From three-chord punk to 2-tone ska to dat smokin' reggae sound,

The Suicide Machines

change their musical style probably as often as they change their

underwear. Even punk/ska

greats like Operation Ivy would stick with punk for an entire song and

then switch to a ska

tune, but the Suicide Machines have mastered a technique to integrate

many musical styles

into a single song. Their first full length album, Destruction by

Definition reveals not

only four extremely talented musicians, but also a band aware of the

messages they can send through their music. With songs about drugs, insecurities, and

breaking

down barriers; they

draw from influences in their own lives to create the unique sound that

has given them life in

the worn out punk/ska scene of Rancid and Operation Ivy imitators.

Although they are not a straight-edge band, their song "Too Much"

is about the ill effects of

drugs. The background vocalist screams the last word of each line,

forcing their message to

stick in your head, "When the extra weight hits my brain / I feel like I

am going insane" with

this experience of insanity, their lyrics urge their listeners to choose

a conscious state of

mind. Through some of the fastest drumming I've ever heard, the band

keeps up a steady and

energetic rhythm for the majority of the song. Then with a short drum

fill, the pace is cut in

half and they break into that old 2-tone ska. After a few measures of

that, the speed is

decreased again, and all of a sudden the Suicide Machines turn reggae.

But this isn't an Irie

kind of song, it is about some regretful experiences with drugs; so as

quickly as it was

slowed down, it is sped up once again passing the skank and on to the thrash.

In order to pull such quick changes as these, the instruments

must be tight and the band

must be united. After a few measures of pure punk in "The Real You," the

band switches to

third-wave-ska as the singer chokes out lyrics about superficiality, "You

won't let me break

through the mask of who you really are." Then as the chorus approaches,

the two vocalists are

backed up by that initial punk tempo while they yell out the one-liner

chorus "I wanna see the

real you" (even though it seems like I hear, "I wanna sleep with you"

from one of the singers).

The group's unity is shown as each instrument comes to a tight, clean

standstill during the

frequent pauses to let a man and a woman yell out derogatory words at

each other.

Originally named Jack Kevorkian and the Suicide Machines, the

band decided to drop the first

part of their name when they started looking beyond the local Detroit

music scene and into

the big time. As the Suicide Machines, their first big accomplishments

were opening for the

Mighty Mighty Bosstones and then later sold-out performances with

Rancid. With a seemingly

overnight success, their album went from floating around the offices of

many record labels to

a deal with Hollywood records all in a week. To add to the band's

surprise, Destruction by

Definition debuted on the metal charts higher than Metallica and

Soundgarden, which they

believe is due to their morbid name and not their music (or so they think).

With such various musical influences as Ozzy Osbourne, the

Grateful Dead, and Motley Crue,

it is understandable why a metal head, a deadhead or any kind of head

would support their

music. A short release of bellowing feedback before the guitar breaks

into thundering

distortion (typical of every heavy metal song) is what starts off the

album's fifth track,

"Hey." Although it begins with a metal intro, the horns help make a

smooth transition from

window shattering metal to laid back reggae. Most people would think

that metal and reggae

do not belong together, but only a band such as this can pull off joining

completely opposite

sides of the musical spectrum in one song. The lyrics call for a

reexamination of our society,

"If we take a look at our world today, / are our morals on decline / or

have we all gone

insane?" Since this group is apt on breaking down the walls in society,

what a better way to

show it than also by breaking down the barriers of music?

I truly believe that the Suicide Machines are a band that will

end all of the world's problems.

They can put a stop to starvation and homelessness; but not through their

conscious lyrics

alone. Since the band includes so many styles in their songs, everyone

can satisfy all their

musical tastes in just this one album. There will no longer be a need

for huge CD collections.

All the money people save from not buying CDs can be put towards

charities that help the

children and house the homeless. So do your part for humanity and buy

this CD.