SUICIDAL TENDENCIES

PAGE UPDATED IN 2022

Reviewed:
- Suicidal Tendencies (1983)
- Join the Army (1987)
- How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today (1988)
- Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Deja Vu (1989)
- Lights...Camera...Revolution! (1990)
- The Art of Rebellion (1992)
- Still Cyco After All These Years (1993)
- Suicidal for Life (1994)

- Cyco Miko: Lost My Brain! (Once Again) (1996)
- Six the Hard Way (1998, EP)
- Freedumb (1999)
- Free Your Soul...and Save My Mind (2000)
- No Mercy Fool!/The Suicidal Family (2010)
- 13 (2013)
- World Gone Mad (2016)
 - Get Your Fight On! (2018, EP)
- STill Cyco Punk After All These Years (2018)


SUICIDAL TENDENCIES          1983          (Frontier)

- Standouts: Everything!!! 

I'll get this out the way now and say that this is, in my opinion, one of the greatest punk records of all time. It was one of the first punk albums I ever bought, but that isn't why I love it so much. The songs are mostly very fast, the lyrics are extremely memorable and borderline genius at times (touching on politics and mental health), and the music as a whole is actually really well performed from a technical point-of-view. I'd say that hardcore punk was still in it's earlier stages around 1983 - so the music was fast alright, but still pretty sloppy and simplistic for the most part. And this is no bad thing - you can't tell me that an album like Black Flag's Damaged isn't awesome! But the original Suicidal Tendencies lineup that recorded this debut were certainly better musicians than the majority of other punk bands at the time. 

The songs kick major arse, but vocalist Mike Muir almost always had a point to make with his lyrics. Despite the band's name, they don't in any promote suicide. In fact, the crazy, frantic opener 'Suicide's an Alternative/You'll Be Sorry' actively tells you not to commit such an act. And on 'Subliminal', Mike warns you of government propaganda via TV. And this was 1983! Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory now in 2022! Mike actually got in trouble for 'I Shot the Devil', because it was originally called 'I Shot Reagan' (he even screams that line throughout the song) - the FBI forced him to change the title! And who could forget the phenomenal 'Institutionalized'?! The majority of this song is spoken-word, and if you were a high school reject like me, you might even find the lyrics to be relatable. I'm proud to admit that I know every single lyric to 'Institutionalized'! Songs like 'Suicidal Failure' and 'I Want More' discuss the frustrations of everyday life. Things do get a little silly on the surprisingly graphic/violent 'I Saw Your Mommy', but it's still one of the band's coolest tracks. Oh, and that wannabe grunge act Puddle of Mudd totally ripped off the main riff to 'I Saw Your Mommy' for their song 'She Hates Me'!

This is a short album. The majority of the tracks are short, and the whole thing is over in less than thirty minutes. But this is okay, because this is fucking punk! REAL fucking punk! Not Green Day, not Blink 182. Not fucking Good Charlotte! This is the first Suicidal Tendencies album from 1983, baby!!! As much as I love this record, I must admit I think my original score was too high. 9.8/10 seems a little high for me. I do love punk rock, hardcore etc. and own a lot of punk albums, but it's not one of my absolute favourite genres. I mean, do I really enjoy this album more than I do, say, Black Sabbath's Vol. 4 or Deep Purple's Fireball (both sitting with a 9.6/10)? Probably not. However, in terms of lyrics, this has gotta be in my top five favourite albums of all time. I've played it to death since college, and it's still a go-to album for me, particularly in the gym. I'd also like to say that this band are one of the most ass-kicking live acts you will ever see. I've seen 'em twice in the last seven years, and I've yet to see a more energetic frontman than Mike Muir, or a frontman that spreads so much positivity when he speaks to the crowd between songs for that matter. And he's in his fifties for fucks sake! 
Adam's rating: 9.5/10

JOIN THE ARMY          1987          (Caroline)

- Standouts: 'Suicidal Maniac', 'Join the Army', 'You Want, I Got', 'A Little Each Day', 'War Inside My Head', 'I Feel Your Pain', 'Possessed to Skate', 'Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right (But They Make Me Feel a Whole Lot Better)'

The odd thing about Suicidal Tendencies is that they only ever really made one true punk album - the 1983 debut. It's not like they ditched that sound entirely, but there's really no other following ST album that sounds like the first one. Four years isn't really a long time to wait for a new album from most bands these days (it pains me to say), but in the 80's it kinda was. I mean, the band lineup had changed in the space of time between the first ST record and Join the Army (the most notable new member being lead guitarist Rocky George), and this no-doubt was a contributing factor towards the bands shift in sound and tone. See, by 1987, when this thing was released, Mike Muir and co. began toying with thrash metal, which was arguably at it's peak around that time. ST started putting thrashier riffs and compositions into their brand of hardcore punk, and what you have with Join the Army is a pure 'crossover thrash' record. And even though this album is inferior to the debut, I still can't help but love it! The band pretty much kept the metal influence in their sound from this point... maybe not so much on albums like Freedumb or that Mike Muir solo album re-recording years later, but we'll cross those bridges when we get to 'em.

The band manage to hone the whole 'crossover' malarkey quite quickly. It gave them more diversity, if anything. These songs are (mostly) awesome! The best ones are 'Suicidal Maniac', 'Join the Army', 'You Got, I Want', 'A Little Each Day', 'War Inside My Head' and 'Possessed to Skate'. 'Suicidal Maniac' is what you'd want from a opener - fast, frantic, thrash metal. The title track has a lot of slower, chuggy kind-of thrash riffage with hardcore chant vocal lines to accompany - sorta like Biohazard, but goofier, because this is Suicidal Tendencies. 'You Got, I Want' is a lot punkier and blends the sounds of the first record with the new lineup's flair. 'A Little Each Day' is a surprisingly moody and brooding, borderline-ballad (!) kind of track, with Mike singing in a really low style - but it works real well! If you're a Suicidal fan, then 'War Inside My Head' and 'Possessed to Skate' are arguably the most-loved songs from this record. The former is a thrash metal monster, while the latter is, you guessed it, a skate punk classic - catchy too! And yes, there is a skatebording-Suicidal Tendencies connection. Mike's brother is a pro skateboarder and member of the Dogtown team. Go on the Dogtown website and there's all kinds of ST collaborations. 

