturé et monotone ont raison de moi, même si la vibe alternative très maîtrisée me laisse pas tout à fait indifférente et aurait pu me séduire. Puis y a eu Re-Ignition et Secret 77 : ça me parlait un peu plus (surtout Re-Ignition) -> tempo plus posé, tableaux plus clairs, j'arrive à apprécier les solos et les parties chantées. Puis c'est resté comme ça assez mitigé pour moi, j'adhère pas à fond à la vibe mais y a des choses que j'apprécie, des éléments de la rythmique et de la mélodie qui me touchent plus sur les deux derniers tiers de l'album.
Een soort punkjengelversie van metal, en het klinkt niet bijzonder goed. Hoogstens wordt er af en toe een lekker stevig potje gitaar gespeeld, maar verder klinkt het alsof het in een diepe put is opgenomen. Wat moet je er verder van zeggen, het is kort, soms funky en soms niet, en het werkt niet al te veel op de zenuwen.
De wat ruige en snelle muziek is niet vervelend, maar kennen we op zich wel. De band onderscheidt zich meer met de zang. Soms huppelt het met de muziek mee. Soms wordt er los van de muziek wat geschreeuwd. En dan weer wordt de zang het dominante element, die door de muziek begeleid wordt. Deze afwisseling is het grote voordeel. Ik heb zelfs even gekeken of er meerdere leidende zangers waren. Nee dus.
Sounds good but not my type of music
2.7 Not my style, I'd say. I am hooked by the beats and its quite short and sweet.
3.3 stars rounded down. Punk meets early hair metal.
Another one I quite liked, had echoes of Billy Idol.
Kind of what I expected Primal Scream to sound like.
Every time the music was playing without the vocals, I was loving it. When the singer chimed in, it was just a strong like... The drums/bass/guitar were locked in and a total surprise. I thought Bad Brains was a sloppy punk brand, not tight neo-metal in the vein of Fishbone and early 24-7 Spyz.
Not bad, not great. I'm not a big hardcore or punk guy. I don't really enjoy punk much at all - but I enjoyed this album decently enough. It was more melodic and pleasuring to listen to than most other hardcore/punk-adjacent albums.
Pretty good, gritty stuff.
Not a bad album but I can't imagine this being picked over the self-titled. This is more polished, sure, but you can also hear them laying the groundwork for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and there's really no excuse for that.
Raw, straight forward and to the point. This is one of those albums I feel like I'm supposed to like more because of it's influence. I'm not quite in love with it yet but I can see it growing on me.
Instrumentals were cool but vocals not my thing
Makes me wanna hit something with a skateboard.
Mid
That guitar sound spoke directly to my little Gen X heart. As a whole, It's all just kinda okay. I would've blasted the hell outta this from my Toyota Corolla back in the day.
I can clearly see this image in my head - teenagers in my surrounding childhood neighborhood skateboarding to this album on a boombox with the volume at full blast. That is how specific this album sounds to me. I dig this album. It’s short and it’s fierce.
Pretty good near metal punk album. Had i heard it back in the day I would have loved it.
The song I Against I was good. But the rest was quite forgettable.
I was brewing for worse. Not really my style, however not bad.
meh
A bit off at times, but I really liked the fast paced high energy bits of it. Pretty good.
Me entero por aoty/wiki que este parece no ser su mejor álbum, pero si el que mas vendió. Entiendo como a un fan del punk le puede gustar, pero a mi solo Secret 77, Sacred Love y Return To Heaven me gustaron y las disfrute. No es lo que más me fascino del punk, tendré que incursionar un poco más.
Why was this included in the 1001 albums?
Cool drumming and singing. Not the energy I would normally listen to.
Pretty heavy album this one is. Loud rock
I really like how groovy they are able to play these hardcore sounds. I quickly warmed up to the vocals, I appreciate how he can sing like a punk front man one second, and then do something very low-key and seducing with his voice the next. The combination of reggae, funk, and punk music stylings is so interesting to me. I suppose on paper, that sounds like ska, but these guys are able to do that and also set themselves very far apart from ska. Overall a fun one! 3.5
This was weird but I liked it. Definitely not easy to listen to though. There's some pixies and almost grunge-ish sound in there, maybe a bit like RATM, and then also the guitars often venture into Metallica or Megadeth and sometimes sound like EVH! Wild stuff.
Really all over the place, but in a good way. Is a metal/punk hybrid a safe description? Maybe a 70/30 punk to metal. Either way, it’s unique.
3.5 stars
Pretty interesting. I wouldn't say I loved it, but it's clearly very unique, especially for its vintage. Reading the Wikipedia article was also impressive, particularly their artist breadth.
I actually didn’t mind this. I’d play it when I needed some energy
First few tracks sound way too obnoxious, later on this album gets to be a real gem!
Not bad.
Interesting take on punk, might take another couple of listens for me to fully embrace but not bad. More melodic than I expected.
I didn't realize how influential this album was to some of the artists I grew up listening to or are currently fans of. I feel like I cannot single out any particular songs, but I really enjoyed how musical this punk record was. A lot of the time, I will listen to punk and feel deeply uninspired by how sloppy it is. This album is very careful, but tough! "Secret 77" rips. I think this album is a great case to point at whenever I hear lazy punk at this point. You can still take care in the way you deliver the message. H.R. has a super cool voice, and I really love how he uses it just like one of the other instruments in the band.
