Suffocation are like the death metal equivalent of an old roller coaster that still makes your stomach drop even though you’ve ridden it hundreds of times and there are plenty of newer rides that are faster and more jarring. If you were following death metal in the early 1990s, when there was a sudden explosion of technical proficiency across the genre, Suffocation’s work since re-forming in 2002 will probably make you nostalgic for that era. By this point, fans will hardly be surprised to know that Suffocation’s eighth full-length, ...Of the Dark Light, doesn’t significantly expand on the formula established by landmark releases like 1991’s Effigy of the Forgotten and 1995’s Pierced from Within.
Like those albums, the new material comes stuffed with the instrumental gymnastics and headache-inducing atonality—that's a compliment, by the way—that first put the band on the map. In many ways, ...Of the Dark Light takes you back to a pivotal moment in death metal history. But the album also benefits tremendously from modern production that gives listeners a chance—arguably the best in the band’s almost three-decade career—to zoom in on the finer points of Suffocation’s music. When bassist Derek Boyer hits low notes or swollen chords, for example, it gives the music a sense of body you won’t find on the ‘90s recordings helmed by iconic death metal producer Scott Burns.
As usual, though, it’s the guitars and drums that occupy the spotlight. Once again, founding guitarist and bandleader Terrance Hobbs serves up a veritable air-guitarist’s dream of an album. Hobbs has the ability to cram multiple riffs and changes into even short stretches, so that by the time you’re 20 seconds into a song, you’ve got a ready-made guitar workout you could practice for days on end. Hobbs’ fretboard facility is so reliable that it’s easy to take for granted, especially since the acts that arose on Suffocation’s heels—Gorguts, Cryptopsy, Necrophagist, etc.—almost immediately raised the stakes when it came to complex song structures.
Since Suffocation’s first official recordings surfaced on the then-fledgling Relapse label in 1991, death metal’s growth has been exponential. If you examine the band’s whole catalog, you walk away with the impression that Hobbs and company haven’t tried to keep up with what other bands are doing. They’ve avoided stagnation, however, by continuing to push themselves within the framework of their established sound, and here the band gets an infusion of new blood from two new younger-generation members, drummer Eric Morotti and rhythm guitarist Charlie Errigo.
Thanks to the refined production, listeners can really sink their teeth into the way Errigo and Hobbs play off one another. Meanwhile, Morotti—recently described by Hobbs as “one of the fastest drummers we’ve ever had”—may not match the unique touch of founding drummer Mike Smith, but his superhuman chops no doubt pushed his new bandmates.
Perhaps the biggest sign of growth from the early days, though, comes in the form of Boyer’s lyrics. Death metal has always lent itself to metaphysical speculation, and Boyer's references to astral projection and “channeling forces we don’t understand” make the perfect lyrical foil for a character like the group's frontman, Frank Mullen. Mullen’s legendary growl is certainly forceful, but you can still make out (some of) what he's singing, which is more than you can say for the majority of his peers. Like a lot of death metal frontmen, Mullen sounds pretty convincing when he says things onstage like “this song’s all about killing people ‘cuz that’s what I like to fuckin’ do.” But there’s always been a hint of comic charm lurking behind that thick Long Island accent. These days, though, Boyer gives him—and us—a little more to chew on. Mullen’s personality goes a long way in setting him apart from the pack. The same goes for Suffocation as a whole, whose staying power on ...Of the Dark Night is undeniable.