The rest of the tracks are all damn good too. 'I Feel Your Pain' is maybe the fastest song on the album, and is quite underrated if you ask me. And a song called fucking 'Human Guinea Pig' has gotta be good, right?! Plus, 'No Name, No Words' is fun. It drifts in out of being a full-on thrasher, with some groovy riffs thrown in for good measure. I can't leave out the fact this is also the first ST album to have a song with the word 'cyco' in it ('Born to Be Cyco' in case you were wondering). Really enjoy 'Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right (But They Make Me Feel a Whole Lot Better') too - this song is a fine example of how hardcore punk and thrash metal can mesh together seamlessly. Great, great album then. Well, it's not all perfect though. Production was always kinda janky. I never finish listening to Join the Army feeling fully satisfied with Rocky George's guitar tones here. They always sounded quite dry and hollow to me - yeah, I can't really explain it... there's just not enough bite to those guitars, dammit! Also, Mike decided to be more ambitious with his vocals this time around. He tries to do more throughout the album with his voice, and overall he does good... he just doesn't do that maniacal, throat-destroying thing that he did on songs like 'I Shot the Devil' or 'Memories of Tomorrow' from the first record, like ever. And it's a shame.

Still, I really like Join the Army. It's the album that set a benchmark sound in which they would follow for the next few years. 

Adam's rating: 9/10

HOW WILL I LAUGH TOMORROW WHEN I CAN'T EVEN SMILE TODAY?        1988         (Epic)

- Standouts: More-or-less everything except for 'One Too Many Times'.

Now they're just showing off! The musicianship has improved across the board, and Mike seems more comfortable singing as well - not that either previous record was amateurish or anything, you can just tell that the band had gotten better at crafting songs at this point. I mean, you can't directly compare it to the debut, 'cos that album was far more punk than the follow-up, but on Join the Army they obviously started dabbling with thrash metal, and How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today (fucking long-ass title) essentially fine-tunes the musical formula of the predecessor. Production is far stronger too, much more crisp and lacking the raw feels that Join the Army had. As much as I love the sound of a good ol' rough n' raw 80's thrash/hardcore record, I always thought the guitar tones of the previous album could have been improved - this has been acknowledged on How Will I Laugh Tomorrow.

From the beginning, this album rules. The kick-arse opener 'Trip at the Brain' rivals anything the thrash bands of the time, such as Megadeth, Testament, Exodus etc. were doing - and ST never fully abandoned their punk roots! The paranoid 'Hearing Voices' has a weird chorus, but it really works. Sort of feels like a sequel to 'Subliminal' - not musically, I mean lyrically. And 'Pledge Your Allegiance' is one of the coolest metal/hardcore anthems going! Especially in the live setting. Structurally, it's more simplistic than the majority of the other songs, but it really works, and makes you want to singalong to it. The diversity doesn't stop there either, the title track is a masterful metal ballad. The lyrics are fucking depressing, man! But not in some fake-ass, My Chemical Romance, teenage emo-esque way - 'How Will I Laugh Tomorrow' feels legit. And I know it's legit, 'cos Mike Muir can be a lyrical genius when he wants to be. Just listen to the debut ST album.

The mid-tempo riffing on 'The Miracle' never fails to get my head banging, and 'Suicyco Mania' is a real fast, old-school hardcore punk number when it wants to be. I think it is a little too long at nearly six minutes, but I still like it - not as much as I like 'Surf and Slam' however. Instrumentals rarely end up being standouts for me, but this one kicks ass - it's like thrash metal and surf rock thrown into a blender! 'If I Don't Wake Up' is a fine thrasher, as is the razor-sharp and tight 'Sorry'. 'One Too Many Times' is probably the most forgettable number for me (though it's far from 'bad'), but the excellent 'The Feeling's Back' - which is full of crunchy metal riffs to digest as well as some great guitar melodies - more than makes up for this.

In the end, this is one of my favourite thrash albums. Okay, it's not entirely a thrash metal record. It still has shimmers of their hardcore punk past on it, but I think if you had to stick this album into a specific ballpark, it'd sit firmly within the thrash metal realm, more-so than the whole 'crossover' category. If you ask me, I reckon it's pretty impressive that this band made both one of my favourite punk records as well as one of my favourite thrash albums. So even if you're a metalhead and you don't dig punk rock, chances are you'll love this album from the same band!
Adam's rating: 9.2/10  

CONTROLLED BY HATRED/FEEL LIKE SHIT....DEJA VU          1989          (Epic)

- Standouts: 'Master of No Mercy', 'Just Another Love Song', 'Feel Like Shit...Deja Vu'

The Suicidal discography is weird. This release is considered to be a normal studio album despite mostly consisting of re-recorded tracks from a couple of Mike Muir's other side projects during the 80's, No Mercy and Los Cycos. It also has a couple of unreleased ST numbers, 'Just Another Love Song' and 'Feel Like Shit...Deja-Vu', plus a couple of alternate versions of 'How Will I Laugh Tomorrow', for some reason. So in reality, this is a not a fleshed-out, well-crafted studio album at all - more like a collection of odds n' sods. But hey, it's listed as the fourth Suicidal Tendencies album, so clearly I'm in the wrong when I say it's not! The music here is good though, thankfully. Not great, but good. The No Mercy re-recordings - 'Master of No Mercy', 'Waking the Dead', 'Controlled by Hatred' and 'Choosing My Own Way of Life' are all solid, heavy, biting slabs of thrash metal/crossover, but are no better than the original songs from the No Mercy album Widespread Bloodshed Love Runs Red. In fact, I'd say the originals are just as good. That record was only released two years prior, and Mike's vocals aren't buried in the mix like they are here. Seriously - he's audible, but just barely. The good news is that if you compare these ST versions to the No Mercy one's, the ST recordings have better guitar and bass tones, and sound heavier overall. So if you want better vocals, listen to the original record. But if you want better-sounding instruments, I'd say these updated tracks are the way to go. The Los Cycos cover is another fun and thrashy piece, but sounds just like any of the No Mercy songs. Not too sure why Mike was in three relatively similar bands during the 80's, but there you go.

