5 out of 5

Label: Hollywood Records

Produced by: Julian Raymond, Phil Kaffel and The Suicide Machines

Before you accuse me of giving five stars through a haze of nostalgia, I’d point to this group having stood the test of time past the ska/punk fad, delivering several respected albums in the hardcore/punk scene.  Not that that means anything, of course, but I’d like to think it’s some type of evidence of the skill of the players, which was evident right from the go of this, their first major release.  The interplay of call-out vocals and metal shrieks; the active bass lines; the on-point riffs and intensely intricate drumming – these boys could do plenty more than just play three chords.  And while it’s true that their lyrical content rarely strayed from the typical punk touchpoints of individuality and, later, politics, they also tend not to fallback too much on swear word rhyming or name calling to get by; I can still sing along with every track on this disc and not feel stupid.  I was also always in such admiration of Julian Raymond’s production on the album.  Raymond, whose name is attached to plenty of big name acts, gives the album this pristine sheen that – not for one moment, one note – sacrifices the aggressiveness of the group’s delivery.  If anything, the clarity amplifies it, and the mix lets it all shine through without overwhelming.

Destruction by Definition hints at the heaviness to come later in The SM’s career, but the ska influence of the time – which is executed with the same skill as every other aspect of the disc, random horn lines included – keeps the group focused on having a good time, which infuses the whole album with the same.  Every track crackles with energy whilst blending different elements from the scene.  And sure, at times it’s simplistic, singing about Vans, but that simplicity is a skill as well, slipped in between moments that do more with ska/punk hooks than should be possible on a single disc.

Lastly, I’ve said it before and here it comes again: I Don’t Wanna Hear It is better than the original, so fuck off.