Over
time everything becomes jaded (just ask Bob Dylan), yet Rancid has
been on a streak of 8 spectacular albums in a row. For me, they are the
archetype of contemporary American punk. Honor Is All We Know is
an awesome album with 14 tracks spanned over 31 minutes.
Tim
Armstrong is a fantastic story-teller with his
definitive punk drawl. His Epiphone guitar riffs tell incredible
tales themselves. In my opinion Matt Freeman is the greatest
bassist alive. It would have been nice if he sang a song on the record. Branden
Steineckert is their current drummer since the departure of Brett
Reed in 2009. Branden recorded drums on Let the
Dominoes Fall, which signified the new era of Rancid.
Tim
and Matt previously
played in Operation Ivy. Matt's side
project is called the Devil's Brigade, with an awesome release in
2010. Lars Frederickson's side-project The Old Firm
Casuals released This is War earlier this
year, and it is a spectacular punk album.
As
it has been 5 years since the previous album, the first song Back Where
I Belong is very applicable to their style and
contemporary stance. On Raise Your Fist, Lars provides
alternating vocals through numerous anthems. Collision Course is
a mix of skater punk and ska without a brass-section.
The
song Evil's My Friend has amazing synth riffs. Honor Is All We Know starts with joyous guitar riffs with Tim's voice
drawling the verses. A Power Inside is a positive
punk melody, also emphasizing Tim's drawling voice. The
song In The Streets contains cheery harmonies on the
vocals. Face Up is the shortest song on the album, for me it
is similar to the song Roots and Radicals.
Already
Dead is my favorite song on the album. It is a damn
catchy song with Lars excelling on vocals. It sounds like a
song from Lars Frederickson and The Bastards, but with a Rancid polish.
The song has profound lyrics such as "I am the bastard son of
Christ, and I'll see you all in hell, 'cause I'm already dead". The
song Diabolical starts with a pounding bass-drum. It is catchy
dance music with a junky punk feel.
Malfunction contains
awesome alternating vocals. Now We're Through With You is a
euphoric punk song, quickening in pace throughout the song. Everybody's
Sufferin' presents depressing lyrics such as "Everywhere you
are going, people they are so fucked. Everybody's Sufferin'" in upbeat
tones. Grave Digger is a very lively song to end the
album. It contains fast-paced, heavy vocals and distorted guitars along with
walking bass lines.
Since
2004 when I first heard …And Out Come The Wolves I became a
super-fan of Rancid. I vouch my respect to this band until death.