TOP FIVE HELLCAT RECORDS RELEASES
Epitaph Records has been one of the most important record labels of the last thirty years not just in punk, but in all of alternative music. In the late 1990s, after major breakthrough mainstream success while remaining on Epitaph despite receiving nudes from Madonna and multimillion dollar offers to jump ship, Rancid had solidified their status as one of the most prominent and important punk bands in the world. The sprawling, The Clash-esque Life Won’t Wait, clocking in at what for punk is a marathon of over an hour, had dropped in 1998 on Epitaph, and although it wasn’t the smash that …And Out Come the Wolves had been, it still did well. Around this time, Hellcat Records was launched as a subsidiary of Epitaph with Rancid vocalist and guitarist Tim Armstrong given control; Rancid would decide to release their 2000 self-titled album through the label. But Hellcat was not and would not be just an outlet for Rancid records, in the same way Epitaph ultimately wasn’t for Bad Religion. Hellcat would become one of the most important punk labels of the 2000s, and has an impressive catalogue that stacks up with pretty much any other punk label’s in its prime. In celebrating this great label, I thought it would be fun to give it the old Top Five treatment. There were quite a few great options to choose from, but if I were to go with just five they would be:
5. Tiger Army-III: Ghost Tigers Rise (2004)
This album is the perfect mix of the different eras of Tiger Army. It still has plenty of punk and psychobilly aggression, but the record really shines where they throttle back that aggression to explore different sonic textures that are more subdued and play more to the strengths of Nick 13 as a vocalist. This album finds Tiger Army leaning further into country and other influences, and crafting an eerie and otherworldly atmosphere that suits the band’s aesthetic. The result was more memorable songs such as the one below, and a distinct blend that would set Tiger Army apart from the psychobilly crowd. Ghost Tigers Rise is best listened to on chilly October nights after having watched The Lost Boys.
4. Transplants-Self-Titled (2002)
The Transplants are a supergroup of sorts comprised of Armstrong, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and vocalist Rob Aston, who also collaborated with Barker and Paul Wall in the group Expensive Taste. I’ve heard this album described as drum n bass for punks, and while that’s generally accurate in a lot of places, there’s a lot more happening on this album than "just" that, which in and of itself is quite cool and works surprisingly well; it’s really an exploration of a variety of sounds sometimes individually, sometimes in combination. With features including other members of Rancid, the Nerve Agents’ Eric Ozenne, The Distillers’ Brody Dalle, AFI’s Davey Havok, and Danny Diablo (Crown of Thornz, Skarhead, etc.) and influences ranging from the aforementioned punk and drum n bass to hardcore, hip-hop, and more, Transplants is really a unique record that despite the wide range of guests and influences sounds perfectly natural and cohesive. That nasty opening riff in "Romper Stomper," "D.J. D.J.," "Diamonds & Guns" (which despite quite explicitly being "about that life" was somehow featured in a Garnier Fructis shampoo commercial), "Quick Death," and "California Babylon" are particular highlights.
3. Rancid-Self-Titled (2000)
After the above-discussed Life Won’t Wait, Rancid came back with this ripper of an album, much more pared-down and early 80s hardcore-influenced. It has the same number of songs as Life Won’t Wait but is about half as long, with few songs even hitting the two minute mark. Songs like "Blackhawk Down" are highlights in this vein. Nevertheless, there are still some Clash-esque songs here, too, with "Radio Havana" a clear standout. If I were to ever do a Top Five of Rancid albums—and there’s a good chance I might—this album would definitely be on it, even if it’s not quite at the level of …And Out Come the Wolves or Let’s Go.
2. Dropkick Murphys-Do or Die (1998)
Dropkick Murphys are legends in the city of Boston and are one of the most recognizable and popular bands of the Irish punk subgenre, and while that element of Irish music and nods to that heritage are integral to this album’s sound, it’s really more of a street punk record, their only with Mike McColgan on lead vocals, who left the band shortly after Do or Die to join the Boston Fire Department. McColgan would eventually go on to start the band Street Dogs. Not only is this the Murphys’ best album, it’s one of the best street punk albums of all time. The songwriting here is exceptional, and the album actually gets stronger as it goes on; although there are precisely zero skips on this one, the back half is packed with S-tier punk songs like "Finnegan’s Wake," "Noble," "Barroom Hero," and "Fightstarter Karaoke."
1. The Distillers-Sing Sing Death House (2002)
While The Distillers would pursue a more accessible rock orientation with their next album Coral Fang (guitarist and vocalist Brody Dalle has often been compared to Courtney Love in her vocal style if not—thankfully for Dalle—Love’s other…quirks), this album preserves most of the straight-ahead charge of the self-titled debut, but it levels up in songwriting dramatically and gives the listener much more to sink their teeth into. This ability to exhibit hit songwriting capability without sacrificing any edge, exemplified by the anthemic "City of Angels," stands shoulder-to-shoulder with what a band like Rancid was also able to accomplish, albeit more consistently and over a longer timeline and in higher profile. That does not, however, diminish how good Sing Sing Death House is. I still remember the first time a friend of mine played this album for me: I was blown away. It’s a neo-punk classic, nailing this sound to perfection—easily one of the best punk albums this side of Y2K. Fun fact: founding member and guitarist Rose "Casper" Mazzola, who left the band after this album, is the daughter of Joey Mazzola, a founding member of the great 90s rock band Sponge.