Monday, August 29, 2011

Death Metal revisited: SUFFOCATION's "Pierced From Within" (1995)

Yesterday it was my birthday, so I threw a small party for friends, fam and bandmates. Like it usually happens, in the end it was just me and a couple of dudes lounging on the sofa talking about music and taking turns playing stuff on youtube until the early morning hours. As these two particular friends happen to be experts on death metal, I tried to get some info on a band that I know has been around for ages, but I never got a chance to listen to an entire album of theirs.

In particular, I was interested in a little album entitled Pierced from Within (1995) by Suffocation, because I had heard parts of it here and there and thought it sounded pretty damn brutal and super tight. I wasn't mistaken; This classic Suffo album consists of 9 songs of relentless brutal death metal from the band which pretty much invented / pioneered this sound that goes on until today.

Everything I like about a solid death metal album is here: huge aggressive riffs, super-fast drumming with  constant double-bass use, disgusting guttural vocals and of course, a pretty high damn level of technical proficiency. Add to that an early huge production and a crazy bass sound that boosts the whole thing up like a motherfucker, and you got exactly what you need.

There is absolutely nothing soft about Pierced from Within; I believe that with some work on behalf of my side (that means 5-10 listens), it could easily enter my top-10 of death metal records. It is just a senseless display of brute strength and a definition of uncompromising attitude in the face of all that is watered down, preppy and weak (in our times, that's pretty much everything). A must-find, must-listen to!

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