So why is The Suicide Machines’ Battle Hymns on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
When I lived in Astoria, Queens, it took me roughly 45 minutes to get from my apartment to my job near Astor Place and Broadway in Manhattan – which, in a weird twist of fate, is a stone’s throw from the headquarters of the large media/tech company I work for today.
This was pre-streaming internet and smartphones, so planning one’s commuting entertainment took more work than it does today. The Howard Stern Show was a critical piece, with some caveats: those long commercial breaks back when he was on terrestrial radio could be brutal, but then there was also the part where I’d lose my Discman’s radio signal when the N train would head under the East River.
That’s when I’d carefully select a compact disc from my backpack and let the music blast to power my brain’s journey through the tunnel until we got to midtown.
This is where Battle Hymns would take over as my imagination ran wild.
I’d do this thing where I’d blast The Suicide Machines’ best album while standing there, holding a pole or strap or whatever. And as the subway car accelerated down the track, I’d look down to the far end of the car and imagine the band playing there – playing for all it was worth. Playing like their lives depended on it.
And then in my mind’s eye, the subway passengers would be going nuts, losing their minds at how kinetically incredible and insanely electric this manifestation of ska punk fury and bliss was.
And they’d be dancing. But not just dancing. Moshing, skanking, bouncing off the subway car walls and doors and of course each other. Especially each other.
By the time we arrived at 59th and Lex, a full mini-concert within the theater of my mind had played out.
Bing bong, indeed.
That’s what this perfect concoction of punk and ska – with light dustings of hardcore and reggae here and there – did to me back in the day. And even though I live in Seattle these days and haven’t taken the subway in a while, it still does.
The album’s production, crisp and high-energy, lets every snare crack and horn line pierce through like a live set bottled on tape.
“High Society” is the perfect illustration of what The Suicide Machines do at the truly elite level. A melodic ska section kicks off, and it’s delightful. What’s important to note here is that in many cases, “ska punk bands” tend to touch on ska or use it as an influence of some of their music, but it’s not really emphasized – at least in an interesting or compelling way.
But not here. And then when “High Society” turns things up a notch and launches into a punk section, Jason Navarro’s growly vocals lending a hint of hardcore vibes.
“Confused” is another example of that melodic ska/explosive punk dynamic at play. Battle Hymns certainly stands on The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ shoulders here, I should add (see: Devil’s Night Out is #48 of best 1,000 albums ever), but Battle Hymns refines the model into a slightly purer form.
In my piece on Destruction By Definition (#230), the band’s debut album, I talk about discovering the band by way of browsing the racks at a Tower Records on the corner 4th and Broadway:
And so it was that I discovered a band called The Suicide Machines by way of their debut album, Destruction By Definition. While their sound would become slightly more refined and expansive over the years – with some tremendous triumphs to come – all of the incredible components were there from the beginning: aggressive yet melodic punk rock (with a thrashy skate punk edge), an outstanding ability to layer in ska rhythms, and most importantly: real skill at consistently putting together tuneful and catchy songs.
I think maybe I hold a special affection for The Suicide Machines in part because they were my “personal discovery,” which might be slightly hard to explain to people who didn’t come of age before internet access was ubiquitous and instantaneous. But they – and by extension, ska and ska punk music – became part of my core musical identity, and Battle Hymns is a central part of that journey.
At a lightning fast and endlessly listenable 22 songs in just under 32 minutes, Battle Hymns also offers a surprising amount of variety and exceptionally crafted tracks, the longest of which (“Give”) tops out at two minutes and 18 seconds. “Give” provides a really nice glimpse of the band at its mellowest and most ska-centric, a mode I find a pure delight.
Meanwhile, tracks like “Strike” lean most heavily toward the band’s hardcore punk side. It’s a very “clean” sound by hardcore standards, which makes it effective, intense, and tremendously good.
But it’s when the two sides are best melded together that the tracks truly stand out, as can be seen on the NYC subway-shaking powers of “Step One” and “Sides.”
I’ve been remiss in not noting until now that The Suicide Machines have always had a strong political focus on many of their songs, keying in particularly on governmental hypocrisy and inequality. It’s another element that makes them stand out from their many peers who are perfectly happy to stay in the beers-and-forget-your-worries lane.
The caustic but ultimately rousing “Hating Hate” is a great example:
Prejudice our nation’s biggest sickness
Is taking place before our very eyes
I’m just as guilty as the next and that I’ll try to change
Unfortunately, some aren’t easily persuaded so we fight
I hope I’ve made a compelling argument for why an album and a band that some of you reading these words may have never heard of has landed right on the cusp of this wacky project’s Top 25 albums out of 1,000.
If nothing else, if I can turn on a few people to this potent, prescient ska punk masterpiece from 1998, I’ll be quite satisfied.
Some stats & info about The Suicide Machines – Battle Hymns
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rock Music, Alterative Rock, Punk Rock, Ska Punk, Third Wave Ska Revival, Detroit Bands, Pop Punk
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3 out of 5 stars (!?)
- When was Battle Hymns released? 1998
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #26 out of 1,000
The Suicide Machines’ Battle Hymns on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from The Suicide Machines’ Battle Hymns that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
And what do we learn? To kill better.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.