I had no idea what this was going into it but it was an entertaining listen
Hardcore. Hardcore. Hardcore. I like the intro setting the tone for what’s coming. Secret 77 has a great groove. I don’t know a ton about Bad Brains. I just know they’re one of those “your favorite band’s favorite band.” I know Flea is a massive fan. Is this DC area hardcore punk? Turnstille is one of the biggest rock acts right now and I think they’d admit a huge influence from Bad Brains. I say that based on zero factual evidence just having been inundated with Turnstille this week, I Against I sounds like the foundation. It’s hardcore, it’s punk, but it’s also rhythmic. The vocals are inviting. This doesn’t feel like a band that’s spitting on the crowd (looking at you Black Flag). Some of these jams on Hired Gun get almost ethereal. This might be a two listen album. So I’ve listened to this album twice and I was going for a third when Laura said, “again?” Right now I’m feeling a hard 3.5. I’m excited To listen to this more.
Surprisingly good. There are shades of punk, hardcore, and metal. I think they’re generally considered a punk band, and I would say that they’re pretty amazing musically, for a punk band. I don’t think it’s going on my current rotation, but I enjoyed my time with it.
Fine
The first half was a bit of a rough start for me, but it continuously grew on me
At the time, I classified the album as "pop" because it was more open and not straight hardcore. Back then, I was more into Minor Threat, Fugazi, and Black Flag. But it was fun to listen to it again.
Some of the band’s experiments that moved away from straight-up punk (to metal, to reggae) didn’t quite work. And there’s some silliness in the lyrics and themes. But the album is largely listenable, if nowhere near essential. I wish I could give the album 2.5 stars.
I quite like this. They call it hardcore punk but I think their sound is more than that. The abrasiveness of punk is tempered by a diverse combination of styles, almost metal riffs and solos.
Not bad - didn't care much for the writing or the vocals.
It’s okay, I just wouldn’t really listen to it - not totally my bag.
There’s a few great songs on here but also some goofy shit that didn’t age well.
Not nearly as great as their earlier stuff.
9/19/25. Probably should give this a few more listens, but love the in-your-face approach and the songs punch you right in the mouth. The last portion is a little more relaxed, which I enjoyed the band showing their versatility.
I like it, but I can hear the parts that inspired stuff I don't like and that's kinda weird. It's not as good as Madvillainy.
It’s alright, but I doubt I’ll listen to it again.
6.5/10
It was cool to hear the early reggae & soul influence on that generation of punk & the influence this album must have had on the upcoming generation of ska. I also appreciate the slower, heavy tones throughout the music. However, I found it a little too long & something about the tracks started losing me on the way.
Not terribly exciting late period punk.
Рокешник, не зацепил,
Okay.
i just get the bad brains the way i am supposed to i guess. they are just...fine?
Not bad
Okay, so I finally got around to listening to Bad Brains. I've heard the name for years, mostly in hushed, reverent tones, like they're some sort of punk-rock deities. So I put on I Against I expecting to have my face melted off. The first few tracks? Man, they went so hard I thought my headphones were gonna disintegrate. Then a couple of songs came on and I was like, "Wait, what's happening here?" It was a little bit of a speed bump. It wasn't bad, just... a bit of a head-scratcher. I almost checked my phone to make sure I hadn't accidentally hit shuffle on a different album. But then, boom, they'd pull you right back in with another killer track. It's an album of extreme highs and a few moderate lows. I'm not going to run out and buy the vinyl and frame it, but I’m also not throwing it in the trash. I'll probably make a playlist with a few of the songs I really dug. It's a solid record, just maybe not a "listen from start to finish every time" kind of deal.
Solid album, but I definitely like their later stuff more. Rise should be here instead. 3.1 / 5 stars
Pretty hard edged punk. I liked som of the energy in this but it lacks some of the melody that is present in the first wave of British punk that I prefer
Not my thing, but I do appreciate the voice work
Great for mid-workout mindset, not good for music analysis. Most songs blended together, atleast in my passive experience of them while multitasking.
Never heard of Bad Brains before, but I'm glad I know them now! It's right up my alley of hardcore-adjacent music. It's a little aged, some bad moments, but I will be exploring this artist more.
Beetje Faith no More-achtig, of zoiets. Wel aardig.
Short, unique, excellent guitar and drums. Vocals lack creativity.
What an underwhelming release from Bad Brains, really thought this project would be so much heavier after having the title track in my rotation for months now, but turns out this is a more Rock than Punk project. Even though that transition doesn’t sound too far from their original sound, this album really doesn’t make a good argument for the transition and feels like a different band entirely to the point I had to keep looking back to make sure I was hearing this project. If anything I am just glad this was one of if not Bad Brains' shortest album coming in at 31 minutes, but the ride to get through this entire project was quite stale in comparison to their last two albums. The dub elements are pretty much gone and replaced with some very light rock with a few little breaks in their style to have these little punk moments. Honestly really disappointed here and will probably only come back to this for the title track and nothing more.
Un disco peculiar. No puedo decir que me haya gustado mucho. Tiene cambios interesantes de climas y ritmos. Por momentos hay temas que me agradan como "Re-Ignition" o "She Is Calling You". La voz es buena para el estilo, tiene mucha versatilidad, y el sonido general es muy ochentoso, pero no conecté mucho con este álbum.
Kind of amazing how much of the next 40 years of mostly American rock music you can hear in this 1986 album. I don't necessarily like everything they inspired but there's a rawness in their blend of sounds that appeals. Originals are usually the best.