In terms of the original ST tracks, 'Just Another Love Song' is pretty awesome to be fair. It's insanely fast and mosh pit-ready, while 'Feel Like Shit...Deja-Vu' Unfortunately, like the covers, they suffer from the same production meaning the vocals are audible but still way too quiet for my liking. Strangely, I can't seem to find many complaints online about the mixing of the vocals, so maybe it's just me? No, it's everyone else that's wrong!!! Jokes aside, I've always found Controlled by Hatred to be kind of a sloppy release on the whole. The covers are decent, and the originals are solid too, but did anyone really ask for a video edit of 'How Will I Laugh Tomorrow'? It's just a shortened-down version of a classic metal ballad. The so-called 'Heavy Emotion Version' of the same track is a least a little more unique, but still inferior to the original. And come on, I really don't see how any album that mainly consists of re-recorded side-project tracks can be considered to be a major release. Let alone an album that mainly consists of re-recorded side-project tracks as well as alternate versions of a song from a previous record! I'm giving this a 6.8/10, because despite all the issues with the tracklisting and production, the bulk of this disc will still tear you a new one... that, and I REFUSE to consider Controlled by Hatred as anything more than a fan/collectors release!

Adam's rating: 6.8/10

LIGHTS...CAMERA...REVOLUTION!          1990          (Epic)

- Standouts: 'You Can't Bring Me Down', 'Lost Again', 'Alone', 'Get Whacked', 'Send Me Your Money', 'Emotion No. 13', 'Disco's Out, Murder's In'

Right, well this album kicks off with one of the best fucking thrash metal songs of all time - 'You Can't Bring Me Down'. This song absolutely RAGES when it gets going, even if Rocky George does start it with a very mellow, melodic guitar instrumental! I think Mike wrote this song in response to Tipper Gore and the PMRC (I could be wrong about that, but the song 'Lovely' definitely digs at the PMRC), either way, that spoken-word rant he goes off on towards the end of the song is classic Mike. 'Lost Again' is a pretty awesome, chugging thrash monster too. Some more outstanding guitar work from George once again, both in terms of riffs and solos. 'Alone' works surprisingly really well, considering that Mike's kinda all over the place with his vocals, actually singing quite softly at times given that the music is fast and tight as fuck. I also really like the dark, moody intro.

Lights... Camera... Revolution! is the first ST album to dabble with funk metal. I can only assume that the addition of bassist Rob Trujillo (who later became Metallica's bass player, but you knew that already) had something to with this. 'Lovely' has some thrashy parts towards the end of the song, but much of the music is full-on funk metal, almost comparable to early Faith No More. I like this track, sure, but I do think the funk influences eventually went a little too far with future releases (more on that later...). 'Give It Revolution' is a solid, mostly mid-tempo riffy number. Not really a standout, but not filler either thankfully. The horns at the start of 'Get Whacked' remind me of the intro to 'New Direction' from the Gorilla Biscuits classic album Start Today, but the majority of the song is just a fine thrasher. 'Send Me Your Money' is kinda lazy I guess, in that the song essentially uses the insanely catchy riff from 'You'll Be Sorry', the second half of 'Suicide's An Alternative' from the debut album, yet it ends up being one of the most fun tracks on Lights... Camera... Revolution! for me. Maybe I just enjoy Mike's lyrics that much, or just the overall goofiness of this song. Whatever! I dig it. I think it helps that even though 'Send Me Your Money' recycles an old riff, it somehow no longer gives off hardcore punk vibes. Rather, it sounds like funk metal tune now - so they managed to pull off something different-sounding with an old riff, which is pretty impressive actually.

'Emotion No. 13' is an underrated melodic speed metal piece, while 'Disco's Out, Murder's In' (great title) is one of the fastest and heaviest songs on the album. 'Go'n Breakdown' is one of the weaker tracks overall, and isn't a particularly exciting mid-tempo number to end on, but even so, I still get some enjoyment out of it. This is another fantastic album overall. I'm not sure it tops How Will I Laugh Tomorrow as a thrash record for me, and I do miss the hardcore influences that were still present in Join the Army (basically all the punk rock sounds were completely gone during this period of the band's history), but overall I still consider this to be a classic. I will say that in terms of production, this is one of the best, most full-sounding ST records, and improves on any of the predecessors in that regard.   

Adam's rating: 9.1/10

THE ART OF REBELLION          1992          (Epic)

- Standouts: 'Accept My Sacrifice', 'Nobody Hears', 'We Call This Mutha Revenge', 'Gotta Kill Captain Stupid', 'I'll Hate Your Better' 

I re-wrote this review yesterday morning and then stupidly turned my PC off without updating the page, so this is my second attempt (technically third if you count my original 2017 review). I can't be arsed anymore, but I'll attempt to cover the majority of the songs. Anyway, a lot of fans love this record, and consider it to be one of their best. I'm not one of those fans. I like this album, sure, but some of the new experimentation just doesn't cut it with me. Not from a band like Suicidal Tendencies anyway. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of new ideas and instrumentation that does work rather well, I just find The Art of Rebellion to be too inconsistent to be a classic... although I seem to be in a minority in this regard.

Good songs? Well, 'Can't Stop' is a solid opener, but it's no 'You Can't Bring Me Down' either. It's kinda slow and moody, and the atmospheric keyboards are cool, but it isn't memorable without repeated listens. 'Accept My Sacrifice' is awesome though. It's a full-on heavy funk metal tune - yeah, I do think the band took the whole funk sound too far later on, but there's still a lot of funk-tinged ST tracks that rule, and this is one of 'em. 'Nobody Hears' is the most recognised track from this record, and is an incredibly strong ballad in the same vein as 'How Will I Laugh Tomorrow'. 'We Call This Mutha Revenge' is a cool thrasher that could have fit on the last album. Some fantastic melodic lead guitar work on it from Rocky George. 'Gotta Kill Captain Stupid' too, is a great thrash piece. 'Which Way to Free?' has a ton of funk bass work on it, courtesy of Rob Trujillo. Again, I dig it. This album actually touches on alternative rock/metal styles, which is the main reason why I can't always enjoy this album as an ST release. However, I do think the grungy, spacey 'I'll Hate You Better' is cool. Kinda sounds like Suicidal Tendencies with Alice in Chains influences. And I sort of enjoy 'I Wasn't Meant to Feel This/Asleep at the Wheel' too. It's like an alt-metal song with weird jazz parts thrown in, and overall I think it works, but only just.

I never really got into 'Monopoly on Sorrow'. This track is full-on 90's alt-rock, from the guitar work to the almost pop-like hooks. To be fair, I actually quite like the music itself, it's just the fact it has Mike Muir singing on it that puts me off! I dunno, but having that bandana-sporting frontman, who normally runs around the stage shadowboxing the air like a madman singing a song like this during an ST gig would never happen these days!! There's also some filler to sit through. 'Tap Into the Power' is devoid of any energy, even if it is heavy. And the last two tracks aren't up to much either. 'It's Going Down' is better than 'Tap Into the Power'... meh, it still kind of feels like a leftover from Lights... Camera... Revolution! to me though. Same with 'Where's the Truth', which is another slightly-above-average mid-tempo heavy metal track with no real notable standout parts.

