Pinnacle of Bedlam

In many circles, the expectations for any new Suffocation album run high. When the artwork for the band's newest, Pinnacle of Bedlam, was first unveiled, the message boards were buzzing with comments such as "The cover looks like a deathcore album," and "What's with the font they used for the album title?" I didn't think too much of it since we all know the old saying involving books and their covers. Yet when the first track released to the public, "As Grace Descends," hit the web, there were several "See, I told you so's" from the more skeptical fans in internet-land due to the song's odd style. I must admit I was a little concerned myself. But no one would know for sure until hearing the whole album.

So has Suffocation gone "deathcore," or at least strayed from its classic sound on Pinnacle of Bedlam? The short answer is "sort of." Fear not, Pinnacle of Bedlam is most assuredly not deathcore. However, Suffocation has definitely tried a few new things on this album. The biggest change is in the songwriting style itself. Overall, Pinnacle of Bedlam doesn't feel as dark and evil as the band's past work. It's more bright sounding due to both the clear production and an undercurrent of melody in the songs. For example, the melodic riffing in "Sullen Days" and "Purgatorial Punishment" doesn't sound like typical Suffocation. Though some of the riffs on this album seem out of character, they make the songs more catchy than usual and never seem too weak or wimpy. The aforementioned "Sullen Days" also features a clean intro that sounds more akin to the beginning of a Killswitch Engage song than the early Suffocation classic "Torn Into Enthrallment." This riff and several others spread across the album don't have the dark, minor tonality one would expect. Plus, there's a surprising number of thrashy parts sprinkled throughout the album with "As Grace Descends" being the most obvious example. There are also some odd rhythmic choices in "Rapture of Revocation" and an uncharacteristic swinging feel to "Purgatorial Punishment." These changes to the songwriting style may go by unnoticed to some, but should stand out to most Suffocation fans.

Despite all of this branching out, Pinnacle of Bedlam is still easily recognizable as Suffocation. The basic framework of the band has not changed. All of the playing is top-notch, with most of the songs featuring classic Suffocation moments. "Eminent Wrath" and album highlight "My Demise" impress with their classic-style riffing and dark ripping solos. Frank Mullen's vocals remain the same genre-defining growl of old. Derek Boyer's bass continues to play a featured role and pops out for some chunky fills every now and then. Dave Culross picks up right where he left off bashing the skins on Despise the Sun, and his playing is sure to make jaws hit the floor on several occasions. In this sense, not that much has changed. Heck, there's even the requisite re-recorded Breeding the Spawn track, "Beginning of Sorrow." So regardless of the new ingredients, there's plenty on Pinnacle of Bedlam to please most Suffocation fans.

In all honesty, Pinnacle of Bedlam does kind of sound like it fits its album cover. Like the artwork, the music is a little different than what we expect from Suffocation. Taken on its own merits, Pinnacle of Bedlam is pretty impressive. Compared to most of the bands past efforts, it weakens somewhat. Nevertheless, I commend Suffocation for trying something new and actually succeeding at it without stepping too far outside the box. Personally, I would be pleased if the band could keep churning out Pierced From Within's, yet that would probably become really boring for the band, and for me too eventually. While Pinnacle of Bedlam is not exactly what I want from Suffocation, it's still an album full of extremely catchy, well-played death metal. Though it may be slightly disappointing to some, this album deserves a place on any serious Suffocation fan's shelf. How you receive Pinnacle of Bedlam really depends on what you want from Suffocation.

Originally written for http://www.metalpsalter.com