SUICIDAL TENDENCIES Suicidal Tendencies, from Venice, Calif., may never be considered one of the better bands to come out of the hardcore punk scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Black Flag, Minor Threat and Bad Brains played harder, faster and better, while avoiding the cheesy gangster imagery which Suicidal Tendencies flirted with. What they will be remembered for is pioneering the crossover thrash genre, a mixture of thrash metal and hardcore punk that took the technicality of the former and the anger of the latter to create something which wasn’t quite as good as either. Still, credit should be given where it’s due, and Suicidal Tendencies hasn’t survived for three decades just by resting on its laurels, even if lead singer/ringleader Mike Muir is the only remaining original member. The band mixes punk and thrash with funk, jazz and progressive metal, which shouldn’t work, but sometimes does. While 50-year-olds can get away with playing blues and jazz, crossover thrash at that age is a lot harder to sell. If anyone could do it, though, it would be Muir.

Ashton Lewis

Price: $26-28