them as "just Led Zeppelin with a pierced nose and short hair." Ness made an exception for grunge band Nirvana, saying he "believed them". Social Distortion wanted to go back to its late 1970s and early 1980s punk rock roots with White Light, White Heat, White Trash. Ness said "I don't want this to be just another Social D record. I want it to be the Social D record." Ness said: "The last thing I wanted to write was a cute alternative record," he says. "This album is about going back to the genuine emotion and rock basics that fueled the first wave of punk." Social Distortion's 1983 debut studio album Mommy's Little Monster was inspired by bands like the Ramones, the Rolling Stones, and X. Ness considered White Light, White Heat, White Trash to be a "regression back to" Mommy's Little Monster and believes the album shows Social Distortion going back to the band's roots, but still considers the album an evolution because Ness "had to dig really deep", citing songs like "I Was Wrong" and "When the Angels Sing" as examples of this. He says those two songs "deal with sin and redemption, inner conflict, good and bad." Musical style and lyrical themes Musical style White Light, White Heat, White Trash shows the band taking a break from the rock and roll and country-inspired style of previous Social Distortion albums by instead featuring a pure punk rock style. In Music We Trust described both the album and Social Distortion's music as a whole as street punk. Describing White Light, White Heat, White Trash as "heavy hard rock", Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that Social Distortion "made a conscious attempt to cash in on the alternative 'revolution' of the early '90s." Nonetheless, Dan McGarry of The Yale Herald wrote: "If Ness wanted this record to demonstrate that unique quality that puts Social Distortion above and beyond current "alternative" music, he has succeeded." Marci Von Savoy of The Daily Universe wrote: "The album is reminiscent of the primary punk bands influences: The Ramones, The Clash and the late '70s and early '80s punk sound. The album veers far from the alternative trend, which seems to sneak its way into newer punk rock." iTunes described White Light, White Heat, White Trash musical style as a musical style resembling hardcore punk and classic punk rock, writing that "Social Distortion returned to