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Stop being so closed-minded

tunafish | San Diego, CA USA | 03/16/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Its a shame that people are so set in the notion that a band should continue to produce the same sound with each release. This season marks a definite change, but it is a change for the better, especially after Battle Hymns, which didn't take a single risk and was as boring as an Amazon.com listener review. Don't compare it to Blink; this is a unique cd which varies itself with each track so it never gets boring."

It's actually quite good.

skinflint | 04/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i don't know why everyone's trashing this album. i've followed the suicide machines since Destruction by Definition, so when this came out, i already knew exactly what kind of sound they had. i was very happy with the sound of their first two albums and this album didn't let me down at all. i was actually very impressed. to me, what this third album did was say, "hey, we've proven that we can play this fast punk stuff. it's been done. now let us show you how much ELSE we're capable of." they really spread their wings on this, keeping the same suicide machines foundation but expanding it tremendously.



the first song is one of my favorites by them, it's just a great solid tune. it pretty much doesn't let down from there. it's a whole album of incredibly talented musicianship and songwriting, ending in one of the best and most unlikely covers ever.



i still don't see how people can hear this album and not love it. i think it's probably one of the single greatest albums i've ever heard. if nothing else, you have to appreciate the skill. people that cry "sellout" are mindless anyway, what do they know?"

Diversity 101.

J. T. Nite | Mesa, AZ USA | 02/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Suicide Machines have historically been known for pounding, screaming punk rock, a respectable genre well worth exploring. But on their new album, they go for something *gasp* different.There's always talk of "selling out" when bands explore a different sound. REM "sold out" with Monster, Metallica with Load, etc. The term implies that the group is alienating their old fans in a bid for commercial success. The accusation rarely holds water -- what did Metallica have to prove after the black album, or REM after Automatic for the People? They already HAD commercial success -- and all the wailing about Suicide Machines is no exception.This is a daring exploration in different and more complex musical genres, not a sell-out. The Machines try everything from an Irish-influenced 6/8 drinking song (oh, that's *obviously* a bid for commercial success) to a little Blink 182-style pop to a wailing cover of a Country and Western song. The results -- the bravado pays off, and you get a very listenable disk that sounds like three or four different bands were involved. Artists as diverse as Tom Waits, They Might Be Giants, and Chuck E. Weiss take this eclectic approach to making an album, and the results are always intriguing. Looking for a more complex sound, or simply a different sound, is not a sign of weakness in a band -- generally, it's a sign of boredom, and generally it results in a new shot of energy. If the *only* type of music you like in the world is screaming, pure punk, then you won't like this album. But if that's your deal, you should probably try to expand your horizons and check it out anyway."