One of the most underrated bands, but respected no matter what, the Suicidal Tendencies brilliant debut album is an all time classic that shows what real punk rock is, and what real hardcore is. "Institutionalized" remains an all time classic song of vocalist Mike Muir venting so much its unbelievable, while "I Shot the Devil" and "I Saw Your Mommy" are just great punk/thrash songs that you can easily get into. The Suicidal Tendencies are without a doubt one of the most influential bands in the past 15 years, and they make pretenders like Blink 182, Sum 41, and Green Day show how its really done. I strongly recommend picking up this classic as soon as you can, this is what real punk rock is all about.

This is Suicidal's first album (released in 1983, the same year as Metallica's "Kill 'Em All"), and as one listens, one can hear why, 22 years later, Suicidal Tendencies is still respected as one of the best crossover bands that grew out of the incredible union of punk and thrash in the 1980's. On this album, Suicidal exhibits more punk attitude than metal, but the addition of phenomenal solos to scorching punk tunes like "Two-Sided Politics" makes for a highly entertaining album. Mike Muir's vocals can be a bit repetitive at times, but one would be hard pressed to find a more energetic and cathartic singer. One of this album's best features is its production; it was engineered by Randy Burns, notable for his work with Megadeth on 1986's "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" album, and the overall sound is raw, abrasive, and punk-like while retaining a clarity beyond comparable bands at the time. This combination of low-fi DIY spirit and musical clarity allows all of the punk attitude to be dominant while letting all of the instruments have an equal share of the spotlight, none overpowering any other within the mix.

The best songs are "Suicide's An Alternative/You'll Be Sorry," "Two-Sided Politics," "I Shot the Devil," "Won't Fall In Love Today," "Institutionalized" (a true classic), "Memories of Tomorrow," "Fascist Pig," and "I Want More." Really, the only bad song is the last, as it seems to have been included on the album as filler. Also, the song "Subliminal," which addresses the subject of subliminal messages on television, contains funny and odd sound clips that continue underneath the instruments throughout the song.

Overall, an excellent and influential album.

hey,dave sprague.those "arcs of guitar" you mentioned, were not the works of george & clark. they were those of a lone axe weilder by the name of grant estes (the man!).you must've been reviewing still cyco...if so do yourself a favor , hear this album.i'm a huge s.t. fan & this one started it all.this band was voted worst band of 1982 by a handfull mags of the time (so i hear).i would like to thank them.there is no such thing as bad poblicity.

This record was their first and as far as i'm concerned. . . . their best. The amazon review is incorrect regarding who played guitar on it though. Nothing agains rocky or mike but Grant Estes played ALL guitars on that record. Those other guys did the remake and it's not even close. Don't waste your money. the original kicks azz and was the total precursor to sooooo many bands today it's not even funny. Mike's insane lyrics spoke to a generation trying to find itself and Grant's guitar work was groundbreaking for that genre of music. NOBODY had solos in punk at that time. This record was ahead of it's time and still holds up today. check it out, you'll play the siht out of it like i do.

Essential listening. Nothing can touch it. For those who were born around the time this album came out, or who are only familiar with "Institutionalized", do yourself a favor, and get ahold of this album. It's barely 30 minutes long, and goes by real quick. It will also leave a long lasting impact on your outlook of music, among other things.