History / Bio of Artist

The Suicide Machines came out of Detroit, and that city toughness shows through on this record. They started back in 1991 under the name Jack Kevorkian and the Suicide Machines, which clearly took some uwanted notice so they smartly trimmed it down. By the time they recorded their debut, the lineup consisted of Jason Navarro on vocals, Dan Lukacinsky with guitar, Royce Nunley on bass, and future Alkaline Trio member Derek Grant killing it on the drums.

They landed under the third wave ska umbrella, but that label always sold them short because overall they played faster, had a harder edge, and sounded a little more passionate than many of their horn-led peers. The band also then signed to Hollywood Records, a Disney subsidiary which was originally created as a way for Disney to distance itself from the “Disney” brand, so they nailed this one with the in your face punk of The Suicide Machines. I can only assume the funding was there but was Hollywood best though for the promotion of this record? I can only imagine if this would have been an Epitaph release it could have soared to bigger heights. But who knows?

“Sixteen songs, thirty-seven minutes, not a wasted second. Destruction by Definition is Detroit at full throttle, and it still outruns almost everything chasing it.”

Album Description / Why It’s a Classic

Here is the thing worth remembering. When this dropped in 1996, ska-punk was not some niche genre. It was everywhere. It was on alternative radio, it was on MTV, it was tearing up the Warped Tour, and for a few years more people knew how to skank than ever! Destruction by Definition landed right in the middle of that explosion and helped push this Detroit band into the national spotlight.

Fast forward 30 years and that scene lives mostly underground now, traded between diehards and passed down from people like us. Which is exactly why this record is great and completely worth a revisit for a few but total discovery for an entire new group of soon to be fans. It is a perfect snapshot of a moment that has since gone quiet, fusing punk attitude, ska grooves, and that 90s DIY spirit into 16 songs and barely 37 minutes.

It just goes from start to ending on 100, which is what I have always wanted from a record like this. It opens with “New Girl” and just floors it, blending skanking upstrokes, hardcore fury, and pop hooks sharp enough to draw you in everytime. The band is very good at writing a sing-along hook one second and then tearing into a circle-pit igniter the next, sometimes maybe inside the same song. Vocalist Navarro also takes some real swings here at racism and conformity without ever turning preachy which is something that I thought differentiated this band. I will admit that plenty of ska-punk from this era feels dated now. This one though still has a timeless feel.

Singles

“No Face” was a proper single, landing in 1997 and showing up on MTV and modern rock radio a taste of the band’s speed. Before that, the label pushed promo clips for “New Girl,” “S.O.S.,” and “Break the Glass,” splicing live footage from a 1996 St. Andrew’s Hall show together with skate video. Wasn’t a bad marketing strategy for the music as it was easily adopted on the skater scene and probably those three tracks remain genre staples to this day.

Deep Cuts

An album this fast does not waste space, and these two buried tracks show what the band was really made of.

Artists With Similar Fire

If you are liking Destruction by Definition then you should check out these artists:

There are some very obvious groups that would make a killer concert lineup. Operation Ivy, the blueprint that basically made this whole sound possible. Rancid carries the same street-punk grit, while Less Than Jake matches the hooks and the energy. Voodoo Glow Skulls bring the same hardcore heaviness to their horns while Mustard Plug and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones round out the comparisons. All of these groups at the time were proof that third wave ska could catch listeners ears.

Hang around after the closer “So Long” and you get a bonus: a ripping cover of Minor Threat’s “I Don’t Wanna Hear It” hiding as a secret track. It is another perfect tell about where these guys came from and that Dischord punk is underneath any ska that was blended.

What Has the Band Been Up To?

Plenty, and the timing could not be better. The band split in 2006 and eased back into shows after reuniting around 2009. The groups last album was Revolution Spring in 2020, their first new album in 15 years, with Fat Wreck Chords. Navarro has kept very busy fronting Hellmouth and Break Anchor and launching a new project called The Boreouts in 2025.

To mark the 30th anniversary of Destruction by Definition, The Suicide Machines have launched their most ambitious tour in more than 20 years, playing the album front to back at every stop. They even dropped a new song, “Thank You,” to kick off the celebration. The current lineup has Navarro up front alongside Ryan Vandeberghe, Rich Tschirhart, and Justin Malek.

A few anchor dates on the North American side: Houston (Sept 4), Nashville (Sept 6), Atlanta (Sept 7), Miami (Sept 9), and Riot Fest in Chicago (Sept 18 to 20). The full and constantly updating routing lives at suicidemachinesdetroit.com, so point readers there for the complete list and tickets.

About the Reissue

For the 30th anniversary, Destruction by Definition has been remastered by Nick Townsend for the very first time. It also has several nice looking limited vinyl variants and joined the Record Store Day Essentials series, which is a year-round series by RSD run of foundational, must-own titles kept in print on limited wax so your local shop should have a copy.