"The Suicide Machines" name Detroit as their home. The band includes vocalist, Jason Navarro; guitarist, Dan Lukacinsky; bass player, Royce Nunley and drummer Erin Pitman. They released two self- produced albums before being signed by Hollywood Records. Their first album for Hollywood, "Destruction by Definition," sold about 200,000 copies.

Their new album, "Battle Hymns," is a musical assault on the eardrums. Drums and guitar hammer out tunes at a breakneck pace. There are twenty-two songs on the album, most under two minutes long. With a quick ska beat, and grinding punk onslaught, they manage to shoehorn an unbelievable number of lyrics into each song.

Stand outs on the album are "Give" and "Confused," because they give the ears a bit of a rest, and have a more melodic focus. Many of the songs
concentrate on racism and ignorance, due to the bands' Detroit roots. Be
ready for your heart rate to increase with the beat while listening to this
record. It's loud, fast and takes no prisoners.