21 Best Punk Albums Of The 21st Century

Music is unfair. No matter how you dress it up or how opaque your rose tinted glasses are, this is an objective fact which cannot be avoided. It is also a point proven beyond contention by the fact Max Raptor are not hailed as one of 21st century punk's greatest triumphs.

Forming in 2006 and picking up business in 2009, the Burton-on-Trent based four-piece enjoyed a great run of form from the late 2000s onwards. Their first taste of large scale exposure came after they supported Billy Talent for a handful of UK dates in 2009, before being chosen to support punk legends The Stranglers the following year. Off the back this newfound momentum, Max Raptor released their debut album, 'Portraits', in 2011.

This heavily underrated album was founded on ideals of power, conviction, political motivation and a sheer willingness to bring as much punk rock energy as possible. Thunderous renditions from songs such as 'Carolina', 'The King is Dead' and 'Obey the Whips' all elevate this album to an immeasurable level. Although this album had no logical reason to be ignored, the band struggled to gain a foothold on the British scene, even after the release of two further albums, 'Mother's Ruin' (2013) and 'Max Raptor' (2016).

Although Max Raptor haven't formally disbanded, they have not released any new music since 2016 and have not posted on social media since 2018, meaning the likelihood of a return from Britain's most overlooked punks is gradually becoming slimmer. Unfortunately, Max Raptor appear to be another tragic tale of what could have been for British punk.