Suffocation is American Brutal Death Metal band that was formed in 1988 in Centereach, Long Island, New York, United States. Suffocation are widely recognized major innovators of death metal. They had a massive influence on the genre and pioneered the balance between brutal and techincal sounds commonly heard in modern death metal. Frank Mullen is considered as one of the most emblematic death metal vocalists, as well as one of the first to use a very deep "death growl" vocal style and his hand chop, off course.
After putting out the somewhat dissapointment that was "Souls To Deny" Suffocation have returned with their self-titled to give the Death Metal world a giant lubeless assfuck without the common courtesy of a reacharound. Everything that was lacking on "Souls" is on this album and then some. The songwriting, I am sorry to say, blows away the songwriting on their 2 previous masterpieces "Pierced From Within" and "Despise The Sun". [1]
I can't lie - after hearing "Souls To Deny," I was a bit disappointed. The songs were well written and brutal, as was to be expected, but the production fell short of impressive - in particular, Frank Mullen's vocals had way too much treble on them, without any bass to reinforce them, so the gutteral pummeling of his growls were lost in the mix. Despite the minor setbacks of their last album, I still patiently awaited the release of their newest full length album, simply titled "Suffocation." [2]
The dark sounding intro "Oblivion" starts this album off into the hellish vortex which this album soon becomes. To start off the album first brings back memories of their glory days while somehow incorporating a new sound that could somehow be heard on the last album but defined much better on the new self-titled album. It almost feels as if Doug Cerrito took a part in the songwriting but was to humble to take any credit for it. The drumming of Mike Smith is pummeling and varied throughout the album and during his blasting it feels as if a jackhammer is coming through your stereo and hammering away at your skull.. The combined riffing of guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais is tight,varied and unrelenting and kicks your ass throughout the entire album. [1]
What struck me about the album when I first put it on is that the production improved VASTLY over the last album - the instruments are well mixed as to make each one audible - each of them avoids being overshadowed by the others. The mix on Frank's vocals were brought to absolute perfection - the growls he unleashes on this album are something akin to those of - here goes - a sperm whale beating the shit out of a dinosaur. After seeing them live 4 times in the last 2 years, I've become a huge fan of his vocals, and was anxiously awaiting how they would be represented on their forthcoming release. [2]
The drum production is impeccable - I'm almost positive that triggers were not used on this album, except maybe on the bass drums, but nowadays, who the fuck doesn't trigger the bass drums? Anyway, Mike Smith's drumming was never anything to scoff at (to hear what I mean, listen to the track "Bind Torture Kill") it's always been precise, driving, and diverse. In an interview with Ruthless Reviews (which, for some reason, was taken off the site) he claimed (in short) that constant blasting was killing death metal drumming, in that it allows for very little variation. To combat this phenomenon, he lets loose a barriage of different rhythms, which, while complex, are never short of pounding. Somehow he manages to balance technical proficiency with utter aggression, and the result is simply astounding. [2]
Franks vocals are a definate improvement over the last album as he no longer uses the annoying reverb anymore. He sounds more pissed than he ever has all the while remaining amazingly intelligible. (you almost dont even need a lyric sheet) After "Souls" I doubted Suffocation would ever make another crushing album but man how they fuckin proved me wrong, I cant even pick a favorite or a few favorite songs off this album as each one is pure fucking killer SUFFOCATION! [1]
As for the guitars, Terrance Hobbs has never had anything to be embarassed about. Even on Suffocation's least talked about album, "Breeding The Spawn," his guitar parts stand out as technical masterpieces. On "Suffocation," he and Guy Marchais combine forces to write songs that are furious, enthralling, and at times extremely claustrophobic sounding. I say claustrophobic because at certain points throughout this album, the guitar parts feel extremely confusing and confining, such as those in the first minute or so of "Translucent Patterns of Delirium." The lead parts stand out in this album, moreso, in my opinion, than on the last album, which is a definite plus. Leads have always been important in Suffocation's work, ever since the mid-range, bludgeoning riffs of "Infecting The Crypts" kicked everyone square in the nuts. On top of the technical proficiency, tactful lead construction, and brilliant soloing, the production, much like the aforementioned instruments, is outstanding. [2]
Despite virtually unnoticeable setbacks, this album blew my fucking head off the first time I heard it. If I could sum this review up in one sentence, it would be this: it appears that Suffocation have found a healthy balance between old school Suffocation and newer Suffocation, circa "Despise The Sun." Suffocation have proven once more that their sound is a force to be feared. [2]
Tracks
- Oblivion
- Abomination Reborn
- Redemption
- Bind Torture Kill
- Misconceived
- Translucent Patterns of Delirium
- Creed of the Infidel
- Regret
- Entrails of You
- The End of Ends
If you like it, please buy the original CD on their official store.
This reviews are written by RottingCunt and grind_vengeance on Metallum
References:
[1] RottingCunt, They're Back!, www.metal-archives.com
[2] grind_vengeance, Suffocation Proves It Once Again, www.metal-archives.com
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