Social Distortion | "Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes" | Album Review

Story by Jacob Fricke 

| Published Jan 18, 2011

After 25 years and a myriad of members, lead singer/rhythm guitarist Mike Ness remains the only founding member of Social Distortion. For all the changes the band has undergone, however, the sound remains much the same. For fans of their past work and the genre, this is a very good thing.

Social Distortion is widely considered a seminal punk band, with classic songs like “Story of My Life,” “Ball and Chain” and “Another State of Mind.”

Their newest album, “Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes,” opens with “Road Zombie,” a song that slowly builds in tempo and intensity. By the time the two minute instrumental concludes, new drummer David Hidalgo Jr. makes an impression that lasts to the album’s conclusion 45 minutes later.

Ness has always written fun, if safe, punk songs with a hint of country thrown in. This continues as it has, but he seems to have found some new inspiration. Assisting in this is a brighter sound, doubtlessly impacted by new additions on bass and lead guitar. Though the songs are no longer simple chord progression, the spirit remains.

The best songs on the album are “Alone and Forsaken” and the lead single “Machine Gun Blues.” Both songs are blistering, intense and conclude just before they begin to become repetitive.

Lyrically, there isn’t much new here. Ness expounds on his personal life in a surprising amount of detail, even though his rhymes aren’t particularly creative. Listeners hoping for a concept album should look elsewhere, but fans of this type of music have long since concluded that the feeling of the music is far more important, and “Hard Times” has this in spades.

Even though musical trends (and band members) change, Social Distortion has not. A constant musical force in this day and age is relatively rare, but with this release it is evident Social Distortion will be around for as long as Ness wants to keep going. And the music world is better for it.