*** Rancid, “Black Derby Jacket,” Hellcat/Epitaph.

Unlike fellow punk-crossover kings Green Day, Rancid could never be accused of going soft, even when songs such as “Salvation” and “Time Bomb” ruled the rock airwaves a few years back. This collection of exhilarating noise cements their punk cred with 22 blistering, hyperactive tunes that certainly won’t appeal to those who can only swallow their punk when it’s sugar-coated with pop.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.