WHAT IS THE BEST SUFFOCATION ALBUM???
NYDM legends Suffocation are a rare breed, to say the least: they’ve been around for a long-ass time, but have never put out even a single shitty record. When it comes to choosing the best release in their catalog, it’s pretty tricky because so many of their albums slam so hard!! It’s tough to choose just one, so I thought I would turn to the readers of MetalSucks to help me decide which Suffo record will be enshrined as their finest.
EFFIGY OF THE FORGOTTEN
In terms of straight-up brutality and aggression, Effigy Of The Forgotten is nearly unmatched, even by today’s standards. It’s hard to believe this record came out nearly twenty years ago, but still sounds mint — from the subwoofer guitar tone, to Mike Smith’s signature blasts and Frank’s ridiculously brutal vocals, this album is the template for NYDM and should be proudly displayed on every true death metaller’s mantle. Along with fellow Long Islanders Internal Bleeding and Pyrexia, they were part of the first crop to integrate the mosh grooves of NYHC with the precision and brutality of death metal, laying the foundation for a whole generation of brutal death and guttural slam bands to come — and recording a bunch of albums that are classics in their own right. Also, it’s hard for me to believe that they were only like 20 or 21 when they recorded this!
BREEDING THE SPAWN
There are plenty of bands who put out an amazing debut, only to follow it up with something shitty. Great bands continue to top themselves, which is exactly what Suffo did with Breeding The Spawn. The songwriting took the cock-smashing brutality of Effigy and added just a bit of non-gay melody, more dynamic arrangements, and ended up with an incredible collection of material that was sadly ruined by an incredibly shitty recording. I interviewed Frank a while back and apparently Roadrunner didn’t want to pay for Scott Burns/Morrisound or something, forcing Suffo to go to some off-brand, bullshit studio that clearly had no idea how to record a snare drum. It’s a goddamn tragedy that such amazing material got such atrocious production — I think it would be pretty cool if the band either re-recorded or at least remixed this album and gave it the proper release it deserves!
PIERCED FROM WITHIN
Thankfully, the band managed to get themselves into a real studio for what might be their definitive work, 1995’s Pierced From Within. It’s very much in the same vein as Breeding The Spawn, even going so far as to re-record the title track of their previous album. That track fucking completely slays, which gives you an idea of how amazing that album would’ve been with solid production. Aside from the production, this album also features their longest, most intricate songs. I always liked the first song on the second side, “Torn Into Enthrallment” — I’m a total sucker for those 90s-style eerie, clean guitar intros (ala Slayer’s Seasons in the Abyss). All in all, this is pretty much a flawless masterpiece of 90s death meta l– although I do feel a little bit like it lacks the raw aggression of Effigy??
DESPISE THE SUN
After a three year layoff, with a new label and new drummer, Suffo returned with a short but sweet EP. I remember waiting with baited breath for months for this record to drop, playing the 30 second Real Audio clips I had of a few tracks over and over and just fucking frothing for it to come out! As I recall, Doug Cerrito had a bigger role in the songwriting on this record, which is much faster and more stripped-down than their last few. While I’m not sure that I like it better than Pierced or Effigy, it definitely has some gems (“Funeral Inception” is one of their best songs IMO). The production is incredible, but as Frank said, I don’t think Dave Culross’ drumming was a great fit for the band– he’s a great drummer, but just didn’t have that sense of groove that Bones or Smith did, and his blasts felt weak in comparison. Overall, it’s a great record, but I don’t think it quite stands up to their other material.
Which of these classics stands out as the best to u?? The uncompromising brutality of Effigy? The intricate melody of Pierced? The wet-cardboard-box-half-full-of-rice snare tone of Breeding, or the nearly grindcore stylings of Depise The Sun??? Does “Liege of Inveracity” still make the hair on your arm stand up like it does for me??
-Sergeant D.
