Rancid
took five years off after the release of their 2009 album
Let the Dominoes Fall
. Well, not really. They toured behind the album and
Tim Armstrong
spent seemingly every waking hour of the span writing and recording songs under the name
Tim Timebomb
. Five years without a
album was a long time, though, and the announcement of a new record led to quite a bit of speculation about its direction. Would they continue the sonic experiments and more mature outlook of
" Or would they swing back to basics like they did on 2000's self-titled furious blast of punk attitude? They aim for the latter on
...Honor Is All We Know
. It's a set of rousing songs like the pounding soul-punkers "Malfunction" and "Collision Course" that find the band stripping their sound down to the basics, sharing lead vocals, and generally delivering a vintage-style
album. ~ Tim Sendra