As if the 15 years between their 7th album "Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes" and number 8 "Born to Kill" never happened, Mike Ness and his Social Distortion are revving up punk rock 'n' roll like never before. Indestructible like a tiger or, in the case of "Born to Kill", like a leopard depicted on the cover.
The title track "Born to Kill" is a catchy tune that stands out, yet there is nothing particularly remarkable or special about the title track and the 10 other songs; it's straightforward, simple, catchy punk 'n' roll, with a few guitar solos, but that's about it. Here, it's Mike Ness's lyrics, his voice, and the vocal expression that give the 11 songs an unmistakable character.
A prime example right in the first song: "I'm the underdog who ends up on top, the rebel poet with a peacock strut, gonna make a change, gonna rearrange, look out, man, you're in my pissing range!" (from "Born to Kill").
With "No Way Out" as the second song, there's the next hit on the album, one that Mike has written in the past 15 years. And these 15 years have not been easy for him; he faced a life-threatening illness, yet he managed to write nearly 40 songs, and the best of them made it onto the album. Like "The Way Things Were", which can break any heart, a punk 'n' roll love song that is anything but a cliché. The following songs "Tonight" and "Partners In Crime" also deal with great (lost) love.
And so the 11 songs about love and joy, feelings and struggles, outsiders and fighters stretch like an endless broad stroke across the 45 minutes of "Born to Kill". Each song goes deep into the heart, gets the legs moving, makes the head nod, and you have just one wish: When is the next Social Distortion concert?
And here come my two problems:
43 years! No, that is not the average age of the band; no, 43 years ago Mike Ness / Social Distortion released their first album "Mommy's Little Monster". Mike Ness was 21 then, which means he is now 64 years old; hopefully, he will be on stage for a long time!
And then there’s this one Southern rock-blues song "Crazy Dreamer" on the record, which fits the album as well as a gazelle among 10 leopards, in the truest sense of the word. Even the cover song of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" from 1989 fits the album better.
Conclusion:
9 songs that are simply amazing!!!! A must-buy!!! (and when "Crazy Dreamer" comes on, just skip one song or two, and then the cover song is out too)
