Retro-Review: ‘Rock for Light’ by Bad Brains
Thrash metal and punk have always been closely connected in a rather incestuous way.
That connection goes further back than D.R.I.’s 1987 album Crossover, which is credited with creating the fused thrash/punk genre. But thrash metal itself goes back to the early 80s when bands like Metallica took the aggression of punk rock and combined it with the musicianship of 1970s heavy metal.
There’s lots of bands that could be credited with this raw aggressiveness that gave birth to thrash metal. You’ll probably never arrive on a single one, but when it comes to influence, Bad Brains is near the top, particularly their 1983 album Rock For Light.
While the Bad Brains never broke into the mainstream during their heyday, the bands they have influenced went on to make huge marks on music. One of those they made an impression on was Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, who said Rock For Lightwas one of his favorite albums. Another fan is Beastie Boy Adam Yauch.
It’s also largely because of this album that they’ve had their name pushed for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame sometime down the road.
