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| The cover is basic, but this isn't a Tool album or something |
...Honor is All We Know is an album that delivers from start to finish. The opening track, "Back Where I Belong" is a much more fitting song for Rancid than "Back to the Shack" was for Weezer as this album, like I said, actually sounds like it came from the midst of the punk revival movement of the 90s. The main thing to note about this album are the quantity of songs that carry the punk spirit; a quality which was lacking in the previous album, Let The Dominoes Fall. Songs like "Raise Your Fist," "Collision Course," "Honor Is All We Know," "A Power Inside," "Face Up," and "Grave Digger" really make you remember what punk really is supposed to be about. In an era when punk-influenced bands don't really do this that much, it's a great breath of fresh air.
The album also includes a couple of ska inspired tunes; the kind that are very reminiscent of "Time Bomb" from ...And Out Come the Wolves. In "Evil's My Friend" and "Everybody's Sufferin'," Rancid definitely utilizes the offbeat more than they had in the past few albums.
The production value of this album is good. Not a whole lot of added value as far as audio sampling or overly produced electronic intros but these are things that I wouldn't want on a Rancid album anyways. The production is simple and well done for what it is. Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz has proved his worth as a producer with this album.
As good as this album is, there are a few minor drawbacks. Sometimes the lyrics are a bit goofy. The most confusing lyric is actually in the chorus of the title track "...Honor Is All We Know." The line "Honor is among us. Honor is all we know." is strange mainly because of the word among. Not only is it difficult to decipher what exactly is meant by that, but it kind of implies that the idea of honor is something that has been forced onto them which I don't think is the intended message. "Honor is inside us." would sound just as goofy, but at least it would make more sense. "Honor is our mantra." might be a little better. It wouldn't sound like something from a punk band but I think it would be a better line.
The gang vocals also sound a bit off-key at times, which is particularly surprising considering the cast gathered to do them. It's especially apparent in "A Power Inside" at a couple of points in the choruses but, most of the time, the gang vocals sound fine.
The only other con I have about this album is that the album finisher doesn't particularly work as an album finisher. There isn't an exact science as to what song you should have as an album finisher but "Grave Digger" isn't it. This is a bit surprising as Rancid has had some pretty good album finishers in the past like "Otherside" from Indestructible and "The Highway" from Let the Dominoes Fall. But, "Grave Digger" is still a pretty awesome song and one of my favorites on the album. I just don't think it works as an album finisher.
All whining aside, all of the cons of this album are pretty negligible. This album has everything you would want out of a Rancid album. It has the fast punk songs, bright punk anthems, a couple of ska-inspired tunes, and does it all in record time (meaning NO FILLER). Any punk fan should give this album a try because, as I said, it was my favorite album to come out last year and was very overlooked. You won't find it to be Rancid's best release, but it holds its own.
Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e1/Rancid_Honor_Is_All_We_Know_Album_Artwork.jpg
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