Death Metal
Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date – November 3rd 2023
Line Up:
Ricky Myers – Vocals
Terence Hobbs – Guitar
Charlie Errigo – Guitar
Derrek Boyer – Bass
Eric Morotti – Drums
Tracklist:
1 – Hymns From The Apocrypha
2 – Perpetual Deception
3 – Dim Veil Of Oscurity
4 – Immortal Execration
5 – Seraphim Enslavement
6 – Descendants
7 – Embrace The Suffering
8 – Delusions Of Mortality
9 – Ignorant Deprivation
It’s been a while since we heard from Suffocation but since their last offering, 2017’s ‘…Of The Dark Light’ they most certainly have not been idle. They set to work on writing probably their best record yet and that’s saying something. The wrote and produced this record themselves with the help of Cryptopsy guitarist Christian Donaldson who is becoming the ‘go to’ man for death metal. The band have said that this is a bit more progressive, and I agree but there are also some doomy bits that go along with the massive amount of crushing brutality.
The title track opens this death metal feast with new singer Ricky Myers proving why they chose him. The song follows a rabid path with some seriously progressive guitar lines midway before they change gears and it’s off to the races they go with some stunning axework before it returns to the crush. ‘Perpetual Deception’ raises the brutality even further and includes some grinding doom passages before ‘Dim Veil Of Oscurity’ has Myers roaring on the intro and we’re away on Eric Morotti’s sprinting double kick. The guitars hit you where the bruises don’t show, and they come at you from all angles then things come down on ‘Immortal Execration’ as it stomps and grinds before it takes off on another rattler before it comes down again in the middle for some more incredible guitar leads and some heavy doom. ‘Seraphim Enslavement’ goes for the throat straight away and pummels you into submission and they don’t ease up on ‘Descendants’ either. ‘Embrace The Suffering’ slows down and just obliterates with some mighty riffage before the chugging ‘Delusions Of Mortality’ brings the crush again. Final cut ‘Ignorant Deprivation’ has former singer Frank Mullen performing on it for some reason and I’ll be honest he doesn’t have the same impact as Myers.
Old school death metal as it should be, big, loud, aggressive, brutal and nasty, but this also goes a bit deeper. The riffs and leads are phenomenal and how the rhythm section keeps up the pace is beyond me in Myers they have the man who can deliver the right vocals for this music. After 35 years Suffocation show no signs of slowing down or becoming a touch more genteel, no chance. Keep going boys and keep it heavy!
Written by: Smudge
Ratings: 9/10
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