SUFFOCATION — Pierced From Within (review)

SUFFOCATION — Pierced From Within album cover Album · 1995 · Brutal Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
2/5 ·
Vim Fuego
There are some bands which are supposedly above criticism. In the realm of classic rock, Led Zeppelin is beyond reproach, in black metal it's Darkthrone, and grindcore has classic Carcass. There is a band in brutal death metal circles spoken of with the same reverence by a majority of fans of the genre- Suffocation. The story goes if you don't like this band, then you don't really like brutal death metal.

All the ingredients for a good sound are there. Suffocation are undeniably brutal. All the musicians involved in the band have always been highly technically proficient. Their sound has never been anything but utterly crushing and extreme. Somehow, it still doesn't work.

So you slip this album on, and within seconds the deathly bludgeoning of the title track begins. Suffocation create huge walls of deathly noise, while vocalist Frank Mullen vomits forth a tale of unimaginable gore and violence. The sound is incredibly tight and precise, able to stop on a pinhead, before exploding forth like a pack of pneumatic drills set on kill.

And then onto "Thrones Of Blood". The band create huge walls of deathly noise, while vocalist Frank Mullen vomits forth a tale of unimaginable gore and violence. The sound is incredibly tight and precise, able to stop on a pinhead, before exploding forth like a pack of pneumatic drills set on kill.

And then to "Depths Of Depravity". The band create huge walls of deathly noise, while vocalist Frank Mullen vomits forth a tale of unimaginable... Hang on, it's not so unimaginable now. This is the third time in a row the same turgid riffs, the same rhythms, the same damn song has appeared.

Yes, Suffocation are brutal, extreme, heavy, or whatever else you want to call them. However, they utterly suck at writing songs which are actually distinguishable from one another. Brutal death metal is an extremely restrictive genre. As one of the originators of the sound, Suffocation are responsible for setting many of the boundaries of the genre, but here seem content to sit in the middle of them without pushing anything. Even on a first listen, this is utterly predictable. It is possible to sit through a song and say to yourself "OK, the vocals are going to start here, the double kick drums are going to start here, and everything is going to stop then restart right here", and it happens.

This album seems sterile and uninventive. There is little to offer which has not been done before. Do yourself a favour and avoid.
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