I stopped following Suicidal Tendencies after 1994's 'Suicidal for Life' album. What exactly was my reason? Well, I had found different styles of metal music and so many new (or old!) bands I was paying more attention to. Here's where years went by... Then one day I became aware that the band was active when Dave Lombardo joined them back in 2016. It was, of course, big news, because that guy can carry a beat!

Anyway, I saw ST's 2013 album '13' at some record store and decided to give it a try. The cover looks cool with the "word skull", after all. It also has 13 tracks, so I actually expected some crossover punk to be found on it. Well, that wasn't exactly how it was. The album feels like a collection of funk songs jammed by the band. Long time guitarist Mike Clark had left the band in the previous year, and Dean Pleasants (also in Infectious Grooves) got Nico Santora (Lillake) as his 6-string partner here. The bassist Tim Williams stepped in from Infectious Grooves. The drums are performed by another Lillake guy, Eric Moore. So, vocalist Mike Muir gathered a bunch of Californians around him, without a surprise.

So, they got the fucking wrong band logo on the cover! I feel this is more Infectious Grooves than Suicidal Tendencies, like 100%. The song structures are more free form, and also partly jamming, compared to ST that I love. There definitely isn't catchiness abound, like back in the day. Punky 'This Ain't a Celebration' has stronger riffs and good drive, but feels like the band didn't manage to invent enough parts to make a good song. That's how it goes here at the best case scenario, sadly. The thing is, that '13' is over 58 minutes long album...

I always loved Mike Clark and Leonard "Rocky" George shredding it out with power and originality on older ST albums. Sadly, ST here was just a pale comparison to past times. It doesn't feel as tight at all, nor unique, I'm afraid. And it's definitely not as skillful. It does sound like Mr. Pleasants tries to shred as much as he possibly can at times, without much structure to it at all. It does not sound wild, it sounds wobbly. And do not forget the wah-pedal! It makes the album very hard for me to listen to.

Of course the rhythm section is bad-ass. Lots and lots of different beats and bass motifs to discover here. Some guitars parts sound powerless, and the reason is I think that they wanted more space for bass guitar. Generally, the production is more like a rock album sound, definitely not something like my favorite ST platter 'Lights... Camera... Revolution' (1990) with its wonderful Mark Dodson epicness. Yes, the production is clear and clean, but yeah, too light.

Mike Muir sounds like he always did. Some love him, others cannot stand his ranting. He has a totally unique voice; nothing metal, but more like a soft, high-pitched upper throat delivery. He probably does those annoying utterances in purpose, knowing he'd be noticed. Anyway, I learned to like his voice back in the day, so I can enjoy great ST stuff.

I am thinking of Infectious Grooves all the time when listening to this. Rollins Band and Red Hot Chili Peppers pop into my brain frequently, too... If you like it funky and a bit punky, why not give this fucker a go? Just do not expect to hear things from a few decades back. I can listen to this for some time, but definitely not for an hour. And nothing seems to stick... Something brought them down, flat on their faces!

Rating: 3½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
06/28/2025 17:12