Artist: SUFFOCATION
Album: "SUFFOCATION (CD)"

Year: 2006
Media type: CD

Now regarded as one of the most influential original Death Metal combos, New York's SUFFOCATION led the way in deconstructing their art down to the finest, microscopic components, building songs of infinite complexity. Very often their tracks compressed enough riffage to fuel an entire album, this obsessive devotion to their craft taking the methodology soon firing up a new branch of the Death Metal family tree.

SUFFOCATION was initially founded as SOCIAL DISEASE during 1986. The band debuted with a line-up of vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Doug Cerrito and Terrance Hobbs, bassist Josh Barohn and drummer Mike Smith. This unit arrived with the 3 track demo tape ‘Reincremation’ during July 1990.

SUFFOCATION’s inaugural EP release ‘Human Waste’ emerged in May 1991, issued by Nuclear Blast Records in Europe and Relapse Records, as this influential label’s first ever release, in America. The title track been lifted straight from the antecedent demo but the newly recorded tracks barely surpassed it in terms of production quality. Where SUFFOCATION did score was in their rampantly excessive use of riffing, managing to congest a bewildering welter of riffs into space normally reserved for a then genre standard of a handful. In this respect, SUFFOCATION immediately set themselves apart.

The band would switch labels to Roadrunner turning round the album ‘Effigy Of The Forgotten’ in October the same year. This release included re-recorded versions of the 1990 demo tracks 'Involuntary Slaughter' and 'Reincremation', the latter featuring guest vocals from singer George 'Corpsegrinder' Fisher alongside 'Mass Obliteration'. Again SUFFOCATION focussed on their now trademark attention to extreme detail, with massed “nano-thrash” riffing, Mullen’s inhuman bellow and unrelenting blast beats.

The May 1993 opus ‘Breeding The Spawn’ saw Chris Richards take the four string position, with Terrance Hobbs and Paul Bagin helming production. In 1994 SUFFOCATION donated the track ‘Infecting The Crypts’ to the ‘Live Death’ compilation album, though by this time Doug Bohn filled in behind the drum kit.

Bohn joined gore mongers AUTOPSY prior to founding WELT with his SUFFOCATION colleague Doug Cerrito on guitar for the 1994 'Paranoid Delusion' EP, an act that changed names in 1996 to IRON LUNG releasing the ‘Chasing Salvation' album on Diehard Records. Following touring to promote SUFFOCATION’s May 1995 Scott Burns produced album ‘Pierced From Within’ drummer Doug Bohn decamped. His place was taken by DISGORGED and MALEVOLENT CREATION man Dave Culross to record the EP 'Despise The Sun', distributed via the band’s management company Vulture Records during 1998. . This outing, witnessing a re-work from the 'Human Waste' EP, with minimal promotion, unfortunately languished in obscurity.

The exalted position afforded SUFFOCATION after a decade of output could not sustain the band though and the group ceased activities. During 1998 guitarist Doug Cerrito joined HATE ETERNAL for their ‘Conquering The Throne’ album, the act founded by RIPPING CORPSE and MORBID ANGEL guitarist Erik Rutan. Culross would rejoin MALEVOLENT CREATION.

Highlighting the undoubted impact SUFFOCATION had upon the scene Greek label Repulsive Echo compiled a 2001 tribute album with an all international cast. SUFFOCATION were duly paid homage by their countrymates PROPHECY, DEVOURMENT, PUTRILAGE, SEVERED SAVIOR, INTERNAL BLEEDING and DETRIMENTAL as well as Canadians ROTTING, Australians MISCREANT, Finns DEEP RED, Spains WORMED, Japan’s VOMIT REMNANTS, Greeks INVERACITY, Dutch bands PYAEMIA and DISAVOWAL, Germans HARMONY DIES and even BEHEADED from Malta.

Reports surfaced in August 2002 that SUFFOCATION were set to re-unite citing a line up of vocalist Frank Mullens, guitar players Terrance Hobbs and the PYREXIA and INTERNAL BLEEDING credited Guy Marchais, bassist Chris Richards and drummer Mike Smith. To complement this news, Relapse picked up the neglected 'Despise The Sun' EP for re-release. By late 2003 the band, now seeing a new bassist in Josh Barohn, had set 'Souls To Deny' as a projected title for a new album. A promotional video clip for the track 'Surgery of Impalement' was filmed at Philadelphia's infamous Eastern State Penitentiary, noted for having held notorious gangster Al Capone.

The group, having switched bassists once again and bringing onboard former DECREPIT BIRTH man Derek Boyer, continued touring apace across North America into April of 2004 as part of MORBID ANGEL's 'American Heretic' dates partnered with SATYRICON and PREMONITIONS OF WAR. Extending live work into May, the band hooked up with DYING FETUS and MALAMOR. Dates in January 2005 saw SUFFOCATION partnering with BEHEMOTH and SOILENT GREEN. As this trek extended into February the band retained BEHEMOTH as road partners but also added CATTLE DECAPITATION and Minneapolis outfit DEVILINSIDE. Road work continued throughout 2005, witnessing October and November shows packaged with CRYPTOPSY, CEPHALIC CARNAGE, ABORTED and WITH PASSION. Mike Smith also made time to see inclusion on the October released ROADRUNNER UNITED 25th anniversary album 'The All-Stars Sessions', helming the drumkit for the Matt Heafy compiled 'Dawn Of A Golden Age'.

SUFFOCATION announced touring plans for the summer of 2006, kicking of the 'Sthress' tour in July alongside POISON THE WELL, IT DIES TODAY, HIMSA, DARKEST HOUR, BURY YOUR DEAD, SHADOWS FALL, THROWDOWN and STILL REMAINS. The band united with headliners FEAR FACTORY and Polish act DECAPITATED for US shows in November 2006.

TRACKLIST:

1. Oblivion
2. Abomination Reborn
3. Redemption
4. Bind Torture Kill
5. Inis Concieved
6. Translucent Patterns Of Delirium
7. Creed Of The Infidel
8. Regrets
9. Entrails Of You
10. The End Of Ends
11. Prelude To Repulsion

LINE-UP:

Frank Mullen (vocals)
Doug Cerrito (guitar)
Terrance Hobbs (guitar)
Derek Boyer (bass)
Dave Culross (drums)

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