World Gone Mad Suicidal Tendencies 2016 Suicidal Records Suicidal Tendencies are a Heavy Metal band from the USA who have spent the entirety of their career successfully straddling the perfect line between Thrash Metal, Hardcore Punk and Crossover. Although known for their distinctive style and sound, it is also fair to say that compared to their contemporaries, Suicidal Tendencies have gained a huge cult following by never trading their integrity for massive commercial success. World Gone Mad is the 12th studio album by Suicidal Tendencies and is the follow up to 2013’s rather lacklustre 13. Amidst rumours that this could be their final album, World Gone Mad ushers in a new era for Suicidal Tendencies. Led by original vocalist, the ever present Mike Muir, World Gone Mad also features long serving guitarist Dean Pleasants with new members, guitarist Jeff Pogan, bassist Ra Diaz and former Slayer drummer, Dave Lombardo. For the production of World Gone Mad, Muir has opted to do most of the production himself. However, acclaimed Metal producer Paul Northfield has also helped with the production having previously worked with Infectious Grooves and most Suicidal Tendencies and albums since 1992’s The Art of Rebellion. This has given World Gone Mad a slick finish that sounds decent and actually sonically better than 13. However, the points were Muir opts to sing, where maybe the production could do a better job at handling his vocals as they sound rather weak. As an album, World Gone Mad begins very strongly with the album’s single, Clap Like Ozzy, which features some absolutely fantastic bass playing from Diaz and some very distinctive drumming from Lombardo as they cement their roles instantly as the new rhythm section for Suicidal Tendencies. Clap Like Ozzy is hark back to classic Suicidal Tendencies and you can see it easily sliding in their live set alongside classics from Lights… Camera…Revolution and The Art of Rebellion with its barked vocals and fast Hardcore Punk beat. Unlike a lot of their peers, Suicidal Tendencies stuck to their guns and refused to bow to pressure to be more popular or streamline their sound and instead forged their own path by slamming forward with their own style of anti-establishment and finger to authority Crossover. World Gone Mad is no different, with uncertain times ahead, particularly in the USA, Muir asks the questions of what comes next with songs like The New Degeneration, Get Your Fight On!, One Finger Salute, Damage Control and the title track are all fantastic examples of this and keep the album alive at typical Suicidal Tendencies pace. The main problem with World Gone Mad is that the fast, Hardcore Punk songs are excellent, but the slower, mid-tempo songs where Muir actually sings are sub-par to piss poor. The final two tracks Still Dying to Live and This World are a huge anti-climax. Still Dying to Live is the equivalent of Suicidal Tendencies does The Beatles and feels like a 7 minute dirge, leaving World Gone Mad to not so much peter out as fizzle and fade out. All in all, World Gone Mad is an album of two very distinct halves, when it’s good, it’s good and when it’s poor, it’s poor. That aside, World Gone Mad is leaps and bounds ahead of the previous album, 13 and recently with Muir hinting that World Gone Mad may be the final Suicidal Tendencies album, then World Gone Mad wouldn’t be a totally bad way to bow out. 6/10 Adam Clap Like Ozzy (Muir)
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