By 1997, Tiger Army dealt with departing bandmates as well as scoring recognition from Rancid's Tim Armstrong. Singer/songwriter and guitarist Nick 13 was the only member left in Tiger Army yet still formed a union with Armstrong's Hellcat Records. Two years later, Nick, AFI drummer Adam Carson, and Quakes bassist Rob Peltier headed into the studio to begin recording Tiger Army's self-titled debut, which was issued in December 1999. By year's end, Geoff Kresge was added to play standup bass. Tiger Army was finally becoming a band, and in 2001, they issued Tiger Army II: Power of Moonlite. Later that year, SoCal local Fred Hell joined on drums and Tiger Army hit the road in support of their sophomore effort as an official rock group. They shared dates with Dropkick Murphys, Reverend Horton Heat, and the Damned, as well as Hellcat's first Punks vs. Psychos tour; a spot on Warped followed into 2002. As the band prepared for the recording of their third album in spring 2003, Hell was shot four times during a botched break-in at a friend's apartment. He survived wounds to the back, chest, and head but was unable to physically play in the studio. Drum tech Mike Fasano temporarily stepped in for him while Hell remained present throughout the studio sessions. He made a triumphant return, as did Tiger Army, in mid-2003 for a short summer tour with Rancid. The psychobilly-powered Tiger Army III: Ghost Tigers Rise followed in June 2004. Kresge left the band after they had finished another Warped tour; he was replaced by former Cosmic Voodoo and Calavera member Jeff Roffredo. Drummer James Meza was added to the lineup before Tiger Army embarked on another tour, this time supporting legends Social Distortion. They spent part of 2005 touring Europe and Australia before coming home and headlining their own tour of the U.S. In 2006, they began recording sessions with veteran producer Jerry Finn and the result, 2007's Music from Regions Beyond, proved to be the most diverse and commercial-sounding album of their career. The band went on to promote the record with a tour spanning almost two years, and marked the return of Kresge to the lineup. The year culminated in Octoberflame, a festival that the group launched in Southern California in 2008. The following year, Nick 13 launched a solo career. He released his debut self-titled solo album in 2011 via Sugar Hill Records, heralding a slight decline of activity in the Tiger Army camp. The ensemble, however, returned in 2016 with their fifth studio release, V. ~ MacKenzie Wilson