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Career Suicide

Attempted Suicide
2007
Deranged

Career Suicide - Attempted Suicide (Cover Artwork)

Review by: Brian
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Published on March 2nd 2007

Glory, glory, hallejulah!

Certainly, Toronto, ON has the potential to be the new hardcore mecca based on the merits of other acts, but Career Suicide could do it all on their lonesome. The band’s been doing purist early `80s hardcore punk for a few years now, but it’s debatable that they haven’t sound as accomplished as they do now with their second proper full-length and first in close to five years: Attempted Suicide.

Now more than ever Career Suicide has unearthed an absolute artifact. Attempted Suicide could be a 25-year anniversary of the style. Among its unrelenting sense of outrage, spewed disgust, shocking catchiness and perfectly ‘rough’ production it might be argued Career Suicide even do it better than a couple of their influences (gasp!).

Laid out in the expertly minimal liner notes in a tightly typewritten font are some of the vastly more intelligent ramblings that make most of America’s contributions to hardcore sound…less than well-expressed. Career Suicide don’t need five-dollar words because they’ve got the most direct, elaborate condemning and general, hopeless questioning around (“Show me the vein to cut / I want to know exactly how to do it / just how much of my blood will wash the troubles of this world away?” / “How long have you neglected that the hands that strangle you are yours?”).

These words are even more effective in their delivery within the context of the music, which is nothing less than blistering for a blip over 20 minutes. The only arguable let-up could be the title track, for it begins with a simple chant of the song/album title along in time with the drums. Otherwise Career Suicide take you on a vicious ride lead by raspy, ramblingly yelled vocals, several gratuitous (yet concise) solos and an unadulterated, pounding pace. If you’re not into it when Martin Farkas screams he’s “getting / sick of / always…play[ing] the fucking part” in the opening torch "Play the Part," Attempted Suicide may not do much for you from that point on.

Granted, the band’s garage edge has been stripped just a bit and they seem more fastcore-influenced than straight-up fastcore, both of which probably make things a bit more listenable than usual (for them), but this has only refined Career Suicide in the best of ways. They might only grab you by the throat with four fingers now, but they’re digging even deeper into the jugular.

Highly recommended.

Play the Part
Saving Face
Recipe for Disaster
Out of the Fray

[Attempted Suicide's LP version was released in 2006, however it was released in January 2007 on compact disc.]

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Posted by jimbojones on 2008-01-14 05:54:00
My Score:

Yes! Now we are talking! More old school hardcore please

Posted by sleepwalker on 2007-12-09 23:37:46
My Score:

Love it Love it Love it

Posted by chirpy_boy on 2007-03-05 17:35:41
My Score:

This band is so f-ing tight.

Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 5, 2007 at 4:34 PM (EST)

Whoever did that entry is weird. I'd refer to those bands as later-first wave HC. Besides their first demo, Void never really relied on the pure speed. Gang Green weren't that insanely fast, either. The first version of "Out of Step" is faster than anything any of those bands ever did besides maybe Koro, and I'm not going to call Minor Threat fastcore. I'm sure none of those bands would consider themselves "fastcore," either. A lot of old HC bands influenced 90's fastcore in terms of speed, but they didn't have their own subgenre in HC back then. But for sake of interest, modern grind/thrashcore/powerviolence fans should listen to Deep Wound, Youth Korps, Siege, The Neos, and Koro.

-Will

Posted by inagreendase on 2007-03-05 11:46:32

Will: That's probably what I get for leaning on Wikipedia.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 4, 2007 at 10:58 PM (EST)

whenever someone uses the phrase "best toronto bands" and forgets the bayonettes, something is seriously wrong.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 4, 2007 at 10:10 PM (EST)

"I think Brandon has played in four of the best hardcore bands of the last 10 or so years; Municipal Waste, Direct Control, Government Warning, and Career Suicide. Dude is a machine."

Agreed, minus Municipal Waste. Metal and punk don't go together. It's like putting lotion on your pizza. Mixing something mildly cool (lotion) with something insanely amazing (punk) and creating shit.

-Will

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 4, 2007 at 10:07 PM (EST)

Brian, "fastcore" is a term used to describe 90's powerviolence HC moreso than "fast hardcore." These guys just play straight up early 80's style HC- the best kind. Back when all of the bands weren't afraid to acknowledge their punk roots.

Anyway, this band is great. Anyone who disagrees doesn't know real hardcore. In case you've forgotten, it means "hardcore punk" and didn't come from a vacuum.

-Will

Posted by johnnydanger on 2007-03-04 11:08:01

sooooooo good

Posted by theyounginfluential on 2007-03-03 16:48:59
My Score:

FANTASTIC album. i can't say enough about this band.

Posted by onegirlarmy on 2007-03-03 15:03:51
My Score:

Why is it that i've never seen or heard anyone mention these guys without mentioning Fucked Up? To add to it, both time i've seen them Fucked Up has played with them.

Probably has to do with the fact that both bands share members.

that said, this album is awesome, as is Career Suicide's Anthology release. I love this band.

Posted by givemeamuseumandillfillit on 2007-03-03 08:28:41

Why is it that i've never seen or heard anyone mention these guys without mentioning Fucked Up? To add to it, both time i've seen them Fucked Up has played with them.

I can't wait for both bands to just break up, both were good until they started opening their mouths, i'm sorry but that just ruined both bands for me.

Posted by inagreendase on 2007-03-02 19:42:33

What pressing did you review?

The CD Deranged sent me.

Posted by JonDaley on 2007-03-02 15:31:52

oh and those that want some more great THC, check out Terminal State.

Posted by JonDaley on 2007-03-02 15:30:22
My Score:

I was gonna review this but i thought I might seem more biased than usual great fucking album.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 2, 2007 at 2:28 PM (EST)

Carrer Seussicide

Heh, great band though.

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 2, 2007 at 1:26 PM (EST)

Finally, a great band is reviewed on this site. And, it's actually a punk band. I only have the '01-'03 CD, but Career Suicide is damn good.
-feeeding5000

Posted by moneenerd on 2007-03-02 12:33:54

hahaha oops!

QUIT HARSHIN.....

MY BUZZ!!!!

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 2, 2007 at 9:08 AM (EST)

you forgot to add cursed and urban blight to your list.

this album is great. grab this and the 2 anthology releases.

Posted by moneenerd on 2007-03-02 08:27:59

Careere Suicide, Brutal Knights, Cancer Bats, and Fucked Up are the 4 best bands out of Toronto area right now.

Posted by etwiels88 on 2007-03-02 01:17:24
My Score:

Best band

Posted by skankin_in_the_pit on 2007-03-02 01:03:43
My Score:

Great album. I was hoping for a couple more '77/garage style tracks like "Bored Bored Bored" but I'm not gonna complain. I'm sure they've been knocked for the clean production on this, but I love it. I'd say they topped all their previous releases with Attempted Suicide, and that's quite a feat.

I think Brandon has played in four of the best hardcore bands of the last 10 or so years; Municipal Waste, Direct Control, Government Warning, and Career Suicide. Dude is a machine.

Posted by strangenotes on 2007-03-02 00:18:37

What pressing did you review? The 2006 tour edition? Or the Japanese tour edition? What about the official LP on Deranged? Is that out yet?

Posted by aubin on 2007-03-02 00:02:02

These guys are great. The two Anthology albums are definitely worth checking out too.