One of the greatest punk albums ever: A deep dive into The Distillers' 'Coral Fang'

My idea of a "perfect" punk record

It's been the season of punk rock for me. Maybe because I recently stumbled upon my current fixation, Bad Nerves (interview out soon on the pod!), or the fact that the genre is definitely one of my musical inspirations.

I’m lucky enough to play with Courtney Love as her drummer from time to time, and trust me, scene credibility is as important as anything else. About nine years ago when we played in Anaheim, I got to meet the one and only Brody Dalle when she came to one of our gigs. The Distillers music has always resonated with me as a harder, faster, and punkier Hole, but at the time I guess I hadn't really explored it, and wish I had more.

I’ve been asking recent podcast guests like Maynard James Keenan, Bad Nerves, and Jerry Cantrell about their “perfect album.” You can find more on our TikTok playlist, too, if you’re interested.

But one album that I’ll always talk about, aside from Jellyfish's Spilt Milk, is The Distillers Coral Fang, which is my perfect punk rock album.

I love punk, but I’m probably one of those fans who are in the category of melodic or pop punk, hence my recent Bad Nerves obsession. I guess my love of this genre stems back to bands like The Clash, The Ramones, and The Sex Pistols, who have songs that stand the test of time.

People sometimes forget the Pistols only made one record. One record! 50 years later, we are still talking about them as the biggest influence on this genre.

But I personally need songs that get me going. Power and speed and intensity are all a plus, but every band I love in this genre, Turnstile for example, have songs you can hum and sing, and The Distillers are at the top of their game here.

Franz Lyon (L) and Brendan Yates from the band Turnstile perform on stage at the Slottsfjell festival on July 14, 2022 in Tonsberg, Norway. (Photo by Per Ole Hagen/Redferns)

I connect just as much with the band’s earlier albums too, but the sheer power, playing, songs, precision, and more make Coral Fangs one of my favorite albums of all time. From the opening chords of “Drain the Blood” — Brody is in full form, the band is tight, and the songs are immaculate.

“Dismantle Me” is sheer power and the drumming is on point. Not sure if people know just how hard it is to play this music with tasteful, speedy fills, but this song is a prime example of this.

“Die on a Rope” gives us that up front gang vocal sound that we didn’t know we needed but we do chorus from the get go. It’s raw, it’s dirty, and it’s a banger.

“The Gallow is God” treads into, dare I say, almost a pop chorus, with a Nirvana-esque groove. Another great song, no filler here.

“Coral Fang” the namesake title of this song and album, is sheer power, punk pop. Another super solid track, and one that I’m sure hits hard live.

The Distillers perform at the Cotton Club in Atlanta, September 14, 2003. (Photo by Frank Mullen/WireImage)

With “The Hunger,” we even have Brody doing her best power ballad for this genre. Talk about underrated singers. I never thought Brody got enough credit for being a pioneer in this genre, while I like her solo work and Spinnerette, I think The Distillers were best suited for her growl, scream, and overall intensity. “The Hunger” is a song that will stick in your head for ages.

This brings me to one of my favorite tracks on the record “Hall of Mirrors.” This is a great example of great playing, a super memorable chorus and great song and everyone is full speed ahead with vigor and passion. If you only listen to one song on this record, maybe give this one a go, love it.

“Beat Your Heart Out” — Can you name a catchier punk song? I find myself walking down the street and singing this song most days. Can you name ten other punk songs you can do that with? Excluding bands like The Ramones and The Clash, of course.

“Love is Paranoid” another banger, I tend to focus more on the earlier tracks on most albums but this is as good as anything on “Side 1” if you’re like me and obsessed with vinyl. Although I’ve never been able to find this on vinyl, must be because it’s so good!

“For Tonight You’re Only Here To Know” Such a great almost closer to a perfect album. Again, Brody and the bands songwriting shines through, you can hear the Nirvana influence but it’s their own and whatever they are influenced by, they have taken it and made it their own thing.

“Deathsex” closes out the album. A real hardcore purist would love this track. I haven’t spent a ton of time with it, but it definitely must hit hard live.

Pick up this near-perfect album! Celebrate how great the Distillers are. Even though they just canceled their When We Were Young appearance, hopefully there are more gigs to come. Check out any appearance from this era on YouTube and tell me I’m wrong.

Let us know what you think.

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