Here comes Suicide Silence’s comeback.
Created in 2002, the American band gave Deathcore its credentials before losing its emblematic singer, Mitch Lucker, in 2012.
Since then, Chris Garza (guitar), Mark Heylmun (guitar), Dan Kenny (bass), Hernan « Eddie » Hermida (vocals) and Ernie Iniguez (drums) have kept the band’s flame alive, making their mark in 2023 with Remember… You Must Die, their seventh album.
After Remember…, its disturbing introduction, the band attacks with You Must Die, a compendium of aggressive riffs buried under an omnipresent drumming and massive screams, creating a wave of rage in the… surprising mix. The breaks remain as catchy as ever, just like on Capable of Violence (N.F.W.), whose ultra-violent video clip had reminded us of some Old School influences. The groovy parts create a contrast with the waves of double kick as well as with this apocalyptic solo, then Fucked For Life goes back to the style’s vindictive Hardcore influences, while keeping ultra-fast and sharp riffs as well as catchy and heady parts under the flood of screams. Dissonance is quite well integrated into the composition, which ends to let Kill Forever bludgeon us with an abrasive rhythmic swearing by violence and an omnipresent drumming. Wild moshparts follow, letting the band unleash with a sustained rhythm, then God Be Damned will take over to continue to feed the furious violence. We also have a few slightly slower parts, quickly overtaken by aggressive and heavy patterns, while Altar of Self presents itself as the perfect track for crowd movements with a jerky rhythm. Melancholic leads soften the sound, while the final break will do just the opposite, quickly followed by Endless Dark and its explosive rhythmic letting incisive riffs clash under cavernous vociferations. The Third Death immediately follows with a very similar approach, mixing a powerful Deathcore with raw patterns, then the track will be followed by Be Deceived, which offers slightly more groovy riffs while keeping this heavy and oppressive approach at every moment. The band adds darker sounds on Dying Life, the next composition, letting guitars express themselves more, then Full Void will close the album with a dissonant sound completed by devastating drumming, which will leave little room for the other instruments before the whole returns to the introduction’s disturbing sounds.
Suicide Silence still knows how to make aggressive and raw Deathcore, that’s undeniable. But Remember… You Must Die will surprise you with a mix honoring drums and vocals, unfortunately leaving riffs aside, making the album quite difficult to fully appreciate.
70/100