This album sounds like it tries to be very aggressive, but it falls markedly short of that. And the way it's mastered makes both the instruments and the vocals sound so anemic. It’s still fine and has some fun riffs, but the production holds it back a lot.
Great album Guitars damn I enjoyed it
Interesting mix of styles. Not on my daily playlist, but i'm glad to have heard this one.
This sounded refreshing after so many weak albums on the list. A very versatile record. I’m not sure if I’ll return to it in the future, but for now, it was a solid listen.
While this is not '82 HC-punk us Finns know and love, I can definitely hear and understand what Bad Brains did for underground music. Sadly I've never witnessed them playing live, but I'm told they were quite the powerhouse. I still prefer Terveet Kädet, Rattus, Kaaos and my personal favourite Lama, over Bad Brains. Oh! GBH and Cro-Mags are up there too.
Ok I confess to not having listened to this album, and I respect the many great musicians who have cited this album as an influence. It's one of those albums that kind of needs to be situated in its time to be appreciated, as it was an early example of a hardcore punk band breaking out of the genre a bit to do some interesting things. As a fan of the hardcore stuff, I'm less drawn to it but still appreciate bangers like the title track and "House of Suffering".
5/10
Not great, not terrible.
Faith no more did it better. 3
A few good guitar solos but the guy's voice is hard to listen to
Fine?
Forgettable
The thing about I Against I is that is only nears the vicinity of essential once one comes to Bad Brains S/T debut. Regardless of which you hear first, S/T was like catching lightning in a bottle. I Against I was meditated. Even still, while the genre exploration is refreshing, the album is far too uneven in terms of quality to qualify as essential. Still an enjoyable listen, though.
Sometimes our greatest enemy ... is ourself. That doesn't really have much to do with this fun, little album. I had never heard of Bad Brains before. This was funky, short, and sweet--the mixture of George Clinton and Arrested Development. Top Tracks: "I Against I," "Intro"
På pappret gillar jag det här. Det är bra driv och energi, varierade produktioner och kompositioner och en sångare men en väldigt bred repertoar. Har lyssnat igenom den 4-5 gånger nu med förväntan om att betyget skulle bli högre än den trea som jag tyckte att den var vid första genomlyssningen. Dock lyfter det inte så mycket högre än så, låtarna är i de flesta fall helt enkelt treor eller starka treor och saknar det där lilla extra för högre betyg. Stabil skiva och kul lyssning i alla fall!
Definitely more HC than ROIR. Such good guitar and drums. So much goes on in the title song that you can tell it’s different from the earlier stuff. I wasn’t much of a fan in my teens but it’s clear that I was an idiot.
Good job
Never heard of this lot. Vocals a bit FNM. Guitars more hair metal
Solid, but feels it's age
first listen meh
This wasn’t my kind of music at all.
68/100. Fusing punk, metal, funk, and a bit of soul into something heavier and more refined. The songs are tight, but some blur together without that one element to fully elevate them.
Started off strong, but fizzled out in the middle.
Bad Brains are a fascinating band because of the combination of styles and, yes, also because they are four rastas making punk and metal where everyone would have them do reggae (clichés, eh?). I do like some of their songs but on the length of an album they never got me. "Re-Ignition" is a great song and I think the album is better on the second half. Still, I couldn't say I was blown away by it. So it's a solid 3 stars.
Ngl knowing the bad brains I know hearing the total 80s production was weird. They are super tight but I kinda prefer the grittier lofi shit
It's good, with an interesting and clearly great mix of punk and reggae that was new to me. Still, it didn’t feel especially memorable.
The guitars and bass are damn impressive. The whole package not so much to me. But glad this exists.
Interesting from a historical perspective of that era of hardcore music which I know very little about. Guitar and bass are off the chain. But can't get into the whole package.
Don't know why I was expecting something else, but I like the guitars. Solid.
Initial review: I liked this more than i expected but am i crazy for thinking this is generic asf? Get me off this FUCKING SITE REEEEEE Later review: kinda cool and important
★★★½
I dig this sound
Did not like this, but didn’t hate it enough to turn it off for 2 full album listens.
Fantastic
estaba bien creo
Fun hard album to ride to.
Kinda crazy that their debut isn't the pick here, honestly. But I won't complain, because I don't actually care for their debut, and this one's new to me! Anyway, on to my thoughts about I Against I: I didn't expect it to be metal! I kinda like the bass here, but the guitar feels too clean. The vocals are pretty good and not what I'd usually expect for metal, but the songs don't really leave an impression on me. In all, it's one of those albums that I don't really care for, but getting to hear a whole new side of Bad Brains is something I really appreciate.
Jsuis divisé devant cet album: d’un côté, j’aime l’énergie cru émanant des tracks, mais de l’autre côté, cet même énergie en transmise d’une manière qui me donne juste envie d’éteindre mes speakers. Vu que jme sens de bonne humeur, arrondissons sur un trois
Wow. There is a lot going on with this album. Apple calls it Alternative, but is more of a hardcore mashup of genres (Ska, Punk, Metal, etc.) I actually appreciate the punk side, and not all of the tracks are so overt. There are some more subtle tracks that are very interesting like Secret 77, that feel more traditionally alternative rock. I don't know much about the band, but you can feel them pushing themselves and blending genres in compelling ways. Interesting.
Listened to some Bad Brains before and they are pretty interesting. Need to listen to some more.
