Pinnacle of Bedlam

Suffocation made their name early with their memorable releases of "Effigy of the Forgotten", "Breeding the Spawn" and "Pierced From Within". After these releases, many people thought that Suffocation would never make a better album. Well, in my opinion, they did. "Pinnacle of Bedlam", the seventh full length for the brutal technical death metal masters, is some of the best material that Suffocation has ever put out. From the guitar work, drums, bass, vocals and lyrics, Suffocation has put out a true masterpiece in "Pinnacle of Bedlam".

The first track, "Cycles of Suffering", is a perfect start for the album. Compared to their previous release "Blood Oath", Frank Mullen's vocals have improved, and sound flawless throughout. The guitar solo by Terrance Hobbs is one of many throughout. The work from both Guy Marchais and Terrance Hobbs is excellent, and some of the best written material they have done in many years. After the departure of long time drummer Mike Smith, former member David Culross fits the empty slot perfectly, and provides a great percussion performance throughout. The lyrics of the song are excellent as well. Provided by bassist Derek Boyer, the lyrics go very well with the overall theme of the album.

The second and third tracks of album, titled “Purgatorial Punishment” and “Eminent Wrath”, are mainly riffs with one solo each. These are not as fast in tempo compared to past Suffocation songs, but I like that about the record. It’s not too fast. Some death metal bands, such as Cannibal Corpse and Deicide, have mainly fast paced songs. I don’t like the rush, and this album is definitely not rushed. It has a perfect tempo from start to finish.

We were first introduced to “Pinnacle of Bedlam” when Suffocation released the song “As Grace Descends”. When this song was released, people kept going off about the production being too clean. I love the production of the entire album, and cannot find a single flaw in the mixing whatsoever. It’s clean and yet so brutal, and perfectly done. Recently, Suffocation put out a music video for “As Grace Descends”. This is one of my favorite songs on the record, and was a great way to introduce the fans to the new album.

As you move forward, one track that really stands out on the record is “Sullen Days”. This song starts off with a soft guitar melody, and maintains the slower speed throughout the majority of the song. This was a different look at the writing that Suffocation is capable of. It’s also a longer song. Timing in at four minutes and fifty seven seconds, it is almost a full minute longer than most of the songs on the record. This song was an excellent addition to the brutality of “Pinnacle of Bedlam”, and is perfectly placed in the record.

Last year, we were all saddened to learn that legendary vocalist Frank Mullen would not be able to tour full time with the band in the future. He has a new job that requires him to miss time with the band. However, he still participates in the album as the lead vocalist, and still does most of the shows when they go on tour. What a performance from Mullen on this album. This is the best vocal performance I have ever heard in any other piece of music made by Suffocation. They sound great and they’re very clear. This may be the same instance on other albums, but I noticed that the majority of the lyrics were not written by Mullen. He did write them on one of the songs, titled “Rapture of Revocation”. Other than that, the lyrics are written by bassist Derek Boyer and lead guitarist Terrance Hobbs.

Many people had worries and were unhappy with the exit of long time drummer Mike Smith. He was a member of Suffocation for many years, and everyone was sad to see him go. Some even thought he was irreplaceable. Enter David Culross. Culross was the drummer for Suffocation for only a year, but he was happy to get back behind the kit. He does a fantastic job on the record, and I thought he fit the position very well.

Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais have been in Suffocation for many years, and have always had excellent performances in every album they’ve been involved in. The majority of the solos are done by Hobbs, but there are a few done by Marchais. Hobbs wrote the majority of songs on “Pinnacle of Bedlam”, but one song was written by only Marchais, titled “My Demise”. This was a heavier song, and shows the differences in writing from Hobbs. These guys did an excellent job on the record, and put some of their best material into this album.

The bass performance is excellent as well. Derek Boyer not only wrote the majority of the lyrics, but gives a great addition with the bass on the record. It is easily detectable, and played strongly throughout. In parts of some songs, he has little bass grooves, but no extensive solos. It would have been nice to hear a bass solo or two, but at least you can hear the bass on the album, which is unfortunately rare on most albums from bands in the metal industry.

The closing song, titled "Beginning of Sorrow", had a rather interesting and unique ending. It was also written by every member in Suffocation, according to the lyric book. The ending is more of a breakdown. It’s also one of the longer songs on the album. The finish was interesting, but I liked it. It had a different ending to it than traditional Suffocation album, but this was a different album from Suffocation. It was much better than their last release, and in my opinion, the best Suffocation record ever made yet.

Though it may disappoint the diehard fan of classic Suffocation albums like “Effigy of the Forgotten” and “Breeding the Spawn” because of its clean (and in my opinion, flawless) production, “Pinnacle of Bedlam” shows some of the best riffs, solos, and writing in the long career of the death metal legends. This album surpasses all expectations and is my favorite death metal album of all time. It is as close to perfection as it gets. Pick this album up at once, it is a true masterpiece of death metal, produced from the true legends known as Suffocation.