Blood Oath

Well, last weekend I finally decided to take a trip to the nearest record shop here, and I live quite far from one, so I don't get the chance to go there much, but I did for once, and was trying to think in my head of what I was looking for, and then it dawned on me, I've been looking for this album since it came out. so I looked to see if they had it, of course they did, so of course I grabbed it.

So I get out of the store, get into my car, and took the shrink wrapping off, and was looking at the amazing artwork, really cool looking, so I popped the CD into my CD player, and listened to it on the way home, and I am sure glad I remembered to grab this. now to me, this is easily the best Suffocation album they've released since 1995's 'Pierced From Within' this is what I want to hear from Suffocation, to be honest, this album I find quite similar to said album 'Pierced From Within' and this is evident right off with the title track which is 'Blood Oath'. 'Blood Oath' starts with those awesome sludgy riffs and killer double bass which Suffocation is known for, and Frank Mullen comes in, and man he can still growl like no other, becoming much more decipherable as other reviewers have stated, this song has really catchy moments, especially around the chorus.

'Dismal Dream' comes next and is currently a favorite of mine on the album, opening with some catchy leads that are for sure Suffocation, as they have a very distinct sound in their riffing, this song remains pretty fast paced throughout, and the chorus is very well done, listen to those awesome blast beats, Mike Smith reigns supreme. 'Pray for Forgiveness' follows, and this is currently another favorite of mine, and it just keeps the flow of the album going, and man, when you listen to that break, holy shit is that fucking heavy or what, just an awesome set of riffing and drumming, and a solo that just rules, that is another thing I should mention about this album, the leads and solos are incredible, which I feel they have kind of lacked since 'Pierced From Within' although I liked their self titled album, this one is better.

'Images of Purgatory' is next, and is another song that is very worthy of mention, it has an awesome catchy verse, and the riffs just fucking rule, are these guys human? and listen to that shredding lead after the first verse, and that awesome set of riffs after it, just complete death metal, now, the next song is currently my favorite on the album, and that is 'Cataclysmic Purification' this song cuts the bullshit and starts right off with the fast as fuck riffs, catchy leads at the right moments, and man, those awesome sludgy as fuck riffs that Suffocation are known for are really found here, just listen to that riff at 3:15 throughout the rest of the song, just fucking pummeling. 'Mental Hemorrhage' comes next, and might give you one, not really much to say about this one, but wait until you get to the break, and hear that really distinct lead that almost sounds egyptian, pretty fucking awesome.

I'm going to skip down to 'Provoking The Disturbed' and this is another song worth mentioning, with it's awesome riffing and drumming sections, and a really catchy chorus, this song has it's own sound that's for sure, especially during the chorus, I'm sure you'll hear what I mean, and when Mike Smiths double bass gets going, man, this guy is a fucking machine, everything is tight and precise, but he still manages those blast beats perfectly, and doesn't just use them throughout the whole album, he mixes it up quite well, and then, you get an excellent bass solo by Derek Boyer, sounds really fucking good, throw in another killer solo by Hobbs and Marchais and yes, this song kills. the closing track 'Marital Decimation' which yes, is a re-recording of the track found on 'Breeding The Spawn', and yes this song is a huge step up from the version found on said album, and of course the reason is, the production, but at the same time, the band sounds better now, and I think they pulled it off and made it even better, they seem to like to re-record songs from that album, look on the last release, they re-recorded 'Prelude to Repulsion' and look at 'Pierced From Within' where they re-recorded 'Breeding The Spawn', I think they are trying to make up for the crappy production on said album.

That is another thing I must mention here, I think this is easily the best production Suffocation has ever had, everything is just right in the mix, and everything is heard, but what really deserves mention is the bass production, Derek Boyer really gets a chance to shine here, and plays a very good bass.

So bottom line, I think this is easily their best since 'Pierced From Within', and it's easily the best sound they've ever had, this album really impressed me, and while I did like their comeback in 2004 'Souls to Deny' and their self titled album in 2006 'Suffocation, I really liked that one actually, but I still think this is a big step up, I think they recaptured some Pierced From Within here, and I hope they continue to!