Back in the saddle Mike Ness rides into town on Social Distortion BY SEAN RICHARDSON

Social Distortion frontman Mike Ness has made a career of overcoming hardship. After conquering drug addiction in the mid 1980s, he became one of the few punks to enjoy major-label success in the pre-Nirvana era. By 2000, he had two gold albums under his belt, but tragedy struck that same year when his rhythm-guitarist, Dennis Danell, died of an apparent brain aneurysm at age 38. Ness was heartbroken but unwilling to throw in the towel. He and bassist John Maurer replaced Danell with his roadie, Jonny Wickersham, and also recruited new drummer Charlie Quintana. That’s the line-up behind the current Sex, Love and Rock ’n’ Roll (Time Bomb), the band’s first CD of new material in eight years.

On their current tour, which this weekend makes two stops in New England, the group are welcoming another new face into the fold. Maurer left the band following the completion of the new disc, so Ness recruited Rancid bassist Matt Freeman to take his place. As if that weren’t enough to make Social D fans happy, the band also have two new DVDs out on Time Bomb: their first-ever concert video, Live in Orange County, and a re-release of the classic 1980s tour documentary, Another State of Mind.

Social D have long been one of the most radio-friendly outfits in punk, even landing two songs ("I Was Wrong" and "Bad Luck") in the Top 10. So though the band no longer have Sony marketing money behind them, it’s no surprise that rock radio is picking up on their current single, "Reach for the Sky." Like all of their best work, it’s raw yet well-crafted. "Reach for the sky, ’cause tomorrow may never come," howls Ness, with no shortage of oohs and aahs behind him. Love replaces drugs not only in the album title but also in this song — "And I thank the Lord for the love that I have found/And hold you tight ’cause tomorrow may never come" — and in many others here.

Ness produced Sex, Love and Rock ’n’ Roll with Cameron Webb, who also worked on the current Motörhead album. Now 42, the frontman plays up his pop instincts without getting too mellow. Kicking off with "Reach for the Sky," the disc is front-loaded with top-shelf Social D anthems. "I’m your worn in leather jacket/I’m the volume in your fucked-up teenage band," Ness sings on "Don’t Take Me for Granted," which was written right after Danell’s death. The track’s tear-stained memories come fast and furious, and the chorus is one of the prettiest on the album. On "Highway 101," he goes for a spin along California’s Central Coast and quotes his own "Sick Boys." The lyrics paint an idyllic picture of hot-rod romance: "Listen to the boulevard, listen to the falling rain/I believe in love now, with all of its joys and pains."

Ness’s California dream carries over to the album cover, a still-life photo of his Gibson guitar surrounded by flowers and emblazoned with the words "Orange County." It’s a reminder that before "OC" signified Fox television dramas and the emo kids who love Social D, it stood for a grittier kind of teenage angst. Redemption may be the main theme here, but it just wouldn’t be a Social D release without a few references to Ness’s hardscrabble youth. "Everybody wants a lover/Nobody wants to uncover/What may lay deep beneath a sometimes painful past," he observes on the soul-searching "Footprints on My Ceiling." On the semi-acoustic lament "Winners and Losers," he sings of the ongoing struggle between good and evil: "Which one will I be today?"

Given that Ness has written the bulk of the Social D catalogue by himself, it’s interesting to note that Wickersham helped pen three songs on Sex, Love and Rock ’n’ Roll. The thrashy "Nickels and Dimes" is a mischievous sing-along: "I’m the pimp who’s lost his cool, yeah baby/I’ve got first-class taste in a second-class town." On the other side of the coin, there’s the closing "Angel’s Wings," the album’s most compelling ballad. "And now my biggest challenge, a thing called love/I guess I’m not as tough as I thought I was," Ness sings on the upbeat coda. Yeah, the punk bad boy has softened up a bit, but his music still cuts deep.

Social Distortion perform this Friday, October 22, at Avalon, 15 Lansdowne Street in Boston; call (617) 262-2424. The following night, October 23, they’re at Lupo’s at the Strand, 79 Washington Street in Providence; call (401) 272-5876.