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Jun 30, 20234 min read

Suicidal Tendencies — The Art of Rebellion

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟  𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…


31 years ago today, Suicidal Tendencies showed us that you can’t put a “Monopoly On Sorrow”!



On this day (June 30) in 1992, Suicidal Tendencies released their sixth full-length studio album “The Art of Rebellion” via Epic Records.


It was the only Suicidal Tendencies album to be recorded without an official drummer; the drum tracks were handled by Josh Freese, filling in for the departed R.J. Herrera.



“The Art of Rebellion” maintains its position as the band's most commercially successful studio album to date, and the songs "Nobody Hears" and "I'll Hate You Better" have the distinction of being the only top 40 hits (radio or otherwise) in Suicidal Tendencies' career.


(US Single for Nobody Hears)


Background:

Released in the wake of the success of Grunge and Alternative Rock, “The Art of Rebellion” is widely considered to be Suicidal's "experimental" album. Mike Clark has acknowledged this, but also mentioned that the album was not planned that way, and was just a reflection of the band's musical growth.


(The Art of Rebellion poster)


The songs show the band's continuing experimentation with Funk that had begun on its predecessor, “Lights...Camera...Revolution!”, as well as more progressive song structures, a somewhat more Alternative atmosphere, and even Pop-oriented sounds. This helped the band not only outride the explosion of Alternative in the early 1990s, it also helped them gain a fan base within that community. Nonetheless, the album still stays true to the band's Thrash and Punk roots on many of the songs.


(Asleep At The Wheel promo CD)


(Maxi CD Single for Asleep At The Wheel)


At almost 60 minutes long, “The Art of Rebellion” was Suicidal Tendencies' longest album to date, until 2013's “13”. Singles to promote the album were "Nobody Hears", "Asleep at the Wheel", and "I'll Hate You Better"; the music videos for each single gained substantial airplay on MTVs HeadBangers Ball.


(Monopoly On Sorrow CD promo)


(1993 CD promo for I'll Hate You Better)


Longtime drummer R.J. Herrera left Suicidal Tendencies just prior to the album's recording sessions, and instead of replacing him, the remaining members opted to record as a four-piece and were joined by Josh Freese of The Vandals, who is credited as a session drummer on the album and does not appear in any of the photos on the insert.


(The Art of Rebellion promotional poster)


The Art of Rebellion Tour:

For the accompanying tour for “The Art of Rebellion”, Herrera was replaced by former Lita Ford, Megadeth, and Y&T drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, who would stay in Suicidal Tendencies until the band's initial breakup in 1995.


Suicidal Tendencies began the first leg of the tour in Europe on October 7th, 1992. This tour was called the 'Suicidal Europe '92' tour. This leg of the tour ended on October 21st, 1992.


On October 31st, ST began touring as support for Megadeth on the 'Countdown To Extinction' tour until December 31st.


For more information on the bands tour for The Art of Rebellion, including; tour fliers, shirts, etc., follow this link; https://intothewellsabyss.wixsite.com/intothewells/post/suicidal-tendencies-the-art-of-rebellion-tour-92-93



Critical Reception:

“The Art of Rebellion” has since achieved gold status and peaked at number 52 on the Billboard 200.


In a review for AllMusic, Roch Parisien stated;

“On the group's earliest albums, vocalist Mike Muir specialized in intense, angst-ridden rants, harrowing but one-dimensional. He has since developed into a rock-solid vocalist, his voice a powerful and fluid instrument. Muir still delivers emotionally ferocious spoken-word segments on "Nobody Hears" and "I Wasn't Meant to Hear This," but the trademark is woven into good songs rather than being an end onto itself. A clenched fist in a velvet glove -- or is it an open hand in chain mail? -- whichever, “The Art of Rebellion” packs a punch that should win over new devotees while maintaining the group's hardcore following.”

While one reviewer at Sputnikmusic said;

“The Art of Rebellion” is ST's most experimental album, throwing in some Pop and Alternative elements, but still results in a top notch record. Suicidal Tendencies deserve credit as being one of the more versatile bands of the past century.”

While the 90’s Rock Review at Dig Me Out podcast stated;

“From the charted MTV single "Nobody Hears" to the shape-shifting opener "Can't Stop," Muir is the most surprising discovery in our revisit, taking his voice and lyrics into a variety of sounds and ideas that still resonate. Of course, having an already established line-up of killer musicians backed by the lone appearance of drumming monster Josh Freese helps to further flesh out all the ideas and sounds into a truly unique record for the time period.” — You can listen to the full episode at DigMeOutPodcast.com.

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “The Art of Rebellion” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-art-of-rebellion/181482314


Click this link to listen to “The Art of Rebellion” via Spotify: The Art Of Rebellion https://open.spotify.com/album/0YuCx3bdCJG3n2kuQOhiWL


Click this link to watch the official music video for “Nobody Hears”: https://youtu.be/xp7svl4l5Dk


Click this link to watch the official music video for “I Wasn’t Meant to Feel This/Asleep at the Wheel”: https://youtu.be/auiAKIbVCxc


Click this link to watch the official music video for “I’ll Hate You Better”: https://youtu.be/avJTANfvjiE


Click this link to follow Suicidal Tendencies on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suicidaltendencies


Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells


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To read more about this release and more, subscribe to Into the Wells at: https://intothewellsabyss.wixsite.com/intothewells





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