1996-2001: Hollywood Records years
In 1995 the band signed to Hollywood Records, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. 1996 saw the release of their first album, Destruction by Definition. Its blend of punk rock and ska brought the national attention in the midst of the mid-1990s punk rock mainstream revival. The single "No Face" became a minor hit on modern rock radio stations and the album was supported through extensive touring across the United States. They released a follow-up in 1998 entitled Battle Hymns, which continued their ska punk style while incorporating more aggressive elements of hardcore punk, with nearly all of its songs lasting under two minutes in length.
Following the release of Battle Hymns Grant left the band. He went on to play with numerous groups including Thoughts of Ionesco, The Vandals, face to face, and Telegraph before finding a permanent position in the Alkaline Trio. He was replaced by Erin Pitman for some touring before new permanent drummer Ryan Vandeberghe joined. In 2000 this lineup released The Suicide Machines, a more pop rock oriented effort that moved away from the ska influences of their earlier releases. They received some radio and video play for the single "Sometimes I Don't Mind" and performed on the Warped Tour that Summer. In 2001 they released Steal This Record, which continued their exploration of pop punk style while mixing in elements of their earlier ska punk and hardcore albums.
2002-2005: Side One Dummy years
Following touring in support of Steal This Record bassist Nunley left The Suicide Machines to start his own band, Blueprint 76, and was replaced by Rich Tschirhart. The band also ended their contract with Hollywood Records, fulfilling their contractual obligations by releasing the compilation album The Least Worst of the Suicide Machines. They then moved to the independent label Side One Dummy Records. Their next album A Match and Some Gasoline, released in 2003, found the band abandoning the pop experimentations of their previous two albums and returning more to the ska punk and hardcore styles of their earlier years. They also began to explore sociopolitical themes in songs such as "Did You Ever Get a Feeling of Dread?" and "Your Silence," which were critical of President George W. Bush's administration, its response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They toured internationally in support of the album and again performed on the Warped Tour.
In 2005 the band released the album War Profiteering is Killing Us All, which continued their political themes by openly attacking the Bush White House, the continuation of the Iraq War, and conservative Republicanism. Navarro also launched his own record label, Noise Riot Records, and released On the Eve of Destruction: 1991-1995, a compilation of the band's early EPs, singles, and demos.
2006: Breakup and post-Suicide Machines activity
In 2006, while touring in support of War Profiteering is Killing Us All, the band abruptly broke up. Explanations given by the band members for this included Vandeberghe's desire to take a break from touring, which he did while friend Steve McCrumb filled for a performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on May 11. A tour of Mexico had been planned to follow this, and Navarro had suggested that the band perform its final shows that Christmas. However, interpersonal tensions came to a head after the Troubadour show when Lukacinsky refused to finish the tour. Lukacinsky himself further elaborated that the band had been planning to break up for some time.
Following the band's breakup, Navarro and Vandeberghe continued working with Left in Ruin, a band they had started as a Suicide Machines side project and had worked on and off with for almost 6 years. Vandeberghe also joined the new band Hifi Handgrenades. Lukacinsky, meanwhile, started his own band Bayonetting the Wounded. Navarro is currently fronting Hellmouth. Tschirhart is in The A-Gang.
Capsule
The Suicide Machines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So taste your fate, so eat your shit
We've come to this, oh what the fuck have we done?
Slave - from our birth to our grave
Slave - our tombs engraved, "enslaved"
Technology isolating human interaction turns to human decay
We've finally reached the point of no return
We've reached the point of no return
The water, land, sky they burn
We've reached the point of no return
We're all gonna burn
We dig our grave
Now we lie in them and we roll in our own shit
The Suicide Machines's song "Capsule" portrays a poignant, cynical message about our society's gradual degradation and gradual detachment from nature. The lyricist mourns the irreversible harms that humans have perpetrated on Earth, as technology has become ubiquitous in our daily lives, to the point that it supplants human interactions and empathy, leading to our from humanity's collective emotional or social welfare. The first verse is especially insightful in its veracity in which the lyricist observes that society is gradually waning and weakening, similar to a human's aging body. The next lines are an expression of disgust, as the chaotic pace of modern life has led us to "eat our shit" or accept the deplorable state of our world without speaking up or taking action. The second verse continues to highlight the theme of servitude, with the tombstones engraved with "enslaved," a reminder of humanity's destiny towards an inevitable end.
The chorus drives home the message that we have crossed the line and there is no turning back. The destruction of Earth's essential elements like water, land, and sky through pollution and wastefulness is imminent, and all of us will suffer the consequences. The parting lines are a sobering call to action, as the lyricist points to our role in digging the very graves we now lay in, alluding to the human contribution to the decline of our world.
Musically, the song is a powerful, fast-paced punk rock number with pounding drums and distorted guitar riffs that complement the aggressive and confrontational lyrics. As a whole, the song is a stirring reminder that we must act urgently to preserve our world before it becomes too late.
Line by Line Meaning
A world so sad when there's no rebirth, it's weakening frame
The world gets worse when there's no chance of starting anew.
So taste your fate, so eat your shit
Accept the consequences of your actions and deal with the unpleasant situation.
We've come to this, oh what the fuck have we done?
We've reached a point of despair and regret for what we've done to the world.
Slave - from our birth to our grave
Humans are slaves from when they're born until they die.
Slave - our tombs engraved, "enslaved"
Even in death, humans are still slaves, indicated by their engraved tombstones.
Technology isolating human interaction turns to human decay
Technology that disconnects humans from reality leads to their decline.
Tombstone skyscrapers breath exhaust vapors
Tall buildings that represent death and decay emit pollution into the air.
We've finally reached the point of no return
We've crossed a threshold where we can't go back to the way things were.
The water, land, sky they burn
The Earth is on fire and decaying.
We're all gonna burn
Everyone will suffer the consequences of the world's destruction.
We dig our grave
We've doomed ourselves to destruction by our own actions.
Now we lie in them and we roll in our own shit
We're stuck in the grave we dug and are forced to deal with the consequences of our actions.
Contributed by Eliana T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
FarHowl
FODA.
Darryl David Douglas
Saw them at Amnesia and they played this!