Enjoyed the production and metal feel. Original, fierce and tight. However, the voice didn’t quite land for me and ultimately not songs, or an album that I loved. It grabbed me, I enjoyed the grit and metal elements, punchy drums, great snare, but just didn’t ultimately hit the spot as a whole. Think the vocals probably took a lot away for me but still a good album (3.5)
As for the quality of this music I feel like it was not good. But also I didn’t hate it? It reminded me of some of the old rough blink 182. I don’t think I’d listen again but to have as background music while I work, it was fun.
I am aware how influential Bad Brains are and know a bit of their history but have never really listened to them. The guitar work on the intro track set the scene, a bit too metal for my personal taste and it carried on much in that vein. I thought the back half of the record was better generally and I enjoyed a few of their slower, more brooding tracks like Secret 77, She's Calling You and Return to Heaven so I'm hovering between a 2 and a 3. I'll round up given it's quite a unique sound and fusion of styles I just don't particularly care for any of them.
A more accessible Bad Brains album than some of their earlier stuff. Not terrible, but not great.
Not for me
Nice variety of styles, hard-cored a bit
Standout Songs: Johnaburg, Illinois Frank’s Wild Years Down, Down, Down
I didn’t expect to like this after reading the description, and early on I thought it sounded like a two star album for me. But as I continued, I found that I liked a few of the songs, so this felt more like a 2.5 star record. I will be rounding up to three stars, but I won’t be listening to it again.
Tight, slick, agile and direct. Bass does some great work and the vocals have massive character. Way more varied an album than I expected.
I respect what they were going for, but the vocals were hit or miss. Cool riffs, good groove — just not as heavy or consistent as I expected.
I like me some bad brains but this one just did not resonate.
It ends up being less horrible than you think
I did not expect this album to be the genre it was Interesting blend of new wave and 80s metal. I enjoyed several tracks
Estuvo bueno, aunque el género no es mi gusto
Never heard of this band. Not bad, not too long and some great guitar!
Album 754 of 1089 Bad Brains - I Against I (1986) Rating : 3 / 5 Not bad. With elements of funk, soul, reggae, and heavy metal, they kept it interesting throughout. Good album. Quite diverse.
3/5
This was, interesting mix of styles. They can definitely play
I had never heard of Bad Brains before. It seems to be a very prescient album and seems to anticipate the Punk styles to come. I enjoyed it, but it didn't wow me.
Such an obvious influence on what would become the whole post hardcore genre plus bands like RATM. The guitar work is so ahead of its time.
This wash ok. I think if the sound quality/production would have been better, I'd rate this a bit higher as the songs weren't bad. Didn't feel like it was anything special though. 3.5/5
Actually found myself enjoying this one, having never heard of Bad Brains before. I could see how this was influential to a lot of genres.
I don't know man, I'm going to be generous with my rating here, because respect and all, but this ain't for me, and feels quite dated in 2025. Being that I'm the same age, I can't say I don't relate. I wanted to enjoy this more, but at least it's only half an hour. I have Songs in the Key of Life, which, no matter how good, is going to feel like an eternity in comparison.
Fun experiment, but wont' be coming back to it
ok
Not hardcore. Not punk. Not Bad
My first thought about this was that it sounded a bit like the Offspring, or rather the Offspring sounds kind of like this. It's just not quite as dynamic or memorable. It didn't sound like the hard-core punk I was expecting, barely even punk at all really. But it was OK.
pretty bad ass EP.
A little more nuanced than most punk which is cool, but most of it still had a hardcore sound which is more abrasive than I would've liked
Cool sounding. Not my style
This is fine, I guess. Not very special.
This album actually surprised me, never heard of them before didn’t know what to expect. It was alright though
kinda fun but kinda amateurish in sound. i liked the instrumentation better than the vocals, which left something to be desired. even the instrumentals i felt i would have liked better if they had more oomph. the album threads the needle between punk and metal and i think that's an interesting area to explore, but i feel like the execution of doing so was not my favorite.
Takes me back to my college days.
Another example of "right band, wrong album" except even more so than Hüsker Dü. Like seriously the self titled album is right there. I relistened to it after listening to this and yea its so much better. That being said this is still a solid album its just so obviously the wrong album. Favorite track: I Against I
Pretty good punk/metal with a little hair band mixed in. I don't think I have heard them before but I really like it. Definitely a different kind of vibe from the standard in those days. I'm sorry I didn't hear this earlier in my life, I'm sure I would have gone crazy over it when I was young.
Not sure I'd ever heard this, and probably thought it was too punk for my liking, but damn, very good. High 3s.
Man, just imagine how good some of these old SST records would sound if they were recorded better.
Another surprise for me. Not my style of music, I don’t listen to any hard rock, but I found this band to be quite simply fun. I don’t know that they will be a regular listen for me but glad to have stumbled upon this.
Rating: 6/10 Sounds like some decent heavy metal, nothing too memorable but good overall.
Very interesting, if not always very enjoyable. A real rough and ready mix of hardcore, metal, rock, reggae and proto-hip hop. The musicianship on display is very good, and although it's a little bit one-note for me (that note being 'shouting'), I was able to appreciate it much more than the cover and the artist name suggested.
