SUICIDAL TENDENCIES — Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind

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3.31 | 8 ratings | 2 reviews

Album · 2000

Filed under Funk Metal
By SUICIDAL TENDENCIES

Tracklist

1. Self Destruct (3:32)
2. Su casa es mi casa (4:08)
3. No More No Less (3:25)
4. Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind (3:52)
5. Pop Songs (2:19)
6. Bullenium (2:50)
7. Animal (2:11)
8. Straight From the Heart (4:42)
9. Cyco Speak (3:03)
10. Start Your Brain (3:16)
11. Public Dissension (3:26)
12. Children of the Bored (3:42)
13. Got Mutation (3:03)
14. Charlie Monroe (5:19)
15. Home (7:31)

Total Time: 56:26

Line-up/Musicians

- Mike Muir / vocals
- Mike Clark / guitars
- Dean Pleasants / guitars
- Josh Paul / bass
- Brooks Wackerman / drums

About this release

Suicidal Records, July 25th, 2000

Bonus track for Japan:
16. Refuse

A video was made for "Pop Song".

Thanks to Time Signature, UMUR, Bosh66 for the updates

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SUICIDAL TENDENCIES FREE YOUR SOUL... AND SAVE MY MIND reviews

Specialists/collaborators reviews

UMUR

"Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is the ninth full-length studio album by US, California based crossover/thrash metal act Suicidal Tendencies. The album was released through Suicidal Records in July 2000. It´s the successor to "Freedumb" from July 1999. After waiting 5 years for a new album between the release of "Suicidal for Life" (1994) and "Freedumb", the band obviously wanted to prove to the fans that they were back with a vengeance and now released a new album only a year down the line from the latter mentioned. The quintet lineup who recorded "Freedumb" is intact on "Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind".

While "Freedumb" almost exlusively featured a "back to the roots" hardcore punk sound (albeit with funky elements and the rare nod towards crossover thrash), "Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is generally a more eclectic sounding album. Hardcore punk elements are still a dominant part of the soundscape (as heard on tracks like "Pop Songs", "Start Your Brain", and "Animal"), but funk and thrash/groove metal elements are now also a more integral part of the band´s sound. Just listen to the heavy grooves on songs like "Su casa es mi casa", "Bullenium", "Public Dissension", and "No More No Less". There was nothing like that on "Freedumb". The funky sounds of the title track are also really effectful and work well within the context of the album. The album closes with the power ballad "Home", which unfortunately feels a bit overlong and uneventful with its 7:30 minutes long playing time. "Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is in many ways Suicidal Tendencies displaying all the different stylistic elements of the last 10 years of releases (including their side-project Infectious Grooves).

"Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is a self-produced affair and features a powerful, detailed, and delightfully heavy sound production perfectly suiting the material. Featuring 15 tracks and a total playing time of 56:26 minutes "Free Your Soul... and Save My Mind" is slightly on the long side, and although most tracks on the album are quality tracks, a few could have been removed for a shorter and more effectful release, and the album would only have prospered from it and possibly have made an even more profound impact. Abundance of quantity is a minor issue though, and there is still enough high quality compositions here to warrant a 3.5 star (70%) rating.

20 days ago
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Report #882925

Time Signature

Su casa es mi casa...

Genre: funk/alternative metal

While not totally up to scratch compared to more thrash-oriented releases like "Join the Army", "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow... When I can't Even Smile Today" and "Lights... Camera... Revolution", this is nonetheless a pretty good album which bears the Cyco trademark of lots of variation, containing funky tracks alongside heavy metal rockers and punked up tunes (and, of course, there are several tracks that blend all of these elements).

The album opens strongly with the uptempo heavy rocker "Self Destruct" and then gets all funky with the slap bass-ladden "Su Casa Es Mi Casa", "No More No Less" and the title track before turning towards punk territory in the anti-pop "Pop Songs" which combines melodycore with hardcore punk, while "Animal" is more punky which also applies to "Start Your Brain". "Public Dissension", "Bullenium", "Children of the Bored", and "Got Mutation" are a heavier funk metal tracks with loads of groove (the former also having some crossover thrashy elements in it, and the latter draws a bit on hardcore), while "Straight from the Heart" is more of a funk rock track. "Charlie Monroe" combines midtempo thrash riffage and funkiness, while "Home" is a heavy and melancholic alt. rocker. There is of course also the infamous "Cyco Speak" which is basically a monologue by Mike Muir himself which is fascinating but can perhaps be disturbing if you can't wat for the next track to start.

Not my favorite Suicidal Tendencies release, this is nonetheless a very good funk metal album with loads of awesome slapping and popping bass and, of course, lots of Cyco attitude.