Five years ago I gave this album an 8/10. Not sure why. I don't ever remember being a fan of The Art of Rebellion. There's plenty of tracks here that I like, but the only ones I love are 'Accept My Sacrifice' and 'Nobody Hears'. I get that this record has it's fans, and I get that it was the 90's, and the heavy music scene demographic was shifting into grunge and alternative rock. It makes sense that this album exists. I might even summarise it as 'Suicidal Tendencies, Faith No More and Black Album-era Metallica thrown in a blender', and all you can do is hear it for yourself and make up you own mind as to whether or not this is one of the band's best works.

Adam's rating: 7.5/10

STILL CYCO AFTER ALL THESE YEARS          1993          (Epic)

- Standouts: 'Don't Give Me Your Nothin'' - the rest are all re-recorded oldies. 

A complete re-recording of the debut album with added re-recordings of a handful of tracks originally from Join the Army, plus the song 'Don't Give Me Your Nothin'', which was the B-side to 'Send Me Your Money'. So, this is basically an album that nobody asked for. Sadly, re-recordings of oldies and tracks from side-projects are commonplace with this band. How can this CD come anywhere near the legendary debut album?! Simple answer - it doesn't. And for the most part, I'm really not a fan of when a band does these kinds of records, but I must admit that this is one of the better ones I own in that respect. The production is excellent, really punchy and heavy, and - dare I say it - I might actually prefer the newer version of 'War Inside My Head' here to the original from Join the Army! I know, I feel as if I've committed blasphemy by saying that, but this version of that song absolutely rages. And to be fair, the band sound really good in general performing the tracks from the debut - fast, tight, heavy... just not really punky anymore. Especially Mike - I don't think his vocals were ever the same after the debut, and that's not actually a bad thing when talking about any of the later Suicidal Tendencies records. He adjusted his voice to suit those albums, because the band more-or-less changed genres. However, that first album is 100% pure fucking hardcore punk, and having Mike sing like the way he does on subsequent ST records on those old ST tunes from the debut just doesn't quite sound right to me. And obviously, that debut being the hardcore punk album from 1983 it is, is much rawer than this re-recording.

Still, I can listen to this thing from start to finish, and overall I enjoy it. Like I said, Mike's evolving vocals don't always work, but the rest of the band sound great. It's a disc for the fans, pretty much.

Adam's rating: 7.3/10

SUICIDAL FOR LIFE          1994          (Epic)

- Standouts: 'Don't  Give a Fuck', 'No Fuckin' Problem', 'Suicyco Muthafucka', 'What Else Could I Do?', 'Love Vs. Lonliness'

Jeez, Suicidal for FUCKING Life contains so much FUCKING swearing that Mike FUCKING Muir presumably wanted to FUCKING show everybody that Suicidal Tendencies are not a bunch of FUCKING sellouts - that or the major FUCKING record label (Epic) were about to FUCKING drop the band, so Mike wrote four FUCKING songs with the word 'FUCK' in the title as a big FUCKING 'FUCK you' to Epic.

On paper, it kinda sounds as if Mike and co. were just trying to be as edgy as possible - sure, the lyrics are a bit juvenile and come off as dumb at times, but much of the music is very cool, thankfully. Look, The Art of Rebellion was decent overall, but I for one am glad they ditched the alternative, at times-accessible sounds of that record and returned to the thrashy stuff once again. Suicidal for Life starts off with a silly, lounge-music piss-take ('Invocation'), with Mike spewing profanity in the first five seconds of the record. But when it fades into the funk/thrash metal hybrid 'Don't Give a Fuck!', the album really kicks off with a bang. 'No Fuckin' Problem' has some surprisingly catchy vocal arrangements, and is a fun song. 'Suicyco Muthafucka' has always been my favourite track on this album - it's a mid-tempo, crunchy metaller with a really moody atmosphere, and is just a really underrated song in the band's discography as a whole. 'Fucked Up Just Right' is a fast and tight thrash piece.

'No Bullshit' - the last song on the album to feature any profanity in the song title! - is a fairly simplistic (by ST standards), punky hardcore track, and again, it's good! And so is the almost proggy 'What Else Could I Do?', which has an intentionally weird vibe going for it. It's one of the more memorable tracks on this record. 'What You Need's a Friend' starts off very mellow and melodic, but soon delves into a heavy - and quite goofy - almost Faith No More-like metal song. It works though. I'd say 'I Wouldn't Mind' borders on filler though, sadly. This is an extremely repetitive punker for the most part - it's not bad as such, just weaker than any of the previous numbers. 'Depression and Anguish' on the other hand, is better, and is more in line with the stuff on How Will I Laugh Tomorrow or Lights... Camera... Revolution!. 'Evil' - well, the chorus is uninspired and actually a little annoying after a while, but I really like the rest of this track. I think the brooding, slow-moving 'Love Vs. Loneliness' is a fine way to go out on too - a hint of grunge about it, and it almost sounds like it was written for The Art of Rebellion, but it's a welcome change of pace. Actually, this album ends on 'Benediction', but this isn't a real song, just a spoken-word lounge outro swear-fest that parallels 'Invocation'.

The album cover is a bit misleading though. If you took away the 'Suicidal Tendencies' logo, it'd honestly look like a rap album. Mike's wearing his bandana in reverse, and the jersey he's wearing just makes him look like some kind of wannabe rapper. So yeah, that's weird. I do like Suicidal for Life though. It's not quite a great album, but it's damn good overall. 

Oh yeah, this album isn't on Spotify. No idea why.
Adam's rating: 7.8/10

CYCO MIKO - LOST MY BRAIN! (ONCE AGAIN)          1996          (Epic)
- Standouts: 'I Love Destruction', 'All I Ever Get', 'F.U.B.A.R.'
Mike Muir is obviously best known as being the Suicidal Tendencies frontman and leader, but by the time this solo album under the 'Cyco Miko' nickname was released, he had already recorded music with Infectious Grooves, No Mercy and Los Cycos, let alone all the Suicidal Tendencies material. A solo record like this seemed kind of odd to me at first, but it's been in my collection for a couple of years now and after multiple listens, it sort of does make sense. Lost My Brain! (Once Again) has more of a straight-up punk rock/old-school, first-wave hardcore punk kind of thing going for it as opposed to the crossover/thrash metal sounds of Suicidal Tendencies or No Mercy and certainly none of the funk rock vibes of the Infectious Grooves. It doesn't quite fit in with the sounds of any of Mike's other bands and projects, even if I've seen some people claim it to be reminiscent of the 1999 Suicidal album Freedumb (which ended up being the next thing ST would record prior to Lost My Brain!). Yeah, Freedumb was more punk than usual for ST, but it's still much more intense than the way this sounds.

