Pinnacle of Bedlam

When I first heard about this album coming out I had high hopes for it. Lyrically, the album was said to be based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. This is not what I had in mind when I read this news. When you hear something like that, you expect an album with dark, gritty production similar to earlier Suffocation releases, but that is nowhere to be found. Even Blood Oath, which was a weak album, had that signature Suffocation sound.

What made an even worse first impression on me was listening to As Grace Descends, which was released prior to the album. It's the weakest track not just form this album, but is in my opinion the worst Suffocation song ever (not to mention the music video). When the album finally arrived I listened to it in hopes of finding something worth listening to more than once. And I did. It's not all bad, but it's certainly a big disappointment compared to all the other albums prior to Blood Oath.

The guitar work is pretty good, but somehow the first thing that came to mind when I was listening to this was: did they relapse Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais? Seriously. The drumming is the best part of this album. I always enjoyed listening to Dave Culross on Despise The Sun, so no disappointment on that part. The bass here cannot be heard. Again, this is coming from a guy who we could hear clearly on previous albums and on ...And Time Begins from Decrepit Birth. Frank Mullen is still as great as ever, but his voice has seen better days.

I'm sorry to say this and it pains me that this band, that is a legend in the genre, has become just another modern death metal band. If you are interested in all the new death metal bands that have overly clean production and have forgotten about the dark, raw energy of the genre, then this might be your stuff. I'll just stick to their earlier works.