"It's 1999 and going cyco is all that's on my mind"
Oh dear, I thought. It's been a long time and STILL no one has got Mike Muir that Pepsi he longs for. I bought this album as it was meant to be 'a return to their hardcore roots.' As I handed over my £13 I prayed to the almighty gods of punk:
"Please...no more funk metal."
My wishes were granted! Well, almost. Apart from the slap bass (from Josh Paul, bass player #4039 or something) and the frankly disgusting Chili Peppers-lite that is 'Heaven' it's a hardcore album! Well, almost.
The opener is the song 'Freedumb' and it's amazing! Very old school. I am jumping around my room like a mentalist at this moment - and this continues until track 7. From a musician's point of view Brooks Wackerman's (now in BR, sportsfans) drumming is the backbone of the album. My brother air-drums to this album daily. First half highlights include 'Ain't gonna take it' - containing the hilarious line 'it's a quarter to pain, and a half past hate' - and 'Cyco Vision' which apparently was in the soundtrack of Tony Hawk 1. I cannot confirm this myself, I only fell off a skateboard when I was about 8. Also 'Halfway up my Head' finds them experimenting (for about 30 seconds) with ska rhythms! In my book that's good but I know a lot of people hate that stuff. You'll hardly notice it, I promise.
The album slows down for the first time with 'Naked', then piledrives into 'Hippie Killer'. I don't really have a problem with Mike Muir endless rabbiting about how 'Suicidal' he is, but I could see how people could become easily annoyed. Especially when he shouts 'Suicidal Style' at the end of one of the songs. I just find it really funny myself. His heart's in the right place I guess. It is taken to a new level on 'We are Family', where around 80% of the lyrics are variations on the name of the band. The fact is though, like most of the songs on this album it is a great sing/shout-a-long ditty. The music is just plain fantastic, with much hardcore riffage. I dunno, it's just something my metal friends say.
Anyway, discounting a couple of tracks, this is a great album to get the uninitiated into hardcore punk. Maybe you're right on the edge, this could be the prod you need. I think this probably would have been hailed as a classic if it was released in the early-mid eighties. Ignoring the funky cack of course.
Classic ST Up-to-date production = Goodness for the whole family
I couldn't wait to hear the next album...and then it turned out to be funk metal. Oh well...you win some, you lose some.
Note - People like Fishbone do the whole funk metal thing very well, but I just think ST should stick to what they do best.