Destruction by Definition - Suicide Machines (The) (CD 1996)

I ve heard all three albums by the Suicide Machines and Destruction by Definition is by far their best work. Isn t it weird how band s first albums are usually their best? It s probably because they have more time to work on their debut than their other albums.

Tony Hawk Made Me Buy This (not really)

Well, Tony Hawk the skateboarder didn t actually force my to buy this CD, his Playstation game got me into the Suicide Machines. I heard their song New Girl hundreds of times because I would play Tony Hawk s Pro Skater endlessly and their was only a 10 song rotation, so every ten runs I d hear their song. I really enjoyed the Suicide Machines song but at the time I didn t know what the song was called or who it was by so I checked the music credits in the game manual and I found that the song was by the Suicide Machines. Later that week I borrowed Destruction by Definition from a punk kid at my school. I listened to it a few times and I was hooked. This is the 3rd album I bought because of a video game. Putting music in a video game is a good way to get your bands music out to the people.

Ska-Punk without the horns

The Suicide Machines play punk with a little ska mixed in. The ska is usually upstrokes during the verse and the occasional ska style organ. The punk they play is fast and upbeat. The lead singer does a lot of yelling in the vocals. His style of signing is more of a high energy punk yell than a metal growl. Although this record is very good it can t match the energy of the Suicide Machines live. They Suicide Machines play with so much energy A Suicide Machines show is the only place you ll see people going crazy skanking and moshing at the same time, well you might see that at a Voodoo Glow Skulls show. I guess a band they sound like is Operation Ivy, or a faster version of Less Than Jake without horns. I compare them to Op Ivy because they are both ska-punk bands without horns and their singers both have the same style of singing. The lyrics on this album are fairly solid. There s nothing spectacular for lyrics, but there isn t anything dumb.

The Songs

1. New Girl - Great (This is the song from Tony Hawk s Pro Skater. Anyone that has the Playstation game has probably heard this.)
2. SOS - Great
3. Break the Glass - Great
4. No Face - Great
5. Hey Ska - Great
6. Our Time - Good
7. Too Much - Good
8. Islands - Good
9. The Real You - Good
10. Face Values - Great (There are some good lyrics on this one.)
11. Punk Out - Good
12. Vans Song - Great (Did Vans pay them to make this song? It sounds like a Vans add to me.)
13. Insecurities - Good
14. Inside Outside - Good
15. Zero - Good
16. So Long - Good
Bonus Track - I Don t Wanna Hear It - Great

Stand Out Tracks

There are at least 5 songs that deserve to be here, but I m only going to put three.

New Girl - It s the song that influenced me to buy this record. Even after hearing it so many times, I still love it. It s a fast punk rock song with a killer hook.

Break The Glass - The whole band sings along during the chorus on this one. I usually find myself yelling I break the glass, I m breaking down along with the song. Sometimes I make a fool out of myself at school when I have my headphones on. This was probably the best song that the Suicide Machines played live because everyone was singing along with the chorus. This is one of those songs that ll make you sing even if you sound awful.

Hey Ska - This is the only song on the album that has horns in it. It s also the heaviest song on the album. It starts out like a metal song with horns blaring and then it kicks into an upbeat ska-punk song.

The Suicide Machines Are

Jason Navarro - lead vocals
Dan Lukacinsky - lead guitar, back-up vocals
Royce Nunley - bass, back-up vocals
Ryan Vandeberghe - drums

Similar Artists : Operation Ivy, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, Buck O Nine, and the Hippos

Nick s Final Thought

I had trouble deciding if I should give this album a 5. Is it a great album? Or just a pretty good one? I finally decided on giving it a 4. When I give an album a 5 I want it to really deserve it. An album has to be awesome to get a 5. It s not a perfect album, but it s definitely worth buying if you re into Ska-Punk. The first 5 songs all kick major butt. Then the album kind of trails off, but even the Suicide Machines B game is better than a lot of bands A game. So go pick this one up if your into ska-punk. If you really like this one get Battle Hymns too.