Live in North America

Extreme metal is a relative concept that has often evolved significantly with the passage of but a few years, but within its rich history, there are some bands that pushed the envelope to the point of still coming off as inhuman decades after committing their craft to recorded media. Among these auspicious figures are recounted the early efforts of Possessed, Sepultura, Slayer and Death that would lay the groundwork for the death metal sub-genre, followed soon after by the nastier early entries of Deicide, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse and Autopsy that fully codified the classic version of it. Later strides would be made by the even more decrepit and moribund sounds of the New York death metal titans of the early 90s, but of entire aforementioned crowd of innovators, the Long Island quintet Suffocation has arguably had the most significant role in shaping what death metal means to most of today’s extreme metal trustees.

Ever since their pivotal 1991 debut Effigy Of The Forgotten, Suffocation became the linchpin in what would become the present day tech and brutal death metal sub-styles, inspiring the likes of Cryptopsy, Nile and Defeated Sanity to further explore the limits of the sub-genre in terms of both sheer aggression and virtuosic prowess. Though one could point to any of the instrumentalists as a pioneering exemplar of how unfettered auditory carnage and flurries of dynamic showmanship has made death metal a towering inferno of raw energy, but arguably this outfit’s greatest asset has been their beast of a front man Frank Mullen. In similar fashion of Chris Barnes and David Vincent, he has been a pivotal figure in developing the signature guttural barking style that has since become ubiquitous in death metal circles. His retirement would naturally be considered a monumental loss to the scene, and sadly in October of 2018 he would put on his final performance, though he naturally refused to go quietly.

Playing to what was assuredly a sold out crowd of devoted fans young and old in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the five parts that made up this colossal whole took the stage with the clear intention of punching a hole in the sky with their necrotic fists. No era of this band’s near 30 year run has been left untapped, with particular attention being paid to draw out the most intense bangers of a career that has never prided itself on subtlety. The hyper-speed thrashing and blasting mayhem of all three title songs off their earliest LP trilogy stand among the highlights, with the machine-gun precision of “Breeding The Spawn” leading the pack with a level of accurate timing that seems all but inhuman. Long running guitarist Terrance Hobbs and his newcomer foil Charlie Errigo function as one mighty battering ram from one riff to the next, and then proceed to break off into a dueling succession of wild lead passages too chaotic for Chuck Schuldiner yet too smooth and controlled for Kerry King. Not one to be upstaged, bassist Derek Boyer unleashes a torrent of fancy slap bass additives that would make Flea quit the instrument, all the while serving to enhance the brutality factor rather than fight against it.

Though the classic entries from the heyday of old school death metal steal the majority of the show, one would be remiss to fail in the noticing how the newer songs blend in perfectly with the seminal ones. The pummeling chops and clobbers of “Souls To Deny” and “Dismal Dream” cut with the same level of intensity, feature a similarly riveting assortment of technical twists and turns, and see Mullen barfing out infernal barks that boggle the human mind. Perhaps the only thing more surreal about the incessant degree of sonic violence that is seamlessly delivered in 13 moderate size bites is the in-between spoken bits to the audience where Mullen morphs back into a mortal man with a heavy New York accent. That’s the bittersweet aspect of this otherwise impressive display of competency in the live setting, the fact that such a long and productive run has come to an end. Come what may for the remaining members of Suffocation on future endeavors and Mullen’s now ongoing years of tranquility, they leave behind an impressive legacy that is still inspiring bands by the truckload to continue shocking the masses.

Originally written for Sonic Perspectives (www.sonicperspectives.com)