BAD BRAINS - I Against I (Reissue)
August 1, 2024, 3 months ago
(Bad Brains Records)
Quite possibly more so than any other decade, the '80s offered a seemingly infinite amount of subgenres within the heavy metal domain. And one that seems to never get the credit it deserves is 'crossover,' which was bands bold enough to combine hardcore punk with metal.
And one of the leaders was undoubtedly the Bad Brains, beginning with their now-classic 1986 offering, I Against I, which has been reissued on CD.
Although it's the Bad Brains' self-titled 1982 album that gets the most love from critics and fans alike (and with good reason, it's a pretty darned perfect album from beginning to end), I'll boldly declare that I Against I is either tied with it or comes in a close second in the 'greatest Bad Brains LP sweepstakes.'
For the most part, it seems as if the tunes can be categorized as stylistically showing their hardcore roots (“I Against I,” “House Of Suffering”), their newfound metal direction (“Re-Ignition,” “Sacred Love”), and tunes that fall somewhere in between (“Let Me Help,” “Return To Heaven”). One of the greatest rock records of the '80s? Without question.