Really I think this is a solid punk album with a few great numbers scattered here and there. Mike sounds like Mike, and lyrically the album is up there with any of his Suicidal material (Mike is one of my favourite lyricists). Hell, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols even plays guitar on about 60% of the record. That fact alone is pretty impressive. Songs like 'I Love Destruction', 'F.U.B.A.R.', 'Gonna Be Alright' and 'Nothing to Lose' are fast and upbeat punkers, while 'All I Ever Get' is catchy as hell and features this really awesome bridge riff before the chorus. Honestly, there aren't really duff numbers on here as such. The whole thing is listenable, and there's only one thing I can really think of actually complaining about - the track lengths.

Given that this is punk, I honestly have no idea why tracks like 'Save a Peace for Me', 'All Kinda Crazy' and 'Ain't Messin' Around' all last more than 5 minutes in total. 'Save a Peace for Me' is over 6 minutes long! I'd even go so far as to say around 70% of the album features songs that last over 4 minutes. You know, I like the riffs, the lyrics and the way the vocals are arranged, but most of the songs are far longer than they need to be. And it's not like the song structures are different or unusual - it's mostly just verse/chorus/verse/chorus etc., so really it's just unnecessary repetition. Thankfully the music is enjoyable enough to not be tedious, but a lot of the songs wouldn't be any worse if they  were cut back either. So yeah, I like this album. Fans of Mike's other work should check it out now, for everybody else it's just a solid but inessential punk album. I felt like talking about it 'cos Suicidal Tendencies are actually rerecording these tunes and releasing it as Still Cyco Punk After All These Years in September 2018. I'm curious, but I don't imagine it'll be much of an improvement than what we already have.
Adam's rating: 7/10


SIX THE HARD WAY (EP)          1998          (Suicidal Records)

This EP contains six tracks, as if the title didn't give it away. Two of 'em, 'Freedumb' and 'Cyco Vision' would later appear on the Freedumb record the following year and are obviously not exclusive to the EP, so I'll talk about those properly when I discuss said album. In short though, they're great. 'Refuse' and 'What's the Word?' however, are exclusive studio tracks to this EP. They're both pretty good to be fair. Funk-heavy metallers with killer bass lines, and you could argue that they have more in common with Mike's other band, Infectious Grooves. In fact, it would have made more sense for these tracks to have been released as Infectious Grooves numbers, because the majority of the lineup on this EP all played in that band anyway. Whatever, decent songs anyhow.

There's a couple of live performances on here too - 'Fascist Pig' and 'I Saw Your Mommy', both from the debut, obviously. The band go off into some improvised funk jam at the start of 'I Saw Your Mommy', before performing it as the hardcore punk classic that it is. It's kinda cool, actually. And to be fair, that's what this EP is overall - kinda cool. Not worth buying unless you're a serious collector, because the prices are pretty steep for what it is (I remember getting my copy off eBay for around £6 years ago, but times have changed), but definitely worth hearing.
Adam's rating: 7/10

FREEDUMB          1999          (Suicidal Records)

- Standouts: 'Freedumb', 'Cyco Vision', 'We Are Family'

The band lineup had changed a little after Suicidal for Life. Rocky George and Robert Trujillo were gone, and Freedumb was the first album to feature current lead guitarist Dean Pleasants. The sound has also changed somewhat; this album largely has more of a stripped-back, raw feel, and the music is the most punk they'd ever been since the 1983 debut, with with most of the songs being under three minutes in length. Sometimes all I want is a fast, face-ripping hardcore record from this band, not some thrash/funk hybrid - although I must admit that there are still some issues to be had on this record. Still, we already got the songs 'Freedumb' and 'Cyco Vision' on that EP the previous year - and both these tracks are awesome, furious punkers and usually make it into the live setlist. 'Cyco Vision' even made it into the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater soundtrack. Tracks like 'Ain't Gonna Take It' and 'Scream Out' are also solid slabs of frantic, old-school hardcore punk - and thankfully, Mike's adjusted his vocals once more to match this.

I guess they weren't done with dabbling with funk yet though. 'Half Way Up My Head' is a funk metal tune through-and-through - it's pretty good, but doesn't really mesh that well with the punkier songs. 'I Ain't Like You' and 'Built to Survive' are solid, and the bass playing on them is cool. 'Naked' is a somewhat uninspired mid-tempo affair. The problem is the generic chord pattern riffs. It's listenable, but it sounds like anyone could've written it at the end of the day. 'Hippie Killer' (great title) and 'I'll Buy Myself' are faster, but again, still relatively generic punk rockers that are definitely lacking the band's signature character. 'Get Sick' has a little more melody in the riffs, and I like it overall. Again, it's a bit faceless musically, but is a solid punk rocker regardless. 'We Are Family' is cool though, and does have more of a classic ST vibe to me at least. The album ends on a ballad, 'Heaven'... which is okay I guess, but it's clear that this particular lineup doesn't have the knack for ballads like the earlier ones did, given how much better songs like 'How Will I Laugh Tomorrow' and 'Nobody Hears' are. 

This album is pretty good as a whole, but it's definitely lacking in places. It's quite clear that writing more straightforward, simple punky tunes was the goal here, and for the most part, the songs are all solid ('Freedumb' and 'Cyco Vision' are classics). Trouble is, a lot of the signature Suicidal Tendencies characteristics are missing on many of these tracks, and as whole the album feels more generic than usual. Honestly, I found Freedumb difficult to review. I really had little to say about most of these songs, so I tried my best to say anything. It's the kind of album I can put on and will do the job, but aside from a small handful of songs, most of them don't really standout for me either. 
Adam's rating: 6.3/10

FREE YOUR SOUL...AND SAVE MY MIND          2000          (Suicidal Records)

- Standouts: 'Pop Songs'... maybe 'Home'?

Meh... now we're goin' down the rabbit hole of mediocrity. I don't remember when I bought this album, but I'm sure I've only listened to it fully around three, maybe four times in total. And this is my third fucking attempt at reviewing this album over the course of the last week and a half! I just start listening to Free Your Soul and then get side-tracked half way through, and do something else instead. 

