...And Out Come the Wolves [LP] [Limited Edition]

Rancid: Lars Frederiksen, Tim Armstrong (vocals, guitar); Matt Freeman (bass, background vocals); Brett Reed (drums).
Additional personnel: Paul Jackson (Hammond organ); Bashiri Johnson (percussion); DJ Disk (scratches).
In the wake of the Offspring's success, Rancid became a hot band, earning a dedicated cult and sparking a major-label bidding war. After flirting with a handful of major labels, the band decided to stick with Epitaph and returned with And Out Come the Wolves. While the title is a veiled reference to the attention the band gained, the album doesn't mark an isolationist retreat into didactic, defiantly underground punk rock. Instead, Rancid develop their own identity on the record, which ironically makes them more accessible. Although they continue to draw heavily from the Clash and the Specials -- and their roots in the ska-punk band Operation Ivy are quite clear throughout the record -- the band plays with such energy and conviction, it's easy to forgive their derivativeness. On the whole, And Out Come the Wolves is a little too long to make a major impact, but individual tracks are classic moments of revivalist punk, including the skittering 2-Tone tribute "Time Bomb." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine