Bro(s), in addition to one live album and two EPs, Pennywise has TWELVE full-length studio albums and has been putting ‘em out since the band’s fan-favorite and groundbreaking self-titled debut LP in 1991. If there was a “Big Five” of Epitaph Records’ ‘90s punk rock bands since the label’s origin in 1981, Pennywise would surely have a place alongside The Offspring, Bad Religion, Rancid, and NOFX. If you disagree about such or the other four groups listed, you’re quite misguided, but let us know in an AOL chat room how bad we gaffed by saying, “Listen up, everyone. There’s something wrong.” If you have nice words to say, you probably won’t do such things on the internet because it is a nasty, nasty place soaked in a cesspool of negativity and shame. Anyway, skate or die, and read our Pennywise album rankings from worst to best below:
12. All or Nothing (2012)
2009-2012 were years of major change for Pennywise and the band’s fans as frontman Jim Lindberg surprisingly quit the group in 2009. The act trudged on and put out just one release with Ignite’s singer Zoli Teglas on the mic. For more information on what led to this, read Jim’s great book “Punk Rock Dad: No Rules, Just Real Life” and then watch the touching and revealing documentary, “The Other F Word.” Anyway, it must be said that “All or Nothing” is a solid LP, and has a large amount of public streams to showcase such, but Pennywise just isn’t Pennywise without Jim Lindberg on vocals. Stand strong, Zoli; Ignite still rules. Still, we wish that the group modified its name to “The Act Formerly Known As Pennywise Featuring Three-Fourths Of The Aforementioned Band With The Dude From Ignite Containing The Name That Often Gets Misspelled” and then all PW fans would be united on eleven LPs. Yeah.
Play it again: “Let Us Hear Your Voice”
Skip it: “We Are The Fallen”
11. Yesterdays (2014)
If this list had just eleven LPs and the prior mention was completely omitted as a true Pennywise entity, “Yesterdays” would most certainly be ranked last in this piece as it feels more like a revisited B-sides-that-weren’t-good-enough-to-utilize-the-first-time compilation than a tried and true full-length album. Happily, the recordings aren’t half bad and it’s Jim’s first record back in the band itself, so we didn’t bitch that much when it was first released.
Play it again: “Violence Never Ending”
Skip it: “Am Oi!”
10. The Fuse (2005)
A wise entity not from a Stephen King novel once told us that, “Good is the enemy of great.” Those six words totally encapsulate 2005’s “The Fuse.” Basically, this one doesn’t stand out or offend, so its low spot on this list makes complete sense. Even mid Pennywise is better than most bands in that world, so we hope that famous and infamous PW guitarist Fletcher Dragge doesn’t kick the shit out of the entire staff at satirical/100% brilliant-and-never-incorrect-critical-take site The Hard Times for the commentary on said record (and the band’s other eleven full-lengths). We love the Pennywise band, we really do! Just look at our cargo shorts and chunky Vans. That should be all the proof you need.
Play it again: “Stand Up”
Skip it: “18 Soldiers”
9. Reason to Believe (2008)
We think the fact that 2008’s “Reason To Believe” was a slight departure from the band’s earlier material made it fail with hardcore fans from the start. The icing on the hater cake is that the record was released on MySpace as a worldwide digital download and in physical form on MySpace Records. Gross to some, but forward-thinking to others. Still, we can’t justify the abhorrence towards this LP and need to publicly say that it has some very high-quality songs. In fact, it’s the first album listed in this piece that we sometimes revisit. After all, we have nothing to lose, trolls.
Play it again: “The Western World”
Skip it: “Affliction”
8. Never Gonna Die (2018)
2018’s “Never Gonna Die,” Pennywise’s most recent LP and singer Jim Lindberg’s second album back with the band after his brief sabbatical truly sounds like a return to form. This most recent batch of new material in the form of fourteen songs truly lives by its album title, as the band aims to stick around post-armageddon. Fuck Armageddon… This is hell. Sorry. If you’re a fan of Pennywise, you know what you’re going to get when you spin a new album, and this one shows that the band won’t give up the fight. We’re still eager for more!