'Self Destruct' is fast and heavy enough, but all those dominant guitar effects annoy me after a while, and just seem unnecessary. They take away from the enjoyment of the song. 'Su Casa Es Mi Casa' is an obnoxiously funky tune with obvious Hispanic overtones. It's actually pretty good in all fairness, but your enjoyment of it stems from whether or not you like Mike's other band, Infectious Grooves - 'cos this is 100% Infectious Grooves, not Suicidal Tendencies. 'No More, No Less' would be a solid hardcore punker if it didn't have those funk guitar licks all over it. The funk stuff can work when you write a song specifically to sound that way, but all the funky guitar shit on this number seem like an afterthought to me. The title track, again, has a ton of funk vibes, but this time it works maybe a little better. Still way too close to Infectious Grooves again however. 'Pop Songs', thankfully, is a solid little punk ditty. Kinda funny too, with Mike trashing pop artists. That said, if this track was on an album like How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, I'd probably be ragging on it.

'Bellenium' and 'Animal' sound like Freedumb leftovers. Not bad, just generic. Same with 'Start Your Brain', for that matter - punky and fast, this track had potential - but the silly added guitar effects piss me off after a while. And then of course, the funk picks up again on the frankly dull 'Straight from the Heart'. And then, god knows why, Mike stops the music entirely for three minutes and goes off on a rant about how idiotic people are with 'Cyco Speak'. This track is entirely pointless. It's almost as if Mike thinks he's some kind of motivational speaker or life coach, and the whole thing is just embarrassing. And why was he talking like a Hispanic gang member around this time?! And what the fuck does 'Got Mutation' actually mean?! Meh, cool bassline at least. 

'Public Dissension' is another Infectious Grooves track with the name crossed out, and Suicidal Tendencies written on it instead. 'Children of the Bored' - I dunno, it's an average mid-tempo song, and the only one with any chugging riffs - so it is at least pretty heavy. 'Charlie Monroe'... I'm running out of shit to say at this point. 'Home'... well, it's the final track on the album, and it's nearly eight fucking minutes long. It's a moody ballad, and probably one of the better songs on the album actually - but after sitting through fourteen fucking songs prior, I just can't be bothered anymore.

I really am a fan of this band - honest. But even I have to admit the ST discography is far from perfect. I think they're fucking amazing live, and the first few albums are legendary. But like I said, their discography as a whole is patchy. In the case of Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind (I still hate the title, sounds like some stereotypical hippie shit to me), this album is way too funky to be ST for my tastes. Seriously, Infectious Grooves were clearly active during this period - hell, they released an album in 1999 (Mas Borracho) -  so what is the point in essentially doing the same thing with your other band? I don't get it. Sure, there's a couple of tracks here and there that are more in line with what you'd expect from an ST record, but as a whole this album is just pretty weak overall - and way too long at fifteen tracks! There was no thrash left in 'em around this time, and even when they try to be punk, they capture none of the debut album's brilliance. What this album is, is a forgettable funk/punk rock hybrid.

The 4/10 rating might seem a little high (oddly), but the majority of the music on here is still listenable overall. It's just a poor Suicidal album. It's like Mike Muir recorded this with the intentions of being an Infectious Grooves record, but the record company slapped 'Suicidal Tendencies' on the crappy album cover instead.

Adam's rating: 4/10

NO MERCY FOOL!/THE SUICIDAL FAMILY          2010          (Suicidal Records)

- Standouts: 'Come Alive', 'Something Inside Me', 'No Mercy Fool!' 

Yet another relatively pointless release, full of re-recordings of classics. This time Mike decided to redo a bunch of Join the Army oldies, as well as all the songs from the No Mercy album Widespread Bloodshed Love Runs Red that weren't covered on Controlled by Hatred. Fans must have thought they were taking the piss when this thing came out in 2010 (I myself was into Suicidal Tendencies back then, but I only had like three of their albums, and didn't collect the rest of the discography until my early 20's). Sure, Mike had put the band on hiatus around the early 2000's due to him needing back surgery, but according to Wikipedia they had been consistently touring since '05 - and the best he can give us after nearly a decade is essentially a follow-up to Controlled by Hatred and Still Cyco After All These Years, i.e. not a proper Suicidal Tendencies studio album! Well, I mean, we got a split compilation in 2008 called Year of the Cycos, but that thing is fucking hard to find... and it's a compilation anyway!

Well, as far as the music goes, you get around half of the Join the Army album re-recorded. And in truth, these reimagining's are handled fairly well. I don't particularly like the new version of 'Possessed to Skate' because of that annoying added guitar squealing noise during the chorus. Aside from that, these are all decently performed numbers. Same can be said for the No Mercy songs. In all fairness, I'm not entirely against the band re-doing the No Mercy stuff. That album in general (Widespread Bloodshed) is kind of obscure (although it is on Spotify these days) and I assume that only the hardcore fanboys will know it. And that whole record could pass of a Suicidal Tendencies album anyway - and a great one at that. It's the principle that sucks though - albums like these are fine if you're consistently writing and recording new material. They're not so fine when you've barely released anything new for almost a decade however.  

But wait, there's more! There are a few new songs on here! And when I say 'new', I mean stuff that aren't redone old tracks. 'Come Alive' is a rock-solid crossover thrash number in line with the band's late 80's material. 'Something Inside Me' is cool too, a blazing song with some super-fast riffage. And 'No Mercy Fool!' is very good too, frantic thrash/crossover and better than nearly anything from the past couple of records. When compared to what they were doing on Freedumb and Free Your Soul, these three tracks are a return to form (well, except for maybe 'Cyco Vision' and the song 'Freedumb', 'cos I fucking love those).

All the music on here is good stuff, but let's be real here - if I want to hear those Join the Army songs, 99% of the time I'm going to listen to the original recordings. Yeah, the production is crisper and more modern here, but the originals are still better! Thankfully those three extra songs make this worth picking up for the fans, and because all the older songs themselves are great anyway, it just feels wrong to give this CD any less than a 6.5/10.
Adam's rating: 6.5/10

13          2013          (Suicidal Records)

- Standouts: 'Shake It Out', 'Smash It!', 'Cyco Style', 'Slam City'

Alright, I take back some of what I said before. Turns out Mike and co. were writing and recording new songs for a studio album throughout the 2000's - apparently 13 was recorded over the 2002-2012 period, and finally released in 2013. This obviously means that quite a sizeable number of different musicians contributed to this album, including bassist 'Thundercat', who apparently was a major contributor to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly album. But I wouldn't know, 'cos I've really grown to dislike a lot of modern hip-hop in recent years - it's so fucking mainstream now that it might as well just be pop music. I do at least know that Kendrick can actually rap, unlike some of the dime-a-dozen morons that pass for 'rappers' these days (and they're almost always called 'Lil' something-or-other, for some reason). If any fans of modern rap/hip-hop are reading this right now, you have the right to be angry at me. I mean, I obviously don't care, but you have the right.

