Social Distortion
“Born to Kill”
Release Date: February 26, 2026
Born to Kill (Epitaph Records)
Release Date: May 8, 2026
By Scott Deckman
While listening to the band’s kick-ass 1992 release, Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell, in my car one day, driving on either I-95 or the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, a musician friend sitting beside me said something along the lines of, “You gotta have balls to play that kinda music.” He was being both facetious and honest, and Social Distortion’s latest, “Born to Kill,” aims for that distinction. Does it get there? I don’t know. Too early to tell. Maybe it’s even the wrong time to tell, it being 2026. But yeah, it’s plenty ballsy and seems like classic Social D. Rocking, upbeat tempo, Mike Ness’s Les Paul and battered baritone belting out a middle finger of a rock anthem. He’s the only original member left. Video’s pretty cool, too. And who doesn’t love leopards? Look for the full-length of the same name in May.