32 minuutjes oude hardcore punk. Deze gaat er verdomd makkelijk in moet ik zeggen, ondanks dat ik zowel de band als de nummers niet herken. Af en toe hoor ik zo'n gitaarstukje wat me een beetje doet denken aan Turnstile of een geluidje wat doet denken aan Deftones en dat is dan blijkbaar genoeg houvast voor me. Een heel klein beetje Red Hot Chili Peppers achtige funk zit er ook wel in. Voor een hardcore plaat vind ik deze dus vrij toegankelijk en dat is alleen maar goed. Helaas staan er niet één of twee nummers op waar ik extra enthousiast van word en wordt het album tegen het einde toch een klein beetje saai. Ik hou het daarom op 3 sterren.
Sound reminds me of something a bit like... I think The Cure is who I'm thinking of? Decent listen, very 80's feel to it. 3.5
This is punk rock, bitch!
Not bad! I think I'd like their hardcore punk stuff before the reggae influence came in.
I hear some hair metal. Queensryche. Crue in some of this. 1986 of course.
It came out the gates fighting, but by the end of this short album, it had become a far more subdued affair. Not as ground breaking as I was hoping for, but not a bad album. A high 3 stars from me.
Good not greeat
Interesting album, hardcore punk with some metal-like guitar playing and a reggae influence as well. The title track is fantastic, love the energy and intensity, from reading about Bad Brains it sounds like this was a real signature sound. Close to giving this a 4 but I don't have a strong desire to replay. It's a good 3 for me though
Heavier than I was expecting. Didn't stand out on a first listen.
I liked their first album much better
Good intro to punk.
I really don’t like punk but it did have some good riffs. I was too tired to listen to the lyrics today. Rating: 3
Got me into a bit of a flow and was fun to listen to. Some high energy songs. Didn't stand out enough to go above a three.
Was ok. Didn’t dislike it, but wouldn’t seek it out to listen to again any time soon.
Hey, punk! Oops. Punctuation matters. I meant: Hey! Punk! I feel like this is what the Clash would sound like had they been American…and slightly less innovative. I hear this band had a more diverse sound over their career, so I might check that out some day. But today is not that day.
Appreciate the influence it must have had.
I can see their influence on future bands. Mike Patton seems to have picked up a few tricks from the singer, too. Not bad, but too punkish-for my liking. Just doesn't hook me.
a lot better than the average punk album, it’s fun cool and different so yesss x i love let me help and she’s calling you sooo much
Intense, I like it. Wish it could be even faster and more aggressive, you can't never get enough of this type of music yk. Riffs are cool. Vocal is not that exciting. Still like it, for listening to core is always pleasing. maybe a 3-3.5/5. Love the little weird effects on "She's Calling You", wish it could be more.
I don't have any strong feelings either way about this.
Blind album, know the artist. Didn't expect much and didn't get a lot. Decent listen and glad I tried it.
This seemed like a typical punk album. Not really my taste but decent.
I prefer the more raw hardcore of their self titled debut to this album's slower performance and more polished sound with glossy 80s production and a weird chorus effect on everything. That said the funk bass and shredding guitars rip unabashedly hard and this is them pushing well beyond the edge of the overly reductive/restrictive hardcore formula they'd already perfected.to craft a more eclectic hard rock sound that grunge and alt rock bands would be ripping off for the next decade+.
Sound a lot like all the other 80s metal albums, very similar to the style of Metallica for example. Despite all this, some songs stood out to me with their great guitar riffs and interesting drum parts. 3/5
Good find, haven't heard of bad brains before. Favorite track: she's calling you other picks: i against i , reignition
It was alright
Well, it's an 80's hardcore album. It was ok, better than a lot of the slop you hear from the era but not terribly indistinguishable from a lot of other bands. I do like the odd reggae references here and there and the track where the lyrics were recorded over a jail phone is pretty cool. I wonder if that or the hip hop albums where they do that came first.
i’m generally not a punk fan but these guys do some cool stuff here
Great, tight drumming but outside of that it wasn't really my thing. I mean it's fine, but nothing jumped out at me and can't say I fell in love with it. The singing wasn't great and almost as if they have the wrong frontman. 5/10.
I’m at a 3.5. This is the part where I try to talk myself into either direction. There’s definitely a good number of positives – this is a really energetic album, and that part is undeniable. Most of the instrumentals here are pretty good, if a little bit homogeneous by the end of the 32 minutes that this album takes up. I can hear the blended genres throughout, and the inspiration that this album gave to a few bands is pretty apparent. When the vocals and lyrics click, the album really rolls, in a good way. I think it only really rolls about 60% of the time, though. The other 40% of the time isn’t bad at all, but it just sort of suffers from not feeling as captivating. That 40% suffers from one major issue, at least for my tastes – a few songs just kind of fizzle out. The instrumentals keep rolling, sure, and their energy sticks around, but you can really tell when they sort of ran out of ideas to go with a certain concept, but just said fuck it and recorded anyway. A guitar solo is usually there to try and really distract from the lack of lyricism / mildly repetitive vocal endings, but my brain is too attentive to lyrics and whatnot to let that sort of thing go. It’s a pretty flashy album, in terms of its soundscapes, and I really do love that aspect of it. I just wish the lyricism was there to go with it. I guess I’m going down to a 3 then – it’s a pretty recommended 3, for the standout tracks at least, but this album just doesn’t have enough of a consistency past the first 4 tracks to justify bumping it up to a 4. I totally recognize that this could be a 4 or even a 5 for someone else, though, and I do think it has a place on the list. It just sort of lost the luster for me, and its cracks started to pop up soon after. I still liked it though -- this fucking rips. It sounds rad as hell, and it's a fun album, but it just doesn't overcome enough for my tastes. Hence, the 3. It could easily bump back up though.
