Review Summary: Another gem that any fan of the band, or even Thrash in general, shouldn't be without.
Lights...Camera…Revolution! was the fourth album released by Crossover/Thrash band Suicidal Tendencies and shows the band departing from their hardcore punk roots and also shows them further straying away from the “skatepunk” sound in which they helped pioneer in the early 80’s. With their past releases, they had proven themselves to be vital force in the hardcore/crossover scene, but in the early 90’s with the release of L…C…R, they had yet again released another gem, but this time making their transition from crossover to pure thrash complete.
The music displayed on this album shows the band at their most focused point, showcasing their passion and motivation, the type of sound not heard since their debut in the mid-80’s. The album opens up dramatically, with the song “You Cant Bring Me Down”, which begins with a mesmeric solo and continues straight into a soothing acoustic part, a move made famous by Thrash legends Metallica. Then the tempo is sped up with the main riff, which is executed perfectly, along with the ranting of vocalist Mike Muir. The song is one of the highlights of the album and is one of many examples which had presented ST as a commanding force within the genre.
Each song contains a memorable riff, which all begin with an equally memorable intro, from the epic opening of “You Cant Bring Me Down” and “Alone” to the comical “Lovely” and “Get Whacked.” The riffs are catchy and perfectly executed, with each of them being easily distinguished from every song on the album. The album houses impressive offerings such as the before mentioned “Get Whacked” which clearly expresses its Motorhead influences and furthermore establishes the fun-nature of the band.
With the album demonstrating complex song and lyric arrangements, it also demonstrates the whole dark and balls-out fury of the album. With songs like “Send Me Money,” they directly attack television evangelists with savage honesty and the band continues to show their dark humour in “Disco’s In, Murder’s Out.” Mike Muir provides vocals that range from the amusing ranting on “You Cant Bring Me Down” which fits with his usual outspoken views attacking the music industry, to the equally amusing half rap, half singing in “Alone.” L…C…R was also their first album to include a heavy funk influence, mainly due to the inclusion of new bassist at the time, Robert Trujillo.
L…C…R was the album remembered by its fans due to it featuring the classic ST line-up, which was by far, the most technically strongest line-up the band has had to date. This album was also one of the triumphant albums to come out of the 90’s and remains to be a personal favourite from that time. With its complex song arrangements, crushing riffs, splendid vocals with their famous outspoken lyrics, this was an album that had brought in even more fans to the bands already incredibly devoted fan base. A definite album, that won’t go amiss in your collection.
