SUICIDE MACHINES
Jason Navarro - vocalsDan Lukacinsky - guitar
Royce Nunley - bass
Ryan Vandeberghe - drums
Since 1990 and Out of Detroit-rock-city this four piece band has
amazed crowds of people from all over the world with their
original style that blends Ska, punk, rock, hardcore, reggae,
and even pop rhythms.
With their first lp release: destruction by definition
(1996,Hollywood Records), they showed the underground scene what
they really had to give to it, and that they have the stuff to
make it through, and after 5 years they are still making some
huge impressions
Listening to their fourth release Steal This Record
(2001,Hollywood records), you can hear that SM are back to the
original sound and style that made them so unique at the jump-
start of their careers, and that after having so much
alternative sound (mostly pop-oriented rock) that did not
generate that much excitement between listeners of their second
and third album (Battle hymns-1998,Suicide machines-2000), SM
now has the wisdom and experience to give the audience what they
are looking for.
"We always try to make something different than we did the last
time," explains bassist Royce Nunley.
Variation and alternativeness is what has characterized this
band from the start, so Steal This Record is indeed like no
other Suicide Machine album before it. There's plenty of big,
thumb-nosing old-school punk such as 'The Killing
Blow,' 'Scars,' the autobiographical 'Honor Among Thieves' and
the title track, as well as thrash attacks in 'Off the Cuff'
and 'All My People.' 'Bleeding Heart' is a hard rocking, arena-
sized anthem, while 'The Air We Breathe' incorporates sound
effects and loops to put an additional glint on the already edgy
arrangement. 'Stand Up' takes a reggae route, and the likes
of 'Stay' and 'Middle Way' affirm The Suicide Machines' melodic
sensibilities. Then there's the Cover of the R.E.M.
classic 'It's The End Of The World As We Know It,' which, in The
Suicide Machines' capable hands, certainly feels fine.
Steal This Record was recorded during a five-week period during
March and April with producer Julian Raymond, who helmed The
Suicide Machines' three previous albums, at A and M Studios in
Hollywood. More than anything, the band feels that the brand new
14-track collection is the best-yet representation of The
Suicide Machines sound, taking its pummeling, guitar-driven fury
to yet another level of accomplishment.
Relating to their history the Suicide Machines smile quite a
bit -- especially when the four band members offer their
perspective on the past 10 years. It's been a heady decade of
critical acclaim and artistic credibility, not to mention some
of the most consistently awe-inspiring live shows (theyve
toured with Less than Jake, No Doubt, Rancid, Suicidal
Tendencies and the Descendents, just to name a few) to visit
clubs, theaters and Vans Warped Tour venues around the planet.
When the group declares that 'We can make a difference,' it's
not just empty rhetoric, and when Navarro assures us that "I
wouldn't change a thing," he's speaking on behalf of the entire band.
"It's a labor of love, man," says Lukacinsky. "We can make a
living off of doing it -- sometimes just barely, but it's what
we want to do, what we HAVE to do, in our lives. You can never
rely on selling a lot of records, even in our position; the only
thing we can do is make the best possible record we can for this
band and for our fans. That's all that matters in the end."
Luis Carlos