Suicidal Tendencies Biography

Judging from their name, Suicidal Tendencies
were never afraid of a little controversy. Formed in Venice, CA, during the
early '80s, the group's leader from the beginning was outspoken
vocalist Mike Muir. The outfit specialized in vicious hardcore early on --
building a huge following among skateboarders, lending a major hand in the
creation of skatepunk -- before turning their focus eventually to thrash
metal. Early on, the group (whose original lineup included Muir, guitarist
Grant Estes, bassist Louiche Mayorga, and drummer Amery Smith) found it
increasingly difficult to book shows, due to rumors of its members'
affiliation with local gangs and consistent violence at their performances.
The underground buzz regarding Suicidal Tendencies grew too loud for labels
to ignore though, as the quartet signed on with the indie label Frontier;
issuing Muir and company's classic self-titled debut in 1983. The album
quickly became the best-selling hardcore album up to that point; its
best-known track, "Institutionalized," was one of the first hardcore punk
videos to receive substantial airplay on MTV, and was eventually used in
the Emilio Estevez cult classic movie Repo Man, as well as in an episode
for the hit TV show Miami Vice (for which the group made a cameo
appearance).



Suicidal Tendencies proved influential for future
speed/thrash metal bands, but despite its early success, the quartet's
reputation preceded them, as no other record label was willing to take them
on (in addition, Los Angeles banned the group from playing around this
time, lasting until the early '90s). Not much was heard from the group
for several years afterward (leading many to believe that Suicidal had
broken up), but Muir and company eventually found a home with Caroline
Records. By this time, half of the original lineup had left; Muir and
Mayorga were the only holdovers, while guitarist Rocky George and drummer
R.J. Herrera rounded out the group. 1987 saw the release of Suicidal's
sophomore release, Join the Army, which spawned another popular skatepunk
anthem, "Possessed to Skate," as more and more metal heads began to be
spotted in Suicidal's audience. Soon after, Suicidal was finally
offered a major-label contract (with Epic), as another lineup change
occurred: Mayorga exited the band, while newcomer Bob Heathcote took his
spot; and a second guitarist, Mike Clark, was added as well. This Suicidal
lineup's first album together, 1988's How Will I Laugh Tomorrow
When I Can't Even Smile Today, showed that their transformation from
hardcore to heavy metal was now complete, as did a compilation of two
earlier EPs, 1989's Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Dj Vu.



Suicidal's first release of the new decade, 1990's Lights,
Camera, Revolution, was another success; its video for the explosive "You
Can't Bring Me Down" received repeated airings on MTV's
Headbanger's Ball program, while the album (in addition to the
Controlled by Hatred comp) would be certified gold in the U.S. a few years
later. The release also signaled the arrival of new bassist Robert
Trujillo, whose penchant for funk added a new element to the group's
sound. The group tried to broaden their audience even further by opening a
string of arena shows for prog-metallists Queensrche during the summer of
1991. Their next release, 1992's The Art of Rebellion, proved to be one
of Suicidal's most musically experimental albums of their career. Muir
and Trujillo also teamed up around this time for a funk metal side project,
Infectious Grooves (including several other participants, such as
Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins) and issued a debut release,
The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move. Upset that the group's classic
debut had been out of print for several years by this point, Muir decided
to re-record the entire record with Suicidal's '90s lineup under
the title of Still Cyco After All These Years.



But after one
more release, 1994's Suicidal for Life, Suicidal Tendencies decided to
hang it up. A pair of compilations were issued in 1997: a best-of set,
Prime Cuts, plus Friends & Family. Muir and Trujillo continued to issue
further Infectious Grooves releases (Sarsippius' Ark and Groove Family
Cyco), in addition to Muir pursuing a solo career under the alias of Cyco
Miko (Lost My Brain Once Again) and Trujillo touring and recording as part
of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band (appearing on Osbourne's 2001 release,
Down to Earth). Muir formed a new version of Suicidal Tendencies in the
late '90s (with Clark being the only other familiar face), resulting in
such further studio releases as 1999's Freedumb and 2000's Free
Your Soul and Save My Mind. Muir and Trujillo joined forces once more for a
fourth Infectious Grooves studio release in 2000, Mas Borracho; while
another Cyco Miko release surfaced, Schizophrenic Born Again Problem Child,
along with a follow-up up to their earlier compilation, Friends & Family,
Vol. 2. Now the band will be back with their new album
soon......