With I Against I, Bad Brains embark on a heavier metal sounding trajectory that does away with the fast and furious punk furor that they were once synonymous for, crafting a way forward from here on. Favorites: I Against I, House of Suffering, Re-Ignition, Secret 77, Let Me Help, Sacred Love.
Maybe not as strong as their debut, but good fun
3.75 Respect their influence on so many bands. Overall, this album was a miss for me with some bright spots.
Decent album.
vocals are a bit too punk/heavy for me, cool instrumentals tho
I against I against I against I against I against I.. Some standout tracks, but falls short as a whole for me personally.
Albumi #122, 02.12.2024 Bad Brainsin kolmannella albumilla otetaan askeleita hardcorepunkista kohti funkkia, soulia ja reggaeta. Hyvä albumi. Ostoslistalle.
It was ooooookkkkkkkkkkkk
The thing is: Bad Brains is a separate consciousness with its own natural order of things. The energy is constrained only by medium. The chaos charging at you is built out of love, the aggression out of an idealism of positivity. The consciousness is waiting for open minds and hearts--like all transformative art. This is how I can to understand Bad Brains later, and understand them now more than ever. This was not the first impression of Bad Brains. That came courtesy of College Rock Radio stalwarts WOXY, slipping in the St. Germain produced 1986 album I Against I eponymous single wherever the constant onslaught of lame jangle bands and the Stone Roses permitted. They made a video, too, that made it on the MTV College Rock late night show. I was pretty "meh". It didn't suck, but it didn't flip my wig, either. It seemed very well produced, orderly, mid-rangey with eighties drum sounds, but not terribly dangerous or interesting, definitely not life changing. It fit in pretty well with the kind of Red Hot Chili Peppers funk rock of Southern California. I probably imagined they were from California. In short, I wasn't in a hurry to buy it. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Some years later, after a totally life-affirming mid-nineties Fugazi gig, and the obsessive weeks where I consumed whatever I could find pre-internet about MacKaye, the Bad Brains blipped back into my confused radar. Really? That totally inoffensive, very well produced, orderly, mid-rangey with eighties drum sounds, but not terribly dangerous or interesting, definitely not life changing, "meh" California band? Curious. A few weeks later, a dude my sister knew divulged two pieces of critical information which prompted me to explore immediately and re-assess: 1. Bad Brains are, in fact, a DC band. Legendarily so. 2. Check out their early shit. This is how shit was in the Queen City pre-internet . Second hand information is what you worked with. Had the internet been around, I would have been transformed a lot earlier. Bad Brains ROIR is the exclamation point, the standard for all American Punk, Post-Punk, Hardcore that isn't called the Ramones. Absolute chaos that is actually supremely well-structured on a quantum level. And oh my God, the Reggae and Dub is so spot on it, one would be forgiven for thinking this was on a Trojan release somewhere. In fact, ROIR, to my ear-thinking, is recorded like any great dreader than reggae, emphasis on low end, emphasis on space, not to fussy or busy, perfect for the 1-3s of the form, and brilliantly, perfect for the rampaging 4 on the floor when the Bad Brains decide to uncork the fucking life-energy of the universe on shit like "Big Takeover". On every level, and in every facet, this is life affirming music. Sadly, this album does none of this. St. Germain's 80s funk production and well recorded, well compressed, well lifeless metaloid guitar sound make this less life affirming and more lifeless husk of what this band could be. Gang of Four proved that actual Commie Funk can sound amazing, but that's not what you get here. This is designed for white suburban kids who fancied themselves "Alternative", and since nostalgia is the drug of choice, would no doubt appeal to white suburban kids duping the late Eighties Alternative thing. It didn't move me much then, and these years later, it is still "meh". I know better. Maybe the silver lining is this might be Bad Brains training wheels, and hopefully, people work backwards to the center.
could i write poetry to this? y
This is a tough album to categorize. Simply calling it "Black Punk" would not be accurate. The production gives it an 80's Metal sheen. It definitely had some songs that were pretty good. However, I would probably pass on this album in favor of something be Fishbone, Suicidal Tendencies, or Faith No More.
I was listening to a lot of music in 1986 but have never heard of the band or the album. None of the songs sounded at all familiar and after listening to the album three times, none of them left the faintest impression other than being unobjectionable hard rock. I feel bad about this and want to like the album but I don't understand what it's doing on the list.
Perfectly fine Probably won't remember I've listened to it in two days time, but it's good.
5/10… heavy punk / hard rock
Interesting sound. Sparkly guitar sound, not as raw as their debut album, but still good songs
If Prince joined Alive in Chains. I’m here for it.
almennt ekki mjög skemmtilegt, en titillagið er snilld og tvö önnur fín. gef þessu 3,5 til að minna á síðari áheyrn.
alright! i liked it, but i think i went in expecting a faster album, so i was taken by surprise by the sludgier pace. more metal than punk imo, which has never reaaaaallly been my favorite. still enjoyed it, but didn’t walk away thinking it was a masterpiece.
fine but I feel like im never in the mood to hear this. kinda just tune out while I work music
5/10 - The first few songs were not too bad but Re-ignition was really getting on my nerves. The rest of the album was just sort was loud rockish. Decent but nothing insane.
Some real DC shit. Unfortunately I don’t care for hardcore but I’ll give it a 3 because it wasn’t bad
I never heard of Bad Brains and, reading that they were a hardcore punk band to include other styles, I expected something different. There is much more metal than punk in this, but in a more sophisticated way. Most of this was kind of fun listening to, although I doubt that I will return to listen to it again.
