Fresh off their win at the 1st annual Central Pennsylvania Music Awards (CMPA) for Best Metal Band, the Suicide Puppets made their debut at the Racehorse Tavern in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, in early February. The six-man local band from certainly delivered to an appreciative crowd. The band originally started years ago with Twisty Suicide and Jonny Suicide, under the name Fine Art of Hate. After some lineup changes, they changed the name to the Suicide Puppets in 2007 and Veritas Suicide joined them to become a three-piece. Not long after, Steven Suicide, Donnie, and Tattuicide joined to round out the current lineup which is a recipe that works well for them.

They have released two bodies of work to date. Their first LP, Absolute Sinner, was recorded and mixed themselves. They released their EP, Defecation of Sound, in December 2018. They are currently working on new material to be released sometime soon.

Their set started off with one of their most popular songs, ‘Your Love/My Hate’. Twisty Suicide’s strong growling vocals and the band quickly roared life into the small venue. The band’s momentum was building throughout their set which inevitably spilled out into the crowd. The stage could no longer contain them, so each took their turn venturing off the stage into the crowd of excited fans. There is something both special and thrilling about the energy exchange between a band and its fans which takes on a new life as they become one and their show was no exception.

Guitarist Tattuicide was the first to break from the confines of the stage and was quickly surrounded by dancing fans, eager for more. Next was guitarist Steven Suicide’s turn to blow minds with his infectious animated style. Back on stage, guitarist Tattuicide and bassist Jonny Suicide faced off with one of their trademark moves, each challenging the other rocking back and forth rhythmically until the song explodes and minds melt. Over to stage right, it was guitarist Donnie Von Gailinger’s turn to shine as his high flying style also brought him out into the crowd dancing and keeping everyone feeling the moment. The heartbeat of the Suicide Puppets, drummer Veritas Suicide, may not have been able to play out front with the crowd, but his fast-paced intensity did not go unnoticed.

The Suicide Puppets certainly accomplished what they set out to do. They left the crowd jaw dropped and begging for more at the end of their set. They were happy to oblige by playing ‘one more song’.

If you missed their show at the Racehorse, you can redeem yourself and catch them next at Johnny Joes on February 15th with guests Thousand Pound Destruction, SinYstr and Dreams of Eden. They will also be at the Reverb on February 22nd supporting Wednesday 13 and The 69 Eyes. They have exciting plans for 2020 which may include overseas shows. They have signed a sponsor, Goblin Alchemy, which is a traditional mead maker out of Shoemakersville, PA. You can keep up with the Suicide Puppets by listening to their Puppetcast podcasts available on Spotify as well as their Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Set List:

Your Love/My Hate

Blind

Send Me an Angel (cover)

Pet Human Head

Blacker Days

Still Bleeding

Jesus Loves Me

Tic Toc

Porn Star

Worlds on Fire

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY KIM HANSEN