There's no ska, reggae, organs, production tricks, or anything fancy going on: just balls-to-the-walls punk rock with all the anger, attitude, and precision in the world.
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Most of the songs are under two minutes and some are even under one minute. And the album's razor-sharp, full-throttle power chords rival the great bands of that era too.
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His bark on songs like "I Am Forever" and "Loki" are as punishing as anything that came out on SST or Dischord or Revelation in the '80s. (Rancid have often had intimidating-looking artwork, but the black, skull-and-cross-bones art of Rancid 2000 was yet another indicator that this was a meaner Rancid than we'd ever seen before.) Matt Freeman took lead vocal turns for the first time since Let's Go, and his rasp is perfect for a more aggressive punk record, though it's often Lars Frederiksen's songs that are the most overtly hardcore. But even Rancid's earliest work wasn't as whiplash-inducing or as gut-busting as this. And Out Come the Wolves and Life Won't Wait, Rancid reunited with Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz (who also produced the more traditionally punk 1994 album Let's Go), and Rancid 2000 was very much a return to the band's more traditional punk roots. It wasn't a put-on at all it was just proof that Rancid could've been a hardcore band this whole time if they wanted to. Their second self-titled album (following their 1993 debut) is the closest Rancid ever came to making a hardcore record, and it's real-deal hardcore. Really it just sounds like Alkaline Trio distinct within their discography, but not mistakable for any other band.ġ998’s Life Won't Wait was Rancid's big, genre-defying, statement-making, and least punk-sounding album, but after that one came out it appeared they had another statement to make: that they could still be a punk band. It's too grim for pop punk, too punk for emo, and too ambitious for straight-up punk. With dark lyricism, imagery, and tones, but anthemic, irresistible hooks, it's not easy to pigeonhole Maybe I'll Catch Fire. Compared to the rougher, faster Goddamnit, Maybe I'll Catch Fire saw Skiba and bassist/co-frontman Dan Andriano getting more dynamic, experimenting with slower tempos, and writing catchier songs, but they were still in much less radio-friendly territory than they'd be a year later. As good as the Vagrant era is, there's a charm to the rawer Maybe I'll Catch Fire that you can't get from any of the Trio's other albums. It was their last album with original drummer Glenn Porter and last for Asian Man Records before the Trio signed to Vagrant, polished up their sound, and released 2001's breakthrough From Here to Infirmary (their sole album with drummer Mike Felumlee before recruiting Derek Grant). These days, Matt Skiba has a bigger platform than ever as Tom DeLonge's replacement in blink-182 (though Alkaline Trio also have a solid new EP out), but back when the "All the Small Things" video was ruling TRL, Matt was the co-frontman of the burgeoning Chicago punk band Alkaline Trio, who made good on the promise of their 1998 debut album Goddamnit with their 2000 sophomore LP Maybe I'll Catch Fire. It has all the grit and attack of a true-blue hardcore record, but within Jason Shevchuck's gravelly shouts were bright melodies that any of the major label bands would've been jealous of. Dan Yemin would go further in a hardcore direction with his next band Paint It Black, while vocalist Jason Shevchuk would get even more melodic with his next band None More Black, but Shorter, Faster, Louder sat right on top of that fence between pop punk and hardcore, leaning over towards one side and then back to the other but never jumping fully onto one side. Their label Jade Tree called it an "album so straightforward, precise, and skillfully executed, it probably had to be their last," and it's hard to disagree with that too.
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In 2000, they got ahead of all the fans and critics who would've surely called their sophomore album "shorter, faster, louder" by naming the album that, and this 18-song, 24-minute collection very much lives up to its title. After the 1997 breakup of Lifetime - who were a huge influence on a lot of the bands on this list - guitarist Dan Yemin formed Kid Dynamite, whose 1998 self-titled debut remains one of the finest melodic hardcore albums of the '90s.