The conversations around the greatest punk band of all time are often focused in the rivalry between USA and the UK. Punks wax philosophical about The Ramones or The Clash, Black Flag or the Buzzcocks…(note: I’m intentionally omitting the band Virgin Records put together to reappropriate punk aesthetics).

One factor that’s not often brought up is that of race. True, there might not be too much to talk about there—for all its rebellion against the status quo, punk has always skewed heavily white. But for Bad Brains, whose legend demands that they’re mentioned in any conversation about important punk bands, their punk cred is tied intrinsically to their blackness, both in lyrical content and the way they were perceived in their early days.

The band that would become Bad Brains formed in 1975 as a jazz fusion group called Mind Power. A couple years later, a friend introduced them to punk rock, and they turned to faster, more aggressive music. They even changed their name, labeling themselves after a Ramones track of a similar name.

They cut their teeth in DC, eventually moving to New York City after they were blacklisted from every major venue in their hometown for their destructive live shows (though one wonders how many white bands played with similar chaos and were invited back). Once in NYC, they took up residence in the East Village’s legendary CBGB, playing every chance they could get. In the early 80s, an all-black punk band was a curiosity—maybe even a novelty (not that punk is any better in its de facto whiteness now). For months, they played to a mostly empty club, met with, at best, confusion and curiosity. But eventually, their explosive energy brought them a massive amount of buzz.

And listening to the record now, which will see its fortieth anniversary this year, it’s obvious to see how this would have brought them attention. The more aggressive tracks are blistering in a way that modern hardcore bands are still trying to capture. There are occasional tempo slowdowns that sound almost Black Sabbathy. The lyrics capture the caustic disillusionment of racism, capitalism, and general adolescent malaise as sharply as can be recorded without cutting the tape. Yet for all they have to be angry about, they try to face it all with PMA—Positive Mental Attitude. That’s right: Bad Brains founded Posi Hardcore.

The fiery hardcore punk is occasionally interrupted by reggae tracks (all members of Bad Brains are Rastafarians). For better or for worse, this (along with The Clash’s London Calling) would influence many other punk and hardcore bands to explore the genre. But when the reggae tracks are as good as “Leaving Babylon,” it’s easy to forgive the hand they had in the formation of Sublime.

This is all infused with a virtuosity that escapes most punk bands. The rhythm section is tight and precise, even at breakneck tempos. And while punk and hardcore aren’t typically filled with guitar solos, Dr. Know’s solos are still among the best ever in the genres. Oddly enough, I was first introduced to Bad Brains through Dr. Know’s solo on Coheed and Cambria’s “Time Consumer.”

In all, this is a classic in ways that it’s difficult to articulate. Forty years after its release, it is still just as sharp and fiery as ever, even if they will forever deserve more credit than they get.