by Ed Rivadavia
Suicidal Tendencies' long relationship with Epic Records came to an end with 1994's Suicidal for Life and, as expected, the breakup was not a pretty one. The label's inability to introduce any of the group's groundbreaking albums to a significantly wider audience certainly didn't sit well with ST main man Mike Muir, who decided to run through the motions while being as gratuitously offensive as possible on this contractually necessary release. After a scathing though mercifully short rant called &Invocation& (a similarly goofy outro called &Benediction& closes the proceedings), the band launches into the self-explanatory &Don't Give a Fuck!,& &No Fuck'n Problem,& &Suicyco Muthafucka,& and &Fucked Up Just Right!& Gee, think they were trying to piss someone off at the label? But while they pursue a noticeable return to ST's thrashcore roots after the overtly traditional power metal strains of 1992's The Art of Rebellion, tracks like &No Bullshit& and &Love Vs. Loneliness& (replete with Muir's trademark antisocial diatribes) tend to sound dated and tired. The first at least benefits from lead guitarist Rocky George's typically fluid and inventive soloing, while the second still qualifies as one of the album's best moments thanks to rhythm guitarist Mike Clark's powerful riffs. When they occur, the few surprises (as in the quirky noise fest of &What Else Could I Do?&) are just that: different, but not necessarily great music. And it was certainly not surprising to see the band splinter into a million pieces soon after releasing this album.