Sick of It All

In 1992, a Massachusetts college sophomore opened fire on his classmates, wounding four and killing two. He was wearing a Sick of It All T-shirt. Fortunately, the New York-bred quartet hasn’t let a little thing like homicidal stigma slow it down, expanding its audience by touring alongside the platinum punks it helped spawn, including Rancid and Helmet. SOIA’s fifteenth album, Life on the Ropes, announces that the group has no plans to fade away quietly. Vocalist Lou Koller tackles topics such as suicide and government-imposed social control, but he’s most convincing when he’s decrying the current state of his chosen genre. Once there was a purpose/Once there was a voice, he screams on the deliciously titled “Paper Tiger (Fakin’ the Punk),” a blistering soundtrack and an on-the-spot antidote.