Review: Rancid - Honor Is All We Know

The perennial punks in Rancid are back with their 8th album. They've been taunting the album for a couple years now, to the point that many fans were starting to wonder if it would ever see the light of day, but low and behold here it is. The band took an interesting approach to how they released the album by out-of-the-blue releasing cover art, track list and a video of three songs around a month before the actual release date. Who does that? Rancid does that.

Even though it's been 5 years since the last Rancid album, the members have been far from quiet. Tim Armstrong himself was on a constant release streak with his side project Tim Timebomb and Friends, releasing what seemed like a song a day for a year. On top of that there's his work with Hellcat Records, making a web-based musical theatre, The Transplants and everything else in-between. I don't think anyone can blame Armstrong of laziness, since the early 90's he's been active in every facet of the music industry that one can be.

Mr. Armstrong is, to me, one of the biggest conundrums in music. He's honestly a terrible singer. Really, just plain terrible. It sounds less like he's trying to sing and more like he stumbled upon a microphone and is drunkenly slurring out some words. I realize that that is pretty critical of one of the most famous people in the punk scene, but guess what? Even if I insult it I still find myself enjoyably listening to it. Maybe he made some pact with the devil? I doubt I'll ever figure out what exactly his appeal is, but does that really matter? Not really. and I'm going to continue to listen to what he's involved in, but I'll never understand it. But I digress, let's get to the review of the new album.

Every previous Rancid record has had it's own vibe. Let me break them all down for you:

• Rancid(2003) - the debut album that established what Armstrong and Freeman wanted to sound like.
• Let's Go - The sound of the first album is polished up, but more importantly Lars Frederickson is added on guitar/vocals, adding another dimension to the sound.
• ...And Out Come the Wolves - This is where they master their songs. Everything hits home on this album. Still their most famous album and it shows off their musicality. 
• Life Won't Wait - Coming off the heels of the successful last album, Rancid gets the most experimental it has ever been. Recorded between Los Angeles and Jamaica this album incorporates multiple singers and musicians and varies between multiple genres.
• Rancid(2000) - After the experimentation of L.W.W. Rancid returns with it's most straight-up hardcore punk album. 
• Indestructable - Rancid starts to flex it's commercial success and incorporates new friends like Skinhead Rob to make a loud (production-wise) album that re-adds the reggae and ska from previous albums.
• Let the Dominoes Fall - Decidedly their worst album. A few good tracks, but overall it lacked any real passion and felt stale to most fans.

So where does Honor Is All We Know stack up to the rest? In the best way possible it sounds like b-sides from A.O.C.T.W. In production and overall vibe it comes closest to their 1995 album than any previous one has. The songs aren't as personal as earlier releases, but the gangster 'we'll-kick-your-ass-if-you-get-in-our-way' mood is present the whole way though. Dispersed through the Oi tracks is a couple ska songs and a couple others that make use of the organ. Armstrong takes the lead on most songs, but Frederickson is still present and even Freeman gets some solo vocal duties.

It's not their best album, but it certainly it isn't a disappointment. Like Armstrong says in the opening track "I've been gone way too long and I'm back where I belong." They might not have the youthful spark that stoked the songs of earlier albums, but they certainly sound like they're back in the territory that they not only know, but that they helped establish.

SONGS TO CHECK OUT: FACE UP / EVIL'S MY FRIEND / BACK WHERE I BELONG
RATING: 8/10