Completely unaware of this band and record, it was a nice surprise. Not usually a big fan of punk, but this was hard, melodic, with funk and reggae and rock all in the same mix. Great stuff!
A fun album that was part of the shift from punk to heavy metal
I mean, its fuckin Bad Brains, the preeminent hardcore band of their time, and they're going reggae and funk...
Actually not too bad, bit lighter and rockier than expected. Enjoyed Secret 77
Nicht der schlechteste Rock-Sound. Mehr aber auch nicht.
I'm not usually a fan of hardcore but I enjoyed this one. It sounds different from most hardcore bands, maybe because it's a kind of prototype of the genre. But also I think it avoids of a gimmicks that (to me) make these bands all too similar to each other. The simple fact they're not doing the growly hardcore voice on every track is refreshing. Thank you Bad Brains for challenging my conception of music that I didn't think I'd like.
it suffers from some 80s production, but overall not too bad
When I read this is a punk band that began to touch on funk, soul, reggae, and heavy metal with this album, I got excited. Sadly it did not live up to that description. It was still mostly a punk album, and the touch felt more like they brushed against the other genres. It’s a good punk album, but disappointing for me when I expected more.
I Against I is pretty good hardcore/late 80s chugging metal with punk foundations, it's pretty tight overall if a little rough around the edges and doesn't quite know how to structure a song to its advantage. Vocals are interesting but not entirely my thing, but everything else is a solid effort for a decent 3.
This is decent in places - the title track in particular is good fun - but doesn't have enough to it to give it a really good score. There's a bit of old school metal in there, a bit of punk, it's definitely on the journey towards grunge type stuff and it's a decent mix. A little bit too meandering, but still a comfortable 3/5.
Not what I thought it would be.
Didn’t mind it. Liked some of the guitar riffs.
Wow - that was unexpected. I had not heard of Bad Brains before and now I am very glad I have. Some of the songs were a bit too heavy metal for my taste, but otherwise it was great, impressive music.
Good, but I ain't got time for this
I liked the more melodic tracks better than the harcore ones.
I wasn't really into a hardcore punk mood, and I've never listened to these guys before, but I liked it! I want to come back to it for sure. The thumping guitar lines in I Against I song are awesome.
okay garage rock sound. Probably won't listen again.
these dudes are awesome
This album hasn't made an impression on me at all. It's overall "fine", but the songs aren't very dynamic, and there's not really much that's making them stand apart from each other. It feels quite basic, and it's really murky. 2.5 rounded up.
I Against I grew on me as it went along. It is a very unique album, with a unique sound, though it can be abrasive at times. I can't say I've ever listened to metal, pink and reggae all in one before, but it is definitely creative. I'm also not sure I'd go out of my way to listen to this album again, but I'm glad I came across it.
I gave it a second listen after seeing all the love in the reviews and I still didn’t get too much out of it for now. Didn’t dislike it but pretty meh Rating: 2.8
Interesting mix of genres, kind of a hip hop alternative mashup. Glad it's on here!
3.5 good
Vocals lost me a bit - a lil too excitable for the music.
Groundbreakers
A solid one, maybe the most heavy metal punk can get where I'll like it. Parts not worlds away from Megadeth, but also never far from a cool Stooges kinda thing. music: appreciated. (⌐■_■)
A pretty good album. Some songs were bops and I enjoyed the energy. Others were forgettable. Evens out to a 3/5.
A really strong start, but I thought it got weaker toward the end. Maybe it was getting a bit fatiguing. (I listened to this a while back and put off rating because I couldn’t decide between 3 or 4 stars. I’ll go with 3, but worth another listen)
Never heard of these but a good sound with lots of energy.
Man, this sounds so good but I'm still not fully on board. I just don't have that one song, ya know? I need that one song. Anyway, I understand why people love them.
The self-titled and Rock for Light are better :/
Noisy. Meh.
ei löytyny raggaesta noh paljookaa..
This is Smashing Pumpkins meets Nic Hamilton. That Billy Corgan vocal with punk rock sensibilities. I have literally no idea what they're singing. I can't understand a single word LOL The intro to Secret 77 sounded eerily like the Rush song Test for Echo. "She's Calling You" is my favorite. The bass on these songs is just thunderous! "Sacred Love" reminds me of The Offspring. Some of these guitar solos really remind me of The Marbled Page. The irony is because I DIDN'T immediately like this one... I listened to it twice. The songs have sort of a half baked approach. Maybe that's just the Desmond Child in me, but I kept thinking man, with one more pass, this song could have had a real hook and even been a hit. But those are my goals and maybe not theirs. Anyway, vocally is Smashing Pumpkins meets my friend Nic Hamilton . There's suuuuuch a Billy Corgan sound but with punk rock sensibilities. I have literally no idea what they're singing. I can't understand a single word LOL The intro to "Secret 77" sounded eerily like the Rush song "Test for Echo". "She's Calling You" is my favorite off the album. Gave me a bit of a The Cult vibe. The bass on these songs is just thunderous! So much attack! "Sacred Love" reminds me of The Offspring, "Self Esteem". Some of these guitar solos really remind me of The Marbled Page. Overall, I appreciated the sheer amount of energy poured into these songs. The production was perfect for the songs. Reminds me how much clarity you can get from your mix when the arrangement is relatively simple. Wish I could say I connected with the songwriting more, but nonetheless this was a record I have a lot of respect for.
