The Suicide Machines

War Profiteering Is Killing Us All

[4] If the album title didn’t tip you off, the Suicide Machines are slightly fed up with the current U.S. government. This veteran Detroit combo pull no punches on their sixth proper full-length, with salvo after salvo of politically charged ska-punk that tells it exactly like it is. “Capitalist Suicide” and “Ghosts On Sunset Blvd.” are tightly wound throwbacks to Destruction By Definition; “Capsule” and the title track are more hardcore than anything found on Battle Hymns; “Junk” and “Hands Tied” will satisfy the inner skanker in all of us. Essentially, Profiteering is a perfect sequel to the Machines’ 2003 comeback album, A Match And Some Gasoline: There’s just enough of a “vintage” sound to please the lifers, but the band are still pushing themselves creatively (i.e., the dark, intense “All Systems Fail”). And, if you’re still missing the band’s message, just listen for singer Jason Navarro’s howl of “Fuck this war!” in the middle of “17% 18 To 25.” We’re pretty sure that gives it away. (SIDEONEDUMMY)

IN-STORE SESSION With Suicide Machines guitarist Dan Lukacinsky.

You titled the new album War Profiteering Is Killing Us All-do
you think something this straightforward will alienate people?

I’m sure it probably will. One thing I’ve found as a songwriter
is that when you offer an extreme message, or something where people have to
think really hard, a lot of people are not gonna dig it. Right now, this country
is dealing with a major, major problem of ignorance and ambivalence. So I figured,
“Okay, I’m dealing with a lot of ignorant people.” When I
say I’m dealing with ignorant people, I’m saying, “Yeah, half
the voting population of the United States is ignorant.” Our fans aren’t
[ignorant]; they know what’s up. I wanted to offer a straightforward,
direct message that anyone could understand. I’m hoping that people who
aren’t necessarily Suicide Machines fans hear about this record and take
note of some of the lyrics in there.

Do you think there’s too much apathy in music nowadays, where
people aren’t using their platform to say anything important?

Yes, definitely. And along with that, there are a lot of bands who have jumped
on the Bush-hating bandwagon. That shit’s lame, too. Talk about something
that actually means something, not just that you hate George Bush. If you voted
for Bush and you know exactly what is going on, and you back what his administration
is doing, cool. Just don’t be ignorant about it.

This album is definitely the heaviest in your career, but at the same
time, you have a song like “Nuclear Generators,” which has one of
the catchiest choruses you’ve ever written-and it’s about
the end of the world. How do you balance your music with your lyrical content?

Well, this record is a pretty pissed-off record. We wanted to capture what a
lot of the lyrics were in the music, as well. It’s a pissed-off message;
it should be a pretty pissed-off song. “Nuclear Generators” is an
apocalyptic song with a pop chorus. But, hey: If it’s catchy, it’s
going to stay in someone’s head, right? The thing that people have to
get over with Suicide Machines is we’re not the band we were 10 years
ago; we don’t wanna be. We don’t write songs about girls anymore;
it’s not our goal as a band.

Do you think this is your best record?

I don’t necessarily say it’s our best record, but it’s one of our better ones. If I look at the records I really like that we’ve made — Destruction By Definition, A Match And Some Gasoline and War Profiteering Is Killing Us All — those records were uncompromising. We did exactly what we wanted to do. We did make a couple of really sub par records with Hollywood, in my opinion. They were low-energy, too refined, too polished. Getting off of Hollywood and moving to SideOneDummy made a world of difference. We’re not getting the major-label perks, but we weren’t getting them, anyway. With SideOneDummy, you’re dealing with people that understand and like what you do, rather than a bunch of businesspeople.

People on the internet seem to think this is going to be the last Suicide
Machines album. What do you have to say about that?

Well, we like to start a lot of rumors. [Laughs.] There’s no definite
about this being our last record. We constantly reassess our situation. We’ll
move in the direction that is best for the band when we are done touring for
this record. We’re still going strong. –Scott Heisel