Pinnacle of Bedlam

It would be ill to judge a book by a cover, and the new Suffocation album is quite misleading in that sense.

Looking at the artwork for ‘Pinnacle Of Bedlam’ it would be easy to assume the New York death metal veterans have fallen foul of the sterility of the ‘deathcore’ contingent that has been prominent within the metal press for a number of years.

Whilst this would seem a deterrent, don’t let it be. Their new work, in spite of this, and most fundamentally, the loss of longtime drummer Mike Smith doesn’t take away from a renewed sense of vitality and invigoration in this new release.

Musically, we also see a stylistic change. The interplay of Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais is increasingly fluid, though the infectious, melodic guitar solos are accentuated much like James Murphy’s work on ‘Cause Of Death’ by Obituary.

Whilst this ‘coats’ the arrangements with a different flair, it doesn’t overindulge or succumb to ‘noodling’ or strip away the core of what makes Suffocation thrive when they’re good, that ‘maze of riffs’ that is the framework of their songwriting. This quality in counterpoint makes ‘Pinnacle Of Bedlam’ succeed where Cryptopsy‘s self-titled album last year failed. With their virtuosity is form and consistency.

‘Pinnacle Of Bedlam’ marks the return of Dave Culross, (who played on ‘Despise The Sun’) to the percussive seat. His style is noticeably different from that of Mike Smith, technically more proficient, though less syncopated and not as rhythmically interlocked with the palm-muted riffs, a dominant feature of the band’s sound. Owing to this, and the tight bass playing of Derek Boyer, the frenetic rhythm section brings to mind a continuation of what Suffocation were exploring before their first break up in the late 90′s. suffocation-pinnacle-promo

Some unexpected twists do occur, particularly the arpeggio leitmotif in ‘Sullen Days’ that misleadingly comes across as a balladic introduction. The title track features slow breakdowns in which the alternation between riff and solo is reminiscent of something you’d hear from Gordian Knot. These segments are something of a distraction, but they’re brief and aren’t excessive enough to disrupt the cohesion that Suffocation have discovered on this album.

Frank Mullen’s vocals are their consistent self here. Guttural, but pronounced, yet always well emphasized and decipherable.

This stylistic shift might represent a channeling between the more accessible ‘technical’ death metal and the ‘brutal’ percussive style they pioneered, and whilst it isn’t on the same level as ‘Effigy Of The Forgotten’ through to ‘Pierced from Within’, it shows a band that have rediscovered good form.

http://stenchofishtar.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/suffocation-pinnacle-of-bedlam/