Play it again: “Never Gonna Die”
Skip it: “All The Ways U Can Die”
7. From the Ashes (2003)
Pennywise fans were given seven fresh new albums this century thus far, and this lucky number seven entry known as 2003’s “From the Ashes” is most certainly the band’s second-best release from the past twenty-three years; the four piece’s best from the aughts and beyond is listed below at number six. Still, “From the Ashes” is a catchy and melodic fourteen-song record that may have benefitted from a few song omissions, but we’re also more than fine with the way that it is. What’s your hot take? Don’t answer that.
Play it again: “Yesterdays”
Skip it: “Rise Up”
6. Land of the Free? (2001)
The 2001 Pennywise record “Land of the Free?” also doubles as a rhetorical question and contains one of the band’s most popular and singalong songs “Fuck Authority.” The album is quite a fun listen from start to finish, and we’re definitely not alone in thinking such. Overall, this is without question the band’s best LP to be released this century, and not-so-coincidentally the remaining five listed below are all from the ‘90s, and nothing pre-2001 has been listed here thus far. Our bad. Time marches on.
Play it again: “Fuck Authority”
Skip it: “WTO”
5. Unknown Road (1993)
Fun fact: Two songs on this thirteen-song LP have the word “burn” in it; shut up, Butt-head. Anyway, 1993’s “Unknown Road” is the first album from the ‘90s to be ranked thus far here, and it is a cult favorite amongst Pennywise fans who are either going to either set this city aflame or smile like an idiot regarding this slot placement; it will very likely lead to urban destruction. Our bad. Regardless, the band put it best in the song “Homesick” where Jim sang, “The city used to be such a beautiful place.” Epitaph Records’ ugly-ass compilation known as 1994’s “Punk-O-Rama,” which spawned NINE sequels, features “Dying to Know,” our favorite song from this album, at track five. The monumental green “Punk-O-Rama” likely exposed many to the group and its kindred spirits in the aforementioned “Big Five.” If not, we’re posers and you aren’t. Mazel.
Play it again: “Dying to Know”
Skip it: “Clear Your Mind”
4. Full Circle (1997)
Here’s where we get sad: 1997’s “Full Circle,” Pennywise’s fourth full-length, is the band’s first post-original bassist Jason Thirsk release since his tragic death in 1996. Because of such, the band re-recorded its most played live and likely requested song “Bro Hymn” from the next album to be mentioned here with references to Thirsk’s life as “Bro Hymn Tribute” in an extremely impassioned and touching manner. “Full Circle” is a hard-hitting tribute to a bandmate who sadly never had the chance to hear the band sing his praises. If you have a shit joke to make on the matter, get a life.
Play it again: “Society”
Skip it: “Did You Really?”
3. Self-Titled (1991)
Sorry, bro(s), even though it truly kicks ass in a non-sardonic way, the band’s 1991 self-titled LP is not the band’s best album, and much like your misguided nostalgic thoughts on the also solid “Unknown Road,” your opinion is sadly outdated and dead fucking wrong; we don’t make the rules here. Still, it’s quite badass that Pennywise opened its groundbreaking debut LP with a song called “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” like fellow South Bay punk-as-fuck act The Beach Boys did 25 years earlier on the 1966 classic “Pet Sounds,” and it’s even cooler that the band still regularly performs this song at shows over thirty-plus years later. Basically, “Pennywise” should be required listening to all new fans of the band and we all can agree on that. Right?
Play it again: “Bro Hymn”
Skip it: “Fun and Games”
2. Straight Ahead (1999)
Listing Pennywise’s last album to come out this century in the silver medal spot may shock both casual and hardcore fans of the band, but this overly slept-upon release deserves much, much more public love. The album’s title “Straight Ahead” is literally exactly such in sonic form, and the track “Alien” is one of the best singles in the band’s expansive catalog of catchy-ass songs. “Greed” is a hell of an opening track as well and perfectly leads the listener into seventeen wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am tunes. The band ended the 20th century with style and sans a digital boy just for you! Read below for our favorite PW LP!