Umm, yeah, back to 13. 'Shake It Out' gets things off to a solid start - this is a good, groove-tinged metaller with some memorable chorus hooks. And the songs 'Smash It!' and 'This Ain't a Celebration' are decent hardcore/thrashy numbers with riffs reminiscent of the earlier stuff. 'God Only Knows Who I Am', 'Till My Last Breath' and 'Who's Afraid' bring back some of the funk sounds once again with their basslines and wah-wah-heavy guitar sounds, but they're not as in-your-face as the stuff you heard on an album like Free Your Soul. 'Show Some Love... Tear It Down' is an old-school punk rock affair, with a surprisingly mellow break in the middle. 'Cyco Style' is pretty awesome, with some really cool, groovy riffing throughout. This track has a lot of vintage ST charm about it. I really like 'Slam City' too - it's kind of a silly, goofy mosh pit anthem (or slam anthem in this case), but like 'Pledge Your Allegiance' from How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, Mike does these kinds of anthems really well. The main riff in 'Slam City' has this unconventional, chunky, atonal feel, and it really works for a band like Suicidal Tendencies who nearly always had at least one goofy song on all their records anyway. 'Living the Fight' has some outstanding, shredding lead guitar work from Dean Pleasants. 'This World', the closing track, I think has a touch of the alternative style that The Art of Rebellion touched on. It's not an amazing song by any means, but it is kind of refreshing to hear something different at this point.

Naturally, there's some filler on here. 'Make Your Stand' is built around quite a cool rhythmic pattern, but it's kinda repetitive and doesn't really go anywhere. It's also the longest track on this album, and I have no idea why. 'Life (Can't Live with It, Can't Live Without It)' I'm not so keen on either. The guitar work is nice, but it's a pretty boring, slow and mundane funk metal jam overall. Aside from these two tracks however, I think the rest of this album is good stuff.

At the end of the day, 13 is a solid effort all-round. Not great by any stretch of the imagination (probably not as good as it should have been), but after the last bunch of albums, this is far more inspired and more in line with what this band were all about in the first place. Freedumb was a rather faceless punk album at times, Free Your Soul was a dumb and sometimes genuinely annoying funk-punk contraption while that No Mercy Fool! thing was mostly just made up of re-recorded old material, and to me doesn't really count as one of their major releases. 13 actually sounds like a true Suicidal Tendencies record again, and overall it does the job even if none of these tracks really stand out as classics, save for maybe 'Slam City'. The majority of these songs are good, and that's what counts.

On a side note, why are so many artists obsessed with revolving album titles around the number 13?! I guess it kind of makes sense regarding Suicidal Tendencies - Mike's always worn football jerseys with the number '13' on them since forever, and this album released in 2013 with thirteen tracks in total. But then Black Sabbath's massively-overrated Ozzy reunion album was called 13 and Megadeth had the retardedly-spelt Th1rt3en record in 2011. Anvil recorded the album This Is Thirteen when they were making that documentary. Six Feet Under... even Blur and Brian Setzer have all made albums called '13'. Completely useless discussion topic here, but it's hard not to notice all the same.

Adam's rating: 7.2/10

WORLD GONE MAD          2016          (Suicidal Records)

- Standouts: 'Clap Like Ozzy', 'The New Degeneration', 'Living for Life', 'Get Your Fight On!', 'One Finger Salute', 'Damage Control', 'The Struggle Is Real'

I remember pre-ordering this album in 2016 (jeez, that was SIX years ago now!) and being pretty excited for it. From what I can tell with my original review, I liked this album enough to the point that I thought it was marginally better than 13, but still not good enough to be great. Let's see how it stacks up for me in 2022. One notable new feature of World Gone Mad is the addition of legendary Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo. If that's not worth a mention then I don't know what is!

'Clap Like Ozzy' starts this album off with a bang. It's a predictably fast number, very punk rock and very fun, but also featuring some cool slap bass. 'The New Degeneration' and 'Living for Life' kick ass and revisits the hardcore/thrash hybrid sound they perfected years ago. 'Get Your Fight On!' begins with a slow-building, almost ballad-like introduction, but soon evolves into a strong, punky, anthemic thrasher. The title track also has a kind of anthemic quality to it, and is a memorable and catchy mid-tempo number. 'One Finger Salute', despite the silly title, is great too. This tune is old-school hardcore punk through-and-through. 'Nuff said. 'Damage Control' is slow and brooding in at the beginning and at the end, but the mid-section is blistering stuff. Same with 'The Struggle Is Real', which is the shortest and one of the fastest tracks on the album. There's also a very good ballad with 'Still Dying to Live'. It's not one of their best, but it's certainly as good, if not better than any of their more recent ones.

This album does have it's flaws, for sure. 'Happy Never After' is cookie-cutter, chugging thrash metal. Boring riffs, dumb lyrics - you've heard this kind of thing a million times before, only done better. And for some strange reason, this album ends on a new and similar version of 'This World', originally from 13. Not entirely sure why... personally I don't think there was anything wrong with the original. Luckily I still enjoy the version here too. I'm not entirely convinced by the production however - it has this slightly-muffled texture that is really hard to describe in detail without hearing the album for yourself. I can only assume they were trying to give the record some sort of vintage tone, but to me it still sounds crisp and modern, only muffled! If they weren't trying to make this thing sound old-school, then I can only apologise - but that's what it sounds like to me anyway. The other thing worth pointing out is that Mike is starting to sound pretty tired by this stage. You can't exactly blame the man for this - he's well into his fifties, and he's also one of those guys who's managed to adapt his vocal style throughout his career. For this album, despite his age showing, he still manages to fit his voice around the music quite nicely. 

Well, I can safely say that this is the best ST album in fucking ages. Some fans will call me crazy for putting it above an album like The Art of Rebellion, but I just find these songs to be their most inspired in a very long time. The musicianship is noticeably better from the get-go; Dean Pleasants' lead guitar work is absolutely fantastic throughout, while Dave Lombardo brings new energy to the band's rhythm section. There's no overwhelming funk moments either, just a bit of slap bass when necessary. And yeah, Mike can't shout like he used to, but he still does a damn good job considering how long he's been in this game. What this album is, is a more refined 13. 