A bit generic.
I really enjoyed this, kind of like if Metallica and Joy Division had a love child. Solid listen, reckon I wouldn’t give it another whack as no massive standout.
Not bad, but they're definitely already past their peak here.
I like everything on here, except the vocals, if it didn't have punk vocals it would be excellent.
It’s ok
Enjoyable but probably a one timer for me
I liked this alright. Little cheesy.
I was interested to listen to this album 30 years after I first heard it and probably 25 since I last heard it in its entirety. I don’t remember if I ever liked it. I know I was supposed to. I certainly claimed to. I had the t-shirt! And everyone wanted more black guys in punk. Well, not EVERYONE-everyone, clearly, but most of my crew in SoCal mid/late 90s did. There was the general culture-level weird racial (racist?) things about black guys being the coolest, and there was hip-hop, which was cooler and definitely more popular than punk, and there was this stereotypical, not universal, but also not entirely baseless, identification of punk with various kinds of white power. That was far less true inside punk, but I think we were defensive. And we wanted punk to be as demonstrably egalitarian as the early waves of it claimed to be. Bad Brains let us say, “See!” Whether they were any good was besides the point. Which is probably why, ultimately, there weren’t more black guys in punk. No one likes to be a token, but especially not anyone even remotely inclined towards punk ethos. And so, like so much guilt-driven liberal nonsense, we ended up reinforcing the strictures we wanted to change. Anyway, turns out to be a pretty cool album. I will listen to it again.
I'm not a huge fan of hardcore. Some tracks on this I kind of liked but others were hard to get through. I think this is a genre that's just better live.
Rippers
Not my taste!
Younger me probably would have liked this more. I just feel kind of silly listening to this type of stuff at this stage of life. Overall it isn't awful though. Wasn't a big fan of the vocal style.
Short album! I'm interested to hear the earlier albums, because I'm not a fan of metal or even hard rock that is getting metal-ly, and I can hear some of that here. The allmusic bio indicated that was not on those earlier albums. I think I'd like them more. In any case, I can hear they're a good band. I just thought it would be better without the metal creeping in.
Tyylikäs kansi, tyylikäs levy. Yllättävän gootti! Mutta vain paikoin. Vaatinee muutaman kuuntelukerran, haluan pistää korvan taakse ja oikeasti muistaa palata.
A good album, I liked Secret 77, Let Me Help and She's Calling You and Sacred Love.
eeeee punk! fell in love with the guitar, the lyrics definitely mean something but i don't know what, nice
I only knew Bad Brains as punk. Didn’t realize they started doing crossover/metal stuff. Would have been way better with a different vocalist.
me gusto al inicio luego ya no me gusto tanto xd
Album was ok. Knew a little about the band before listening and thought there would be more reggae influence in the album. 3/5 Might listen again
It was interesting. Some songs had absolutely unpredictable switches like it becomes a completely different song for 1-2 bars and then goes back, that was confusing. Oh it's album 420 Re-Ignition
Sure
truly unique and eclectic album. very cool.
First listen and enjoyable album. Reminds me of in living colour nice
Pretty bad ass. I liked it.
This was pretty great - takes the hardcore energy of their debut and mixes a few other genres in with it to create something quite unique and very fun. The last couple of tracks tailed off slightly unfortunately, but it was still definitely worth checking out
Surprised to see this was released in 1986… it seems ahead of its time. Not really something I would listen to often, but it will do the trick when I want to rock out to something fresh and new. 3.5
Good punk that did not appeal to me overall. That's atypical for me with punk.
Was a good listen. One I won’t seek out.
3/5
This had some awesome moments but the overall experience just didn't do it for me. The more metal it got the more I liked it. But the slower Songs not so much. Fav songs: - I Against I - House of Suffering - Let me help
Ágætis 80s rokk. Þokkalega góðir taktar.
3.5 stars. Liked the guitar riffs and the hardcore punk vibe. First 4 tracks are good. Sacred love too. And while clearly punk, you can hear other genres coming through - funk, reggae? She’s Calling You is a nice change up song reflecting this. And the whole thing just has an 80s aesthetic. I can dig this whole album as something unique and influential to later bands that blend genres. Star count isn’t higher because the vocals felt off putting to me at times on songs I otherwise liked. While really interesting, the whole package didn’t come together for me and there’s no one song I loved.
Interesting, I guess I did need to listen to this before I died
I liked this. Would be interested in hearing more if their earlier stuff too. Particularly enjoyed Let Me Help. A strong 3
ihan jees, punkahtava ja genrejä taivuttava kokonaisuus. ei kuitenkaan paras punk-levy listalla. 3/5
3.5 The vocals took a few songs to grow on me but instrumentally it was fantastic. Feel like I need to give this a few more spins.
I’m curious enough to give this another listen. I enjoyed the chuggy guitars
I enjoyed this. It caught me in the right mood. :)
This was…ok. Not at all what I expected, but I didn’t really know what to expect I guess…? Angry. Loud. Some nuance for sure but I think it’s easily lost at times given the general emotional state of the piece, the volume, and the vocals (which are, fitting with the genre, rough and lacking). Beeds another listen to be appreciated fully. 3 stars because I don’t know what else to give it. Standout tracks: I against I, Secret 77, She’s Calling You, Hired Gun
I remember hearing about Bad Brains in some documentary years ago that had Steve Albini in it. I do t like punk so I was expecting to hate this. It’s definitely not my favorite but I didn’t mind it.