Play it again: “Alien”
Skip it: “Need More”
1. About Time (1995)
Epitaph was on a hot run in both ‘94 and ‘95 with (listed chronologically) The Offspring releasing 1994’s smash “Smash,” NOFX coming out of the gates with the oft-revered “Punk in Drublic,” then-former Epitaph act Bad Religion changing the game with “Stranger Than Fiction” and 2/4 of Operation Ivy opening barricades with 1995’s now-classic “…And Out Come The Wolves.” Just before Tim Armstrong became a household name with the latter, the headliners of this article released “About Time,” a concise and rocking collection of unskippable twelve tracks that doesn’t relent till its end. To put it extremely, extremely mildly, “About Time” is the skate punk release and perfectly encapsulates Warped Tour when Vans was in its title. Up the punx!
Play it again: “Peaceful Day”
Skip it: Nah, don’t. Come on, you have thirty-two minutes and seven seconds to spare for this perfect skate punk LP
Want more Pennywise news? Click below
Putting Angela in a Misfits cover band would be musical malpractice. There is no way she would be on board with the “Dead cats hanging from poles” line, and not to mention she’s openly Christian so she would get pretty uptight about all the demon references.
I’m not going to lie, on paper Robert California is a good candidate for this band. He’s charismatic, probably knows a guy that can do merch for cheap, and knows about spooky stuff, but there is one big problem. This isn’t a Graves-era cover band. No replacement players. Keep moving Bobby.
Cathy is one of the most hated characters in the history of the show. I just can’t be associated with her. I’m already on thin ice after I backed my car into my neighbor’s pool and then left without telling anyone. Being seen with Cathy is a death sentence.
Being an elected official already rules you out of being a part of this project. I’m going to need full dedication, I want someone that is willing to quit their job so we can make sure we know “Where Eagles Dare” backward and forward. There is no way a politician would be willing to work that hard for one night of glory.
This man can’t be trusted. He might be a solid worker and a great bandmate, but in the back of my head I’ll keep thinking he’s just using the band to get close to my wife so he can steal her away. Now it’s true that I don’t have a wife, or a girlfriend, and I haven’t felt the touch of a woman in over a decade. But still.
I don’t even know why I hate this guy, but I do. He just looks like the type of guy that would tell me about all the movies that Misfits songs reference. Newsflash buddy, I don’t give a rip. Stay away from me and stay inside on Halloween you creep.
There is no way that someone who names “Legally Blonde” as their favorite movie is going to know anything about the Misfits. Plus, there is no way she’s going to be willing to dye her hair black and wear a devilock.
Rolf is a loose cannon, and that might seem like a decent quality you want in a punk bandmate. But I don’t want to be on stage, in front of tens of people on our big night and have somebody smash me in the head with a stage monitor because I suggest we skip playing “20 Eyes.”
Charles has all the physical attributes I want in a band member, mainly it’s someone who is big and could easily beat the crap out of anyone who makes fun of our tight pants. But Charles is a corporate shill, I want someone willing to quit their job so they can dedicate their life to this important project.
She might be the closest in age to the real-life Misfits and since she lives in Florida she probably has some of the same politics. But I don’t want to have to worry about one of our members breaking a hip mid-set.
Clark is the type of guy that would be like “You play in a Misfits cover band? Yeah, I listened to them when I was 12 then I grew up.” And then he would talk about how underrated Guided by Voices is for the next two hours.
That fucking song. You can see how it happened – some fan of theirs told them “I could listen to that rhythm section all day” and they said “No problem!” Look, if you were forced to spend a day with a rhythm section you want it to be this one – but to single out one song on a Shellac album as unusual is so contradictory you might think we just used it as an easy excuse to put something in last place. The prog-rock “Tomorrowland” cover art doesn’t help either, so we’ll blame that too.
The title track that kicks off Shellac’s most recent full-length is perhaps the trio at their most “normal rock band,” even with the 7/4 time and story about a family of horny gibbons or whatever. Much of the rest is obsessed with surveyors – disgraced Colonial soldier George Washington was a surveyor, the mayor of Chicago is a surveyor, there’s even an instrumental that’s somehow about doing surveys. How likely are you to recommend this album to a friend? Less so with each passing song about surveys.
