Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: Suicidal Tendencies It was around 1988 and Suicidal Tendencies were just starting their transformation from a flat-out hardcore punk band to a punk band merging their earlier influences with metal and by that I mean speed metal. This new sounding ST made their debut with 1988’s How Will I Laugh Tomorrow…When I Can’t Even Smile Today . On that record was one of their best forays into the new sound: “Trip at the Brain.” Kicking off with an excellent riff by the always amazing Rocky George, the rest of the band speeds up behind him and Mike Muir comes in with lyrics about drug abuse that really spoke of the times. But as the song goes on, the tempo gets quicker and things start to go rushing by you. As drummer R.J. Herrera and short-lived bassist Bob Heathcote get things kicking down, Mike’s lyrics become quicker and the band begin racing through it all as fast as they can and it all sounds excellent. The band’s speed here is amazing but this song and every ot

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: House of Love While there are some bands that suffer from a lack of material and time, there are some that suffer from an overabundance of both and that can cause a lot of confusion among consumers and also can result in a lot of great songs being lost in the cracks. One of the best examples of this is the House of Love’s 1990 gem “Beatles and the Stones.” The House of Love were a British alt-rock band in a time when Britain was obsessed with dance bands like New Order and Happy Mondays. As a result of basically not enough attention, the band released more than enough singles to keep their fans satisfied. By the time of “Beatles and the Stones’” release in 1990, the band had already released about eight singles and one full-length. The fact that the second album was self-titled as well as the first one caused some fans and critics confusion so in the U.S., the album is referred to as Fontana . In the U.S., their label kept trying to push them throug

Forgotten Album of the Month: Suicide Machines When Suicide Machines’ major-label debut, Destruction by Definition was released in 1996, it was a gigantic slap in the face to all of the ‘punk’ that was out at the moment. By going back and doing things so quickly and efficiently, the band was able to prove to people that you could still play loud, fast, aggressive punk and it can reach an audience. Opening with the furious double assault of “New Girl” and “S.O.S.,” the band immediately made an impression with how fast and quick the material was. Even better, the melodies were all there and it didn’t matter if you weren’t into punk because you could hear how melodic and powerful the songs were even through the screaming. One of the record and the band’s greatest strengths was drummer Derek Grant; before he toned his style down to suit the music of his new band Alkaline Trio, Grant was an absolute powerhouse who could pound the shit out of everything around him but yet still bring it bac