Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves complete discography review (work in progress)

Suicidal Tendencies

Suicidal Tendencies ( 1983)

Genre: Hardcore Punk

I was really surprised when I finally got around to listing this album, it's a straight up Hardcore Punk production, very different from their latter work that has strong metal influences and funk at moments. Mike Muir lyrics are dark, morbid, ironic, political and he's a smart ass in general, they are really good and funny to listen sadly he doesn't maintain this quality on the rest of ST's albums. Grant Estes guitars are just thrashing through the songs, the bass and drum played by Louiche Mayorga and Amery Smith  respectively are just vehicle for the bands jarring speed and time shifts. Now this  album  sound still holds up over the years and it's a Hardcore milestone. this production  is  a great way to get into the genre because it's really accessible compare to over hardcore albums.

Overall: 58.3

Suicidal Tendencies

Join the Army (1987)

Genre: Crossover Thrash, Hardcore Punk

ST moves away from its Hardcore Punk roots and they go for a Thrash and Heavy Metal influenced album, note punk is still present, its pretty good but not brilliant like the previous album, it's really straight forward. Two new members in the band R.J. Herrera on the drums and Rocky George on the guitar, and I must note his playing has more shredding and 80's style tricks. Track list is solid, but the real high point of the production is when the classic "War Inside My Head" blasting out of your speaker.

Overall: 48 

Suicidel Tendencies

How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, When I Can't Smile Today (1988)

Genre: Thrash Metal

This album is a progression from the previous production, but it's completely Thrash and much more focused. The bands lineup is the same but they have added a second guitar player, Mike Clark, so you get some dueling guitars at moments and fantastic solos. Also just like Join the Army, it's a solid album in general but nothing groundbreaking.

Overall: 50.4

Suicidal Tendencies 

 

Lights...Camera...Revolution!(1990)

Genre: Thrash Metal, Funk Metal

Here we have a band consolidating there Thrash sound but at the same time experimenting with funk metal, with a Bad Brains styled funk metal  "Lovely" and the incredibly political and provocative "Send me Your Money" that is a real breath of fresh air sounding totally there own thing ST hasn't done something this good since "Institution". ST has always shifted in styles this album starts to show the band starting to do their own thing, slowly meshing styles. The bass is louder in the mix in this album and this is in part to the addition of bass god Robert Trujillo in the band.

Overall: 53.3

 

 

Infectious Grooves 

The Plague that Makes Your Booty Move... It's the Infectious Grooves (1991)

Genre: Funk Metal, Punk Funk

Here we have Mike Muir's side project with legendary bass player Robert Trujillo, Infectious Groove which is a straight up funk metal band. We find Mike being more light hearted on this project and we have the treat of Ozzy Osborne on one of the tracks. Trujjillo's bass lines are just incredible he slaps like a god and funky bass lines a magnificent, as a base player I admire his digitation and timing playing he's like Flea on anabolics. On guitar we have a series of Suicidal Tendencies player from past and present like Rocky George, Dean Pleasants and Adam Siegel, plus David Kushner future member of Velvet Revolver. On Drums we have Jane's Addiction's  Stephan Perkin just killing it on the drums adding his tradition percussions on the tracks,  very organic and relaxed but is able to pull off the hardcore punk explosions when they come around.

The album sounds very 80's in a good way with the use of keyboards here and there, give it a Fisbone feel at moments, but this production is very well recorded and surprisingly aged well. The Punk Funk aspect takes where the Chili Peppers left it on  Mothers Milk and they run with it take the style to the extremes.

 
Overall: 58.8 

Suicidal Tendencies

Art of Rebellion (1992)

Genre: Alternative Metal

This is a more experimental album, we have a band trying to redefine themselves again because the insipient Funk Metal style seems to have been absorbed into Infectious Grooves, now the songs are pretty good and  the focused seems to be centered on writing songs of their  own brand of alt Metal, not catering to a specific style. Josh Freese ( A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails) is the fill in drummer and he does a great job, the rest of the band remains the same. 

Overall: 51.1

Infectious Grooves

Sarsippius' Ark (1992)

Genre: Funk Metal, Punk

The return of  Muir's  Funk Metal band is sorf of a mixed bag, on one hand you have a band is  as solid as ever these, guys just keep on perfecting their craft, with a fantastic batch of songs, there are two covers the Led Zeppelin's Immigration Song that just blew me away and Bowie's Fame that was pretty cool, but there are a couple of uninspired tracks, that  aren't total fillers but are not super top notch, Muir fails to make some songs lyrical or vocally interesting, he just pumping out to many albums so he's starting to run out of ideas. And Sarsippius comedy interludes get tiresome, you just want him to shut up.

The new addition to this band is Josh Freese that is also playing the drums on Suicidal Tendencies and he does a great job working well with bass god Trujillo.  Siegel and Pleasants guitar works is great. Overall it a Ok album

Overall: 53.5 

Suicidal Tendencies

Suicidal for Life (1994) Groove Family Cyco (1994)

Genre: Alternative Metal, Punk Funk

 Both of these albums are on my pen drive in my car for about the last 6 months now and I listen  to both  at least once or twice a week, I just love them, they have a  energy level that astounds. The Punk/Funk/ Metal just comes out swinging  and both sound like a Infectious Grooves productions, ST has grown closer to its sister band style maybe being a  little more metal and alternative. Instrumentation on both is impressive and  even thought  Muir's  lyrics are basic as hell his charisma holds up on both  albums. Yet again a new drummer in ST this time having Jimmy DeGrasso fill the chair, he kills it with Trujillo on the incredible track "What Else Could I Do?" one of the best ST songs ever.  And on IG there is also a new drummers Brooks Wackerman ( Bad Religion, Avenged Sevenfold and  Korn) bringing  a cool groove and swing to its production and thankfully Sarsippius is gone. on the IG production Both albums are fantastic and pretty much high points to Mike's funk metal phase.

Overall:  ST 60.8 and IG 57.8

Suicidal Tendencies

Freedumb (1999)

Genre: Skater Punk , Punk Rock, Alternative Metal, Punk Funk

Betting on more energy, charisma and more of a Skater Punk sound, the Mike presents us a album that doesn't bring almost nothing new to the table but has a batch of adrenalin filled songs that keeps you head banging from front to back. The production has a  lot of flea styled bass slapping but surprisingly it isn't Trujillo, he's gone, replaced by Josh Paul and on the drums are played by Brooks Wackerman from Infectious Grooves. It's a effective album but I don't know how long the band can keep this up, betting on energy and forgetting substance. 

Overall: 59.8