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Judging from their name, Suicidal Tendencies were never afraid of
a little controversy. Formed in Venice, CA, during the early '80s,
the group's leader from the beginning was outspoken vocalist Mike
Muir. The outfit specialized in vicious hardcore early on -- building
a huge following among skateboarders, lending a major hand in the
creation of skatepunk -- before turning their focus eventually to
thrash metal. Early on, the group (whose original lineup included
Muir, guitarist Grant Estes, bassist Louiche Mayorga, and drummer
Amery Smith) found it increasingly difficult to book shows, due
to rumors of its members' affiliation with local gangs and consistent
violence at their performances. The underground buzz regarding Suicidal
Tendencies grew too loud for labels to ignore though, as the quartet
signed on with the indie label Frontier; issuing Muir and company's
classic self-titled debut in 1983. The album quickly became the
best-selling hardcore album up to that point; its best-known track,
"Institutionalized," was one of the first hardcore
punk videos to receive substantial airplay on MTV, and was eventually
used in the Emilio Estevez cult classic movie Repo Man, as
well as in an episode for the hit TV show Miami Vice (for
which the group made a cameo appearance).
Suicidal Tendencies proved influential for future speed/thrash metal
bands, but despite its early success, the quartet's reputation preceded
them, as no other record label was willing to take them on (in addition,
Los Angeles banned the group from playing around this time, lasting
until the early '90s). Not much was heard from the group for several
years afterward (leading many to believe that Suicidal had broken
up), but Muir and company eventually found a home with Caroline
Records. By this time, half of the original lineup had left; Muir
and Mayorga were the only holdovers, while guitarist Rocky George
and drummer R.J. Herrera rounded out the group. 1987 saw the release
of Suicidal's sophomore release, Join the Army, which
spawned another popular skatepunk anthem, "Possessed to
Skate," as more and more metal heads began to be spotted
in Suicidal's audience. Soon after, Suicidal was finally offered
a major-label contract (with Epic), as another lineup change occurred:
Mayorga exited the band, while newcomer Bob Heathcote took his spot;
and a second guitarist, Mike Clark, was added as well. This Suicidal
lineup's first album together, 1988's How Will I Laugh Tomorrow
When I Can't Even Smile Today, showed that their transformation
from hardcore to heavy metal was now complete, as did a compilation
of two earlier EPs, 1989's Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Dj
Vu.
Suicidal's first release of the new decade, 1990's Lights,
Camera, Revolution, was another success; its video for the
explosive "You Can't Bring Me Down" received repeated
airings on MTV's Headbanger's Ball program, while the album (in
addition to the Controlled by Hatred comp) would be certified
gold in the U.S. a few years later. The release also signaled the
arrival of new bassist Robert Trujillo, whose penchant for funk
added a new element to the group's sound. The group tried to broaden
their audience even further by opening a string of arena shows for
prog-metallists Queensrche during the summer of 1991. Their next
release, 1992's The Art of Rebellion, proved to be
one of Suicidal's most musically experimental albums of their career.
Muir and Trujillo also teamed up around this time for a funk metal
side project, Infectious Grooves (including several other participants,
such as Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins) and issued a debut
release, The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move. Upset that
the group's classic debut had been out of print for several years
by this point, Muir decided to re-record the entire record with
Suicidal's '90s lineup under the title of Still Cyco After All
These Years.
After eight releases and the 1994's Suicidal for Life, Suicidal
Tendencies decided to hang it up. Muir formed a new version of Suicidal
Tendencies in the late '90s (with Clark being the only other familiar
face), resulting in such further studio releases as 1999's Freedumb
and 2000's Free Your Soul and Save My Mind. Since
this time, we didn't have any news from Suicidal Tendencies. But
now they're back...
Suicidal Tendencies, still cyco after 30 years ! Dean Pleasants
(from Infectious Grooves) and the two young genius Steve Brunner
(bass) and Eric Moore (drums) have joined the historical members
of the band, leadsinger Mike Muir and great guitarist Mike Clark.
Together, they made a comeback onstage in 2007, and in 2009 is released
worldwide their new album, "Year Of The Cycos" !
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