Suicidal Tendencies
 

I understand them to be of great importance to both the Hardcore and Thrash Metal genres (being labelled Crossover Thrash themselves) however I am unsure where to start with them, Lights Camera or their debut (these two albums I've heard are the best of their material)?

Start with their debut. It's wall to wall fantastic.

I agree, Self titled is the best.
Up to about 90 they stayed pretty good but each consecutive album was worse.
I'd go: Self-Titled, then Join the Army, then How Will I laugh Tomorrow.. (their first major divergence into pure metal although I still like it). I don't go past that.

Their first album is the only one I ever listen to now.

Hardcore purist then?

their first album is absolute perfection....not a single bad track on it

Join The Army is a laso a great album....How Can I Laugh is desent....and i also kind of like Art Of rebellion....but pretty much everything else is not so good....especially their awful right writing of the classics 93s "Still Cyco After All These Years'....seriously Mike....what the fuck were you thinking?