White Light White Heat White Trash [180 Gram Vinyl Import]

Social Distortion does one thing and does it well. The bulk of Social D's repertoire consists of variations on an unrelenting 4/4 jackhammer guitar-and-drums attack, with Mike Ness' nasal rasp giving voice to post-twelve step trailer-trash Americana in all its dubious glory. Since its inception in 1982, the band's records have typically sounded like So-Cal punk leavened by country and blues influences and a penchant for pop hooks.
The good news for Social Distortion fans is that WHITE LIGHT is no exception to the band's musical rules. While the song structures and chord progressions are slightly more sophisticated than on previous releases, the group returns after a four-year recording gap with all the raw edges intact. No punks-come-lately, Ness and his bandmates, who now include L.A. punk veteran Chuck Biscuits on drums, offer up a mature, substantive take on sin and redemption that makes you wonder how long it will take Johnny Cash to get around to covering them. This is the sound of a band that's been to hell and back, and short-sheeted the devil's bed in the process.