Those unfortunately unfamiliar with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES should immediately seek out a copy of the masterpiece, "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today," a personal favorite.  Any band to be banned from playing their home town is brutal as SUICIDAL displayed back in the 1908s in the Los Angeles area.  BAD LUCK 13 RIOT EXTRAVAGANZA from Philly also comes to mind.  SUICIDAL compose their own institution with a 38 year history now.  The band was the face of West Coast Crossover Thrash, as they violently, ravenously built an empire of dedicated fans across the world.  Now the band has released "Still Cyco Punk After all These Years," their 13th studio album, and despite the fact the material has mostly been garnered from Mike Muir's 1996 debut solo album, the songs sound remarkably fresh, especially so with Dave Lombardo behind the kit.

"I Love Destruction" opens the album with a classic Hardcore feel.  One is especially reminded of vintage MISFITS with the hyper speed, palm-muting, and gang vocals.  The end result is a classic SUICIDAL TENDENCIES hit, massively fast and heavy.  The third track, "All Kinda Crazy," is a song built upon classic mid-temp Crossover with crafty songwriting.  After the storied history of this band, Mike Muir knows how to write  a song as well as how to equip ultra-tight musicians to play with.  The guitar solo in the latter part of the song will make anyone a believer with the last bit of double bass from the Jedi Master of drums, Dave Lombardo.

Fourth track, "Sippin' from the Insanitea," features a high mark of the album when in the last part, the guitarist and bassist seem to be having a duel of riffs and runs.  "Lost my Brain...Once Again," the sixth track has a similar feel where the bass aptly lays down the groove over which the guitar solos and later on, they seem to play off one another before returning to the song proper.  This is truly classic SUICIDAL TENDENCIES material.  "Ain't Gonna Get Me," the ninth track features a furiously flashy bass run that kicks off the song, a rampaging behemoth track built upon classic Punk Rock chords.  For some reason, the atmosphere behind those particular chords is especially dark and catchy.  Once again, SUICIDAL sound like the funky west coast cousins of THE MISFITS.  The guitar solo toward the end soars with a melodious explosion.

Instrumentally, the band sounds as fresh as ever if not more invigorating with this release.  The guitar sound is both classic and more expansive.  The solos are just as liberally inventive as ever, and the rhythms are tight and well-articulated.  Speaking of astute articulation, the bass guitar work must be mentioned as the tone fits in its own space allowing every note and nuance to be crystal clear.  The speed and fluidity of the bassist is second to none whether he is laying down a fat groove or galloping at the speed of light.  Lombardo fits the role.  His career has been so successful that he is allowed to play with who he chooses.  He doesn't SLAYER-ise the music, but instead, he proves to be a solid work horse behind the drums, on fire for Thrash Metal, yet tasateful and selective about his patterns and rolls.

At a time when myraid Metal bands seem to be cashing in on nostalgia, this release is immediately refreshing.  It is a truly anomalous reality that Mike Muir still sings with the same passion as she did over thirty years ago.  It is rare for a band to give one chills, and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES is definitely one of those bands.  That speaks for itself.