The Double Doghouse

welcome back to the Skaject folks! this week’s record is the debut album from Detroit ska-punk and ska-core band The Suicide Machines!

i booted up Destruction by Definition and got clocked in the face by a nostalgia brick in the form of New Girl. i will have a hard time staying any semblance of impartial (am i ever?) for tracks off of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack, because theyre all etched in my brain.

and luckily for me, New Girl isn’t an anomaly on the record – it is, almost to a fault, an emblematic example of the Suicide Machine style on this record. and the next few tracks hold close to that level of energy, matching some component of the pacing or instrumentation or vocal style or more. S.O.S. is a more sinister sounding take with an excellent chorus, Break the Glass has some really fun moments in the bridge, in the main guitar line and the way it plays off the bass, and also the chorus (love the group delivery on the hook). No Face also features some excellent bass, and the lil organ bits in the post-chorus are awesome – plus i really like this track lyrically.

and it continues with roughly that pace and energy for the whole record – at 17 songs and just under 40 minutes, it moves pretty quickly from track to track basically doesnt ever slow down (even Vans Song which has slower verses, still picks up for the chorus. shame about the “club fag” comment in whats otherwise a pretty fun song). even like, Inside/Outside has vocal deliveries very similar to New Girl.

my personal highlights are a bit frontloaded, but it is still a really good record for fans of energetic ska-punk. surprised it took me this long to catch it.

faves – New Girl, S.O.S., Break the Glass, No Face, I Don’t Wanna Hear It
dislikes –

Destruction By Definition – 8/10

next week, we’re checking out another Fishbone record with Chim Chim’s Badass Revenge

previous: Chumps On Parade | next: Chim Chim’s Badass Revenge

this is the first The Suicide Machines release | next: Skank For Brains

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