Okay, so this is not a new Suicidal Tendencies record; it’s really a re-recording of Mike Muir’s 1996 solo album under the name Cyco Miko. Lost My Brain (Once Again!) was originally recorded with members of My Head and guitarist Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols. The best thing these re-recordings have going for it is the inclusion of Dave Lombardo on drums, which automatically makes everything sound better. Muir’s vocals have changed considerably since the original record and it kind of hampers the recordings, particularly on “I Love Destruction” where the backup vocals sound better than Muir’s own.
Overall, this is a bit of dupe to most fans, but there are some that will absolutely love it. I wasn’t impressed all that much, particularly as this is something the band has done many times in the past, so it feels unnecessary. But not all is lost here. For the most part, this kind of feels like a fun side thing for the band to do. “FUBAR” is just rough and quick, and “All Kinda Crazy” is just weak, but I wasn’t necessarily a fan of the original album to begin with so these tracks ain’t doing a whole lot. Fortunately, the title track is a fun little blast that updates a boring record and makes it more interesting.
Lombardo’s drumming is without a doubt the best part of this record! He’s an absolute beast who kills it on every song – just absolutely amazing. The album’s new track “Sippin’ From The Insanitea” is more on par with more recent ST tracks and is one of the few highlights of the disc.
Since the original album was recorded as Suicidal was dying out in the ‘90s, there is a lot of guitar shredding still prevalent in the sound; it allows Jeff Pogan and Dean Pleasants to just go nuts. “Gonna Be Alright” attempts to slow things down a bit, though not too much; it still doesn’t do too much to add to the album’s appeal
After awhile, the tempo of every song gets to be the same and you miss the collaborative spirit that is prevalent on regular Suicidal records. The best track here, however, is “All I Ever Get.” Propelled by Lombardo’s drumming and the gang vocals, it’s a fun track that’s really good for slamming around. This is the one track I hit repeat on endlessly.
While I was first looking forward to this record, I ultimately left very disappointed. The fact that they’re referring to this as a new album is even more disappointing, as this comes nowhere near some of the material ST has been putting out lately. This record is more of a miss, and I definitely look forward to the next real ST album where the real music will come out.
