By Andrew Berenson
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Back with a vengeance and pissed-off as ever, Berkeley, California's own pride and joy Rancid have released their third release And Out Come the Wolves on Epitaph records.
After selling over 400,000 copies of their sophomore album Let's Go, having a video on MTV, turning down major label deals left and right and being sought after by Madonna, Rancid, besides being overwhelmed, has put out one killer album. Wolves is a very straight ahead street-wise punk album that not only shows that Rancid is one of the best bands in the nation, but also brings them back to their roots.
Songs such as "Time Bomb" and "Junkie Man" are ska songs that dip into Rancid's deep past. Tim Armstrong (singer and guitarist) used to be in a ska-punk band called Operation Ivy, and he brings some of Ivy's trademark sound into a couple of songs on the new album. Also, besides trying some different types of songs, Rancid show that they are back on the map by blasting out some killer punk songs that are definitely what I think they do best.
Songs such as "Maxwell Murder" and "Roots Radicals" show the punk greatness that I thought was lacking on their last album, Let's Go. Not that I thought Let's Go was a bad album, but it lacked the intensity of their first album and I thought the songs were a lot more watered down and not as rockin'.
Wolves also shows Rancid to be pissed from all the offers from major labels, and this attitude comes out strong and intense in their song writing. I think it was great that Rancid chose to stay with Epitaph, because even though signing to a major label would have brought them a lot of fortune and fame, it would not have given them respect.
With this album, Rancid will gain a lot of respect, both from their peers and from the underground punk community.