Suffocation

The idea of self-titled records should be the definite moniker of a band at their entirety, when it comes to sound, direction, production, themes, musical aspect, deliverance, and focus. I didn’t find this self-titled to deliver what I expected, by definition. That’s no rule of thumb, but in a sense you’d expect such records to be special. With lyrical themes that are pretty much combined from both Breeding the Spawn and Pierced from Within, and a weak production that makes one instrument overwhelm the other (refer to the drums), you get a weak and disappointing record. Imbalance, the lack of technical bass from the debut of Derek Boyer, and an uninteresting direction with lousy deliverance.

The record starts with the experimental 40-second prelude Oblivion: guitar harmonics and whammy bars, continuing to Abomination Reborn and unleashing dominate drumming and a wide guitar solo. To my surprise, starting off Redemption with atmospheric, chorus-effected guitar melodies was quite welcoming. I totally forgot and thought Torn into Enthrallment from Pierced from Within was the only Suffocation song to feature such an atmospheric feeling by using the chorus pedal. Even in the heavier parts it’s somewhat melodic, rhythmically, but a bit stretched out. The drums are still the dominant component in the production, taking away from the overall music. In all honesty, it seems like the band preferred simplistic quantity of music over memorable quality. Songs like Misconceived and Translucent Patterns of Delirium are some of the most annoying death metal songs I’ve ever heard. Love and death metal aren’t the best of friends to begin with, and that’s the infamous love song Entrails of You. Don’t get me started on them re-recorded songs that sound way worse than the original, raw versions.

The only songs that I’ve found to have some kind of quality, yet still didn’t manage to deliver anything unique are Creed of the Infidel, Regret, and The End of Ends. Speaking of memorable quality, the only one that came close of being such is the music video song Bind, Torture, Kill. Coincidentally, being the longest on the record, this is Mike Smith’s favorite (or favorite one on this specific record) because he wrote a great song, unlike the stretched Redemption.

First it was Despise the Sun, which I think shouldn’t exist in the first place. Now... this disappointment, the self-titled. Whatever people found in this underwhelming record, good for you. I don’t know how you managed to enjoy it, but I couldn’t. As the first disappointing record from the band, things have gone sour from this point on and they lost a bit of momentum. The best songs are Abomination Reborn and Bind, Torture, Kill.