Destruction by Definition

Suicide Machines

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 1996)
• Original Release Date: May 21, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hollywood Records
• ASIN: B000000OFD
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #74,551 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Though the Suicide Machines are far more punk (and pop) than ska, they nonetheless manage to fit in some infectious ska rhythms. They're a Detroit quartet with piercings in all the right places (pretty much all over their faces), big baggy clothes, and a knack for writing fun-filled, power-packed ditties. They're also a hell of a lot of fun. At a Seattle gig (at Eckstein Middle School, of all places), they invited about half the crowd to join them on stage and performed the entire gig surrounded by (mostly) teenage boys skanking up a storm. Truly a spectacle to behold. Their debut record on the Hollywood label has much of that same wackiness. The songs are totally adrenalized, manic spasms of poppy punk, jazzed up with some deliriously danceable ska. The best line of the entire album comes in the fashion-tip-laden "The Vans Song", which advises, "Worship Jeff Spicoli, not Chris Cornell." Get the picture? --Adem Tepedelen

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TSM's first and best., June 15, 2006

By	Brent M. "Melon" (south-eastern Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

Let me begin by saying that The Suicide Machines were my favorite band, even though they broke up not too long ago. This, however, is not the album that turned me on to these guys. But it sure is one hell of a CD. Out of its 16 songs, I enjoy all of them thoroughly, because they are all different. Of course, this CD may just all be about teenagers having fun early in their career, but The Suicide Machines make great music out of it, not to mention the organ thrown in. I often try to highlight my favorites of the disc at hand, but this is another one of those cases where it would just be too difficult, every track is killer! Regardless of its genre, this is just music at its finest. So go out and get it, pop it in your stereo, and please your ears with the fun party of an album that it is. Thank you for your time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When all else fails, go back to the beginning of the timeline, October 15, 2005

By	Nick Colosi "Nick" (Chesterland, OH, USA) - See all my reviews

Okay, so all else isn't really 'failing,' because "War Profiteering is Killing Us All" and "A Match and Some Gasoline" were both amazing albums, but as I have read so many reviews of this CD and all the fans of the Suicide Machines think that this is like... lightyears better than the new stuff, I had to pick it up and officially make myself 'a Suicide Machines fan.' So I did. And they weren't lying. This CD is mind blowing, high speed, amazingly catchy, punk music with a twist of ska that'll leave you wanting more. Now I have to admit, this took a little while to grow on me, one of the many reasons I don't review CDs immediately after I get them... (If you see my review of Sum 41's "Chuck" you'll see the mistake of doing that) Once the CD became familiar though, you simply can't get enough of it. It's simply the mass amounts of energy these guys have (or used to have) that makes the CD unforgetable, and also, it doesn't sound like every other band that you see on MTV every day. Jay has one of the greatest voices that I've ever heard, and seeing as this is before the hardcore screaming Suicide Machines emerged, it sounds even better.

Highlights: Everything pretty much goes in this part. The CD just makes you wanna get up and jump around, not caring that the whole croud of people around you are gaping stupidly at you thinking that you're some kind of idiot. All 16 tracks deliver a non-stop, upbeat, music experience that you'll be listening to for years, despite the fact that this CD is almost 10 years old. The horns in "Hey!" and "Vans Song" give the album a creative feel that let you know this is a band that will take anything and make it sound good. Other than that, it's just downright amazing punk music. "Break the Glass" is possibly the catchiest song on this planet to date, and "Too Much" and "Inside/Outside" are two of the more stand-out tracks. The bass in "No Face" is also very memoriable.

Lowlights: Not much you can say bad about this CD, maybe just the fact that there will never be abother one, but that would just make this less of a classic.

In the end, I say buy it if you like any of the following things
-Punk
-Ska
-Catchy music
-Music that experiments with different sounds
-Fast pace, in-your-face vocals
-Music that would make MTV throw up
-GOOD MUSIC!

Hehe, a little redundant, just shut up and go buy the CD!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahhhh...The Good Old Days, June 6, 2000

By	Paul H. "rmj84" (USA) - See all my reviews

Before the Suicide Machines morphed into a less-than-stellar modern rock band, there were their days as one of the best ska/punk bands since maybe Operation Ivy. While the Machines never reach the level of punk bands such as The Clash, Op Ivy, etc. on Destruction By Definition, they still manage to pull off a great album. From the short and frantic ska number "No Face" to the hardcore "Our Time" to the hyperactive "Hey", Destruction... never reaches a low point. It's too bad they sound so generic now; they had so much potential. If you want an excellent ska/punk CD, you might want to pick this up.