AND OUT COME THE WOLVES: 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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). There's a saying that there can never be too much of a good thing, and Rancid could've coined the phrase. Their irresistible old-school punk and their ska-in-the-garage guitar sound are sure to please anyone who thought the Clash were the best that '70s punk had to offer. Yet, considering their loyalty to the original punk aesthetic, Rancid sound surprisingly fresh. ...AND OUT COME THE WOLVES proves the band knows their fans and can still live by their causes. They're self-proclaimed "Roots Radicals," but this is a '90s band. "Lock, Stop, And Gone" is crammed with details of modern L.A., where there's "a fire on the corner and it's never gonna stop" and where "the killer in the neighborhood never got caught." There's also bewilderment at the fact that the punk that was sure to keep them on the fringes is a high-profile career now--"too much attention unavoidably destroyed us," they claim on "Journey To The End Of East Bay." Throughout ...AND OUT COME THE WOLVES, Rancid keep their edge. They won't succumb to rehashing punk, instead giving it new life through their uncompromising songs. With so many '90s new-jack punks on the scene, Rancid are the real thing--not a band jumping on a bandwagon, or one that waited around for a style to be hip again, but true originals.