Now this is cover art! Uffizi, the eponymous superb pooch, looks pleased as punch to be posed amongst prop produce on the album’s cover. Like the cutie-pie canine, Shellac can seem a bit chilled out on this record – “Kittypants” is the loveliest goddamn thing – but you’re not safe yet. Some of this fruit and veg has gone off, and it won’t be long until this stellar pupperino gets tired of sitting around and leaves us to sit alone with the rot. Guest appearances include Strong Bad, so the album is a little dated.
To refer to “At Action Park” as a seminal noise record is a little tired at this point, and there are far too many mentions of cum in Shellac’s lyrics to be comfortable referring to anything in this piece as “seminal.” This band emerged from the womb fully formed presenting a song-as-concept approach to guitar rock; one that flips off and makes perverse any attempts to add concepts to the established song structure. You absolutely cannot fake this.
Imagine releasing an album in 2023 and starting it off with a guest vocal from Taylor Swift. That’s almost at the level of starting your 2000 album with the crooning tones of Philip Baker “Jimmy Gator” Hall, and that move alone gets “1000 Hurts” the top spot. Deadly songs about JFK, squirrels, shoes and watches work as hard as they can to ensure the victory. The drums are Jovian and the bass is dirtier than a shit farmer’s boots. The steelwork guitar slashes constantly at your throat – never more than when mourning a recently departed mother. Perfect.
Isis popped out this debut before they really found their own sound; that special noise that makes you think you’re walking on Mars, traversing through the jungle, or traversing through a jungle on Mars. Although this comes across more as a mid-tier homage to Neurosis rather than the four masterpieces that follow, there is plenty of substance to hold your attention. From the opening riff of “Deconstructing Towers,” you instantly feel as if you want to join a demolition crew and start swinging a sledgehammer into random buildings. This song will get your blood pumping and make you headbutt a cactus. The biggest problem with this record is that it isn’t “Panopticon,” “In the Absence of Truth,” or “Oceanic.”
This effort stepped away significantly from their past gritty entries and instead leaned on a slick and smooth performance instead. As they shied away from early Cult of Luna territory and leaned more into Explosions in the Sky country here, the quality didn’t suffer. Aaron Harris’ drumming is absolutely hypnotic to the point where you will feel as if you are in a trance for the majority of the hour then you come out of it realizing you robbed a liquor store, but just for the beef jerky so it’s not that bad. Anyway, it’s Harris’ best performance as he steals the show for sure, along with the ethereal, electronic soundscapes. This is a shiny re-birth for Isis; perhaps it’s the only set of melodies you can listen to comfortably in business casual clothes.
I can confidently say this is their breakthrough album. It’s everything “Celestial” wanted to be, and bassist Jeff Caxide’s booming sound repeatedly wears out his strings to make that abundantly clear. Rarely does an album bookend itself with the best tracks, but Isis manages to do that here. It knocks you on your ass from the first second and keeps you there until the last one. This 9-song collection could easily go second, or even first. Hell, it would be the best album for a lot of groups out there. But honestly, what choice do I have considering their next two productions?
What would a good album ranking do without causing a little controversy? While every Isis fan will probably eviscerate me for putting this album above “Oceanic,” I think it is justified. They took the best from their previous work and weaved them seamlessly together here, where the clean textures of “In the Absence of Truth” complement the powerful chugs from “Oceanic.” Together, every one constructed a perfect swan song; they definitely went out on top. When the last song, and thus their musical career, ends, you want nothing more than Aaron Turner to wrap you in a blanket cocoon and rock you gently back and forth while the two of you sway together in a rocking chair.
Come on. Was there any other choice here? Well, yes, actually. Every Isis album except for “Celestial” has a case for being at the top. In fact, they definitely all have been my favorite album at some point. Still, I consider this to be their magnum opus. If you listen to one post-metal album in your entire life, make it this one. Aaron Turner’s throaty gusts immediately set the tone from “So Did We” to “Grinning Mouths.” Even when you can’t understand his lyrics, you can tell that Isis means business here. This stroke of perfection has something for every Isis fan. If you don’t agree, there is definitely something wrong with you.