by Kieran McCarthy
On Free Your Soul and Save My Mind, Suicidal Tendencies' umpteenth studio release, the band revitalizes their moribund skater punk sound. After a series of disappointing full- and partial-length albums, this effort hits the mark in most respects. Once again, they sound like accomplished musicians, rattling off funky riffs and spirited three- to four-minute bursts of punk. &No More, No Less& sparkles with the bifurcated bass and guitar lines of Robert Trujillo and Mike Clark. &Children of the Bored& features some of the heaviest sections Suicidal Tendencies have ever recorded. The album's zenith is &Start Your Brain,& a powerful old-timer punk tune with seriously wigged-out distortion techniques. The end result is refreshing and hard-driven, albeit mildly anachronistic. The only drawback of this release is frontman Mike Muir's continued writer's block. His lyrics remain repetitious and uninventive: a shadow of his former self. However, in most instances, the quality of the music makes up for it.