Adam's rating: 8/10


GET YOUR FIGHT ON! (EP)          2018          (Suicidal Records)

Now this is how you make an EP - include three brand new tracks ('Get United!', 'iAuthority' and 'S.E.D.'), two re-recordings of old Mike Muir solo tracks ('Nothing to Lose' and 'Ain't Mess'n Around'), a cover song (the Stooges' 'I Got a Right'), and end on a quadrilogy of songs and instrumentals revolving around the Get Your Fight On! name. The new tracks are essentially a continuation of what you heard on World Gone Mad - 'Get United!' is a simplistic punk anthem, with some great bass playing. 'iAuthority' is a surprisingly melodic number with an alternative metal feel, and I think it works in their favour. 'S.E.D.' is a fast punker with some groove in the riffs. 'Nothing to Lose' and 'Ain't Mess'n Around' are tracks that were originally from Mike Muir's punk rock 1996 solo album, Lost My Brain! (Once Again) - these are solid reimagining's from the Suicidal Tendencies lineup. These two tracks (spoiler alert) are essentially a taster for the next ST record. The Stooges cover is nice too, and one of the more obscure tracks to cover from their discography.  

The first of the last four tracks is 'Get Your Right On!', which is essentially a mellow acoustic version of 'Get Your Fight On!' from World Gone Mad - and a good one at that. It was a good song anyway, and it works surprisingly well unplugged too. Following this is the instrumental 'Get Your Bass On!' - obviously a bass instrumental, performed by Ra Diaz. And 'Get Your Shred On!' is another instrumental, only it focusses on Dean Pleasants' guitar playing instead. Both are really fun, cool musical takes on 'Get Your Fight On!'. Obviously this EP ends with the title track, and even though we already heard it on World Gone Mad, you can't go through all these alternative renditions without having the original song in there too. 

I can't deny that this CD feels more like a release to please the hardcore fans like myself, but if that is the case, then it's still a great fan-focussed disc. I mean, this is an EP with forty-five minutes of music on it! Obviously if this thing was released as a regular full-length LP, it wouldn't deserve the 8/10 score - but as an EP, this is very solid stuff. See, if Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit... Deja Vu had been considered an EP or compilation by the band, it too would have gotten a higher score!

Adam's rating: 8/10


STILL CYCO PUNK AFTER ALL THESE YEARS          2018          (Suicidal Records)

- Standouts: 'F.U.B.A.R.', 'All Kinda Crazy', 'Lost My Brain... Once Again', 'Nothin' to Lose', 'All I Ever Get'

If you've followed this band for many years, it's impossible to be surprised by these kinds of releases at this point. You know what I mean - albums made up of old songs, re-recorded. In the case of Still Cyco Punk After All These Years, Mike decides to re-record his 1996 solo album, Lost My Brain! (Once Again) in it's entirety. Well, almost all of it. Yeah, I'm getting pretty sick of these releases too - we already had Controlled by Hared/Feel Like Shit... Deja Vu in 1989, Still Cyco After All These Years in 1993 and No Mercy Fool! The Suicidal Family in 2010. So I guess this concept is part and parcel of being a Suicidal Tendencies fan. Trouble is, Mike's had so many side-projects over the years (No Mercy, Los Cycos, Infectious Grooves, Cyco Miko...), and for whatever reason he just can't help himself from redoing all this stuff under the Suicidal Tendencies name, regardless of the quality of the original recordings. Yep. I don't remember being particularly stoked for this CD back when it was a new release. The Get Your Fight On! EP had a couple of tracks ('Nothing to Lose' and 'Ain't Mess'n Around') from Lost My Brain! (Once Again) on it, and as it happens, they were a taste of what was to come with this album.

I actually talked about the Cyco Miko solo album Lost My Brain! (Once Again) back in 2018, and I always thought it was a decent enough punk rock album (albeit kinda generic), with a sound that was more in line with traditional punk than a band like Suicidal Tendencies. In essence, it was Mike Muir doing a more accessible, more 'casual' punk album with less aggression than what you'd expect from Suicidal Tendencies or No Mercy. Good album, but nothing special.

Gotta say though, with ST doing those songs, the intensity has been cranked up, and there's much more energy here - the original was far lighter by comparison. Honestly, these versions are generally stronger than their original counterparts for once. Maybe it's just me and the fact that part of my brain still has that teenage mentality of enjoying things that are more aggressive, but what Mike and co. do with this album is release a pure old-school hardcore punk album with the Suicidal badge pinned to the cover - and it still feels like a legit ST release overall. If you weren't familiar with the original Lost My Brain! (Once Again) album, you probably wouldn't be able to tell that these tracks are effectively covers (well, it's Mike covering his own songs, but you know what I mean). 

The only song that actually sounds worse than the original to me, is opener 'I Love Destruction', and that's simply due to the strange decision to add all these stupid backing "woooooaaaaaahhhhh!" vocal lines. It's just dumb. Songs like 'F.U.B.A.R.', 'All Kinda Crazy', 'Nothin' to Lose' and the title track were the songs I liked most from the original recording, and now they've only gotten better thanks to the new-found energy and ferocity. Don't get me wrong, none of these songs are outstanding - the original album was good, but not great - so any improvement on them is only going to elevate them. It's worth noting that you aren't actually getting the entire Lost My Brain! album re-recorded here - 'Cyco Miko Wants You' and 'Ain't Mess'n Around' are missing, but the latter song was re-recorded for the Get Your Fight On! EP anyway. And one of the biggest problems with that Cyco Miko release was the fact it was too fuckin' long anyway - it was a straightforward punk album that was over fifty minutes, cutting it short by ten minutes is actually a good thing. 

Basically, if you wanted an expanded World Gone Mad, then this probably won't do it for you. But if you just wanted this band to revisit nothing but the sounds of old-school hardcore punk, then Still Cyco Punk After All These Years is very nearly a great album. It's the only one of these many ST re-recording releases that I actually think is genuinely very good, and it's because it actually manages to be better than the original album it's imitating for once. I'll admit that to anyone new to this band, it isn't clear at all on a streaming service such as Spotify that this is basically a covers album (which is also a problem with the other three albums of the same ilk). But for this one specifically, it's not really an issue. I never thought I'd say that.

Adam's rating: 7.9/10