Out of all of the Southern California hardcore punk bands of the early '80s, Bad Religion stayed around the longest. For over a decade, they retained their underground credibility without turning out a series of indistinguishable records that all sound the same. Instead, the band refined their attack, adding inflections of psychedelia, heavy metal, and hard rock along the way, as well as a considerable dose of melody. Between their 1982 debut and their first major-label record, 1993's Recipe For Hate, Bad Religion stayed vital in the hardcore community by tightening their musical execution and keeping their lyrics complex and righteously angry.
Bad Religion formed in the northern suburbs of Los Angeles in 1980, comprising guitarist Brett Gurewitz, vocalist Greg Graffin, bassist Jay Bentley, and drummer Jay Ziskrout. Gurewitz established his own record company, Epitaph, to release the band's records. Between their self-titled EP and their first full-length record, Peter Finestone replaced Lishrout as the group's drummer. How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, their debut album, was released in 1982 and it gained them some attention on the national U.S. hardcore scene. After 
its release, the group's lineup changed, as bassist Paul Dedona and drummer Davy Goldmen joined the group. Into The Unknown, the group's second album, appeared in 1983. Featuring a vaguely psychedelized sound and several keyboards, the album was musically impressive, yet it made many of their fans angry and the band's following decreased dramatically.
In the meantime, the band's lineup was undergoing some more shakeups. Gurewitz had to take 1984 off to recover from various substance abuse problems, leaving Graffin as the band's only original member. In addition to Graffin, the 1984 incarnation of the band featured former Circle Jerks guitarist Greg Hetson, bassist Tim Gallegos, and returning drummer Peter Finestone. Bad Religion's next release, the harder, punkier Back to the Known EP restored faith among the group's devoted fans. After its release, the group went on hiatus for three years.
When Bad Religion returned in 1987, the band featured Gurewitz, Graffin, Lishrout, Hetson, and Finestone. They released Suffer the following year, a record that re-established the group as prominent players in the U.S. underground punk/hardcore scene.
No Control (1989) and Against The Grain (190) By the time of their 1993 album, Recipe For Hate, alternative rock had become popular with the mainstream; in addition, the band's following was quite large. These two factors contributed to Bad Religion signing a major-label contract with Atlantic Records. Recipe For Hate was originally released on Epitaph but it was soon re-released with the support of Atlantic. The group's first proper major-label album was 1994's Stranger Than Fiction;it was also Gurewitz's last album with the group. Before the release of Stranger Than Fiction, Epitaph had a unexpected hit with the Offspring's Smash, causing Gurewitz to spend more time at the label; reports also indicated that he was unpleased with Bad Religion's major label contract. The group replaced Gurewitz for their supporting tour, which proved to be their most successful to date.
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