Suffocation are still plenty aggressive, but that aggression is sense by the mind, less so in the stomach. Although the Suffocation of Pinnacle to Bedlam are more classically technical than their past incarnations, I do wonder if it was necessary to have accommodated their finesse without the digital trappings of modern production. And I get that it's probably unfair to compare a band's current style to something they did half a lifetime ago in that case, even Souls to Deny managed to retain some of that same murkiness. Effigy of the Forgotten's production was appropriately grimy and unwelcoming. Given how common this tends to be, I might not have even bothered to notice if I didn't feel this was a rather new innovation to Suffocation's sound. Though by no means as mechanical as the worst contenders, Pinnacle of Bedlam is no exception to this rule. While I love the attention-demanding busyness entailed in a lot of these bands (the current Suffo included) the digital, ultraclear production is what largely defines modern tech-death to me, and it's that same production that tends to undo the inherent aggression in the music. You know modern tech death when you hear it densely composed, hyperactively performed and with the prevailing tendency to sound like it was produced by the cybernetic 23rd century equivalent of Bob Rock.
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Although their evolution has been slow, this gradual push towards a distinctly 'modern' style of tech-death has been a long time coming. Come the albums they've put out this side of the new millennium though they've never slacked when it comes to the execution of their craft, I'm not convinced their latest incarnation has done enough to set their sound apart from the hordes of modern tech-death acts they have originally influenced in part.įor better or worse, Suffocation's seventh full-length Pinnacle of Bedlam is a solid, straightforward entry to the crowded tech-death canon. The legendary significance of Effigy of the Forgotten is not lost on me I mean, given the sort of animosity that stirs between the sub-genres of death metal (being a sub-genre in itself), it would take some modicum of balls to come onto the scene with the intent of bridging the melodic, the technical, and the 'br00tal' together.
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Guy Marchais eventually left the band, after three consistently depleted records.Ī used copy of Souls to Deny has been lingering about in my CD collection for years now, but I can't say I've ever been too excited about Suffocation, much less the work they've been churning out post-reunion. Sure, adapting, changing, or moving on is important, but this record has done none of the three. I feel like at this point the guys have lost momentum or gave up their true sound back in the good old 90s. The music has definitely improved since the last two records, after their very own respective downgrades, but it wasn’t enough. Unfortunately, this is another disappointing installment in the Suffocation franchise. The music is perfect, presented to the fullest, with chilling guitar works, strong drums (even though the bass doesn’t sound as strong), and the lyrics are superb as Frank’s own voice. This song offered the most and the band should’ve performed it live more. I never understood what was so great about As Grace Descends (despite what I said above). The only song that delivered on all aspects is the title track.
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And, of course, they brought the ruins that is the re-recorded version of Beginning of Sorrow. It’s always the few specific parts that are awesome, and that’s it. Other than that, they didn’t contribute into sounding any more extraordinary than they could’ve. As Grace Descends has progressive guitar riffs and pounding blast beats, while Sullen Days presents a beautiful guitar intro and outro.
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I can say that, with a few examples, the first half provided some of the best guitar solos in the band’s existence. While all the songs sound different from each other, distinguishing articulate guitar solos, great drums work and bass, and Frank’s growls sounding as good as ever, most of them hardly offered anything unique, let alone memorable. The album cover doesn’t do it for me either seems extremely generic. The record thematically got the inspiration from the 2012 phenomenon, from what I can tell end of the world horseshit. So maybe I shouldn’t complain to that extent. The production sounds like a downgrade from Blood Oath, but then again, it doesn’t sound as commercial. I think had the opportunity to show his technical abilities behind the kit to much higher dimensions, as well as writing better music compared to Despise the Sun. Upon Mike’s departure for the second and last time, Dave Culross (for the second and last time as well) returned to drum for the band. Four years after another disappointing record in Blood Oath, Pinnacle of Bedlam showcases significant changes, like the overall music and lineup.