Introducing: The Suicide Disease

Long Island grunge meets melodic metal outfit The Suicide Disease aim to offer solace to people dealing with the pain of loss with a sound they describe as “mournful, meaningful and memorable.”

Named after the nickname for the chronic pain disorder disease Trigeminal Neuralgia, the quartet of Jay (vocals), John (guitars), Menace (bass) and Juan (drums) hail from the small town of Mastic. The band has soaked the depression of the south shore into their sound and they wear masks to “reflect the irony of society constantly masking their pain.”

The band recorded their first demo on a cassette tape in 2021 then drove around with a boombox to try and share their music with the right people – which we love the mental image of. They were soon discovered at a show by label owner Steve Feinberg, who became the manager and brought in Ice Nine Kills guitarist Ricky Armellino as producer.

Describing their approach, Jay tells us: “I think we have an 80’s melancholy sound that fuse more rock/metal guitars and vocals from the heart.”

Our first taste of this is their debut single War, which was released in May. It focuses on the war between positive and negative emotions, the threat of suicide, and how missing people beyond the grave can tempt their loved ones to join them.

It opens up with chugging guitar chords that continue under Jay’s engaging vocals, which flows into a big catchy chorus “You pulled up like you wanted war, You stood there like you wanted more, Acceptance is an art for the dying, If you’re alive then you’re probably lying.” A second verse gradually builds up to an extended version of the chorus then the pace drops with a light guitar and sombre, high-pitched vocals. And it slowly builds up to a final blast of the catchy chorus.

On the track, Jay told us: “We made a lot of new fans. We are very grateful for social media. It allows us to connect all over the world from home. This is something we don’t take for granted. As for what to expect, it’s an honest conversation about the war inside your head when you’ve lost someone close and are not sure how to translate the signs you think you’re receiving from them or how you should live your life now that they are gone.” Check it out in the stream below:

The Suicide Disease sound has been inspired by the likes of The Cure, Joy Division, New Order and AFI. And on what inspires their music, Jay tells us: “Our songs have some sort of relationship with death. The influence all comes from the loss of my brother and other family members and friends that have passed on that we miss.”

The band’s debut single is set to be followed by a new batch of songs that have been recorded, are currently being mixed, and should be released over the next year or so. They’ve also been gigging and should have a music video in the works shortly too.

And Jay adds: “We want people to know they are not alone with their pain. And we hope to connect with them one day when they need a connection. That’s all.”

You can follow The Suicide Disease on Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and Soundcloud.