Search - Suicidal Tendencies :: Suicidal Tendencies

Suicidal failure....

Noctem | PRK | 12/01/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ah, Suicidal Tendencies 1983 debut. Aggressive, catchy, with just a hint of Metal, the album's standout element has got to be the fact that after twenty years, it still sounds fresh. Amazing. And they will never sound this good again. Unfortunately, this is really Suicidal Tendencies only good album. Everything that followed was (and still is) utterly generic Thrash Metal (Muir even changing his vocal style). Although the old-school classic, Institutionalized, is here, every track is great. Now in 1993, ST re-recorded this album. Avoid it. They tried to out-do something that could not be out-done. If this debut had not been so popular, if it had not been so influential, then re-recording it might be understandable. Instead, they sounded like some slick Metal band simply covering a classic album, totally lacking the desperation and anger of the original. But I digress. So if you've just jumped into Punk, do yourself a favor and pick up this truly awesome old-school classic."

For the record . . . . . . .

st fan | los angeles, ca | 02/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This record was their first and as far as i'm concerned. . . . their best. The amazon review is incorrect regarding who played guitar on it though. Nothing agains rocky or mike but Grant Estes played ALL guitars on that record. Those other guys did the remake and it's not even close. Don't waste your money. the original kicks azz and was the total precursor to sooooo many bands today it's not even funny. Mike's insane lyrics spoke to a generation trying to find itself and Grant's guitar work was groundbreaking for that genre of music. NOBODY had solos in punk at that time. This record was ahead of it's time and still holds up today. check it out, you'll play the siht out of it like i do."

Classic old-school punk/thrash

st fan | 11/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Suicidal's first album (released in 1983, the same year as Metallica's "Kill 'Em All"), and as one listens, one can hear why, 22 years later, Suicidal Tendencies is still respected as one of the best crossover bands that grew out of the incredible union of punk and thrash in the 1980's. On this album, Suicidal exhibits more punk attitude than metal, but the addition of phenomenal solos to scorching punk tunes like "Two-Sided Politics" makes for a highly entertaining album. Mike Muir's vocals can be a bit repetitive at times, but one would be hard pressed to find a more energetic and cathartic singer. One of this album's best features is its production; it was engineered by Randy Burns, notable for his work with Megadeth on 1986's "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" album, and the overall sound is raw, abrasive, and punk-like while retaining a clarity beyond comparable bands at the time. This combination of low-fi DIY spirit and musical clarity allows all of the punk attitude to be dominant while letting all of the instruments have an equal share of the spotlight, none overpowering any other within the mix.



The best songs are "Suicide's An Alternative/You'll Be Sorry," "Two-Sided Politics," "I Shot the Devil," "Won't Fall In Love Today," "Institutionalized" (a true classic), "Memories of Tomorrow," "Fascist Pig," and "I Want More." Really, the only bad song is the last, as it seems to have been included on the album as filler. Also, the song "Subliminal," which addresses the subject of subliminal messages on television, contains funny and odd sound clips that continue underneath the instruments throughout the song.



Overall, an excellent and influential album."