Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by 1980s punk veterans Tim Armstrong, and Matt Freeman, who previously played in the highly influential ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is often credited (along with Green Day and The Offspring) for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the United States and bringing punk rock into the mainstream during the mid-1990s. Over their 27-year career, Rancid remained signed to an independent record label and retained much of its original fan-base, most of which was connected to its underground roots. Rancid has had two lineup changes since its inception.

After two years of touring for ...And Out Come the Wolves, Rancid returned to the studio in 1997 to begin recording its fourth studio album, Life Won't Wait, which was released on June 30, 1998. The album branched out from Rancid's previous musical styles, and combined punk rock with elements of roots reggae, rockabilly, dub, hip-hop, and funk, drawing comparisons to the Clash's Sandinista!. Though the album did not achieve the success of ...And Out Come the Wolves, but has since garnered a strong cult following in recent times. In 1999, Rancid decided to end its seven-year relationship with Epitaph and signed with Armstrong's founded Hellcat Records (which is a sub-label of Epitaph).  A second self-titled album was released on August 1, 2000 and would be its first album released through Hellcat. The album failed to achieve the success of Rancid's previous three albums and reached number 68 on the Billboard charts. On the album, the group largely abandoned its ska-punk influences, recording a more hardcore-influenced album.  The three original members of Rancid released three songs under the name Devil's Brigade in 2002, one on the Give 'Em the Boot III compilation album, and two on a 12-inch vinyl record. In March of the same year, a split album with NOFX titled BYO Split Series Volume III was released, in which Rancid covered NOFX songs and NOFX covered Rancid songs.  After a break from touring in 2001, Rancid returned to the studio with Gurewitz in 2002 to record its sixth studio album, Indestructible, which was released on August 19, 2003 and was their highest-charting album to date, reaching number 15. Unlike the band's previous albums, Indestructible was distributed by not only Epitaph/Hellcat but major record label, Warner Bros. Records, a move that received some backlash from the band's fans who questioned their loyalty to the independent scene. When released, the album didn't feature the Warner logo anywhere on the packaging, a move to ease tension among fans. The album was warmly received by most critics however met with mixed reviews from fans, some of which felt the album contained a "poppier" sound (some accusing Warner of having an influence on the music) while others felt it was a mixture of ..And Out Come the Wolves and Life Won't Wait. The album's music video for the first single, "Fall Back Down" was also met with some criticism from fans due to members of Good Charlotte and Kelly Osbourne making appearances.

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