Review Summary: A step up in consitency and song-writing skills, but lacking the thuggish 'Br00tAlz' charm previous albums had in spades.
Suicide Silence – The Black Crown
Suicide Silence – The Black Crown
Sub-genres can often be quite a pain for bands when it comes to metal and its vast array of mutations. Mitch Lucker (lead vocalist in Suicide Silence) has always expressed his distaste at the categorisation of his band Suicide Silence; maybe because deathcore is hardly the most credible genre within metal anymore. It tends to lead to generic song-writing and fans with flappy fringes. While his attitude is understandable, there is no doubt that previous offering The Cleansing and No Time to Bleed have been very unsubtle in their breakdown obsessed structure, excessive blastbeats and technical riffery. So while they have certainly waved the deathcore flag in the past, does their most recent release, The Black Crown, fall in line with their past releases or explore new territory?
Well, thankfully, the answer to that question is the latter. While The Black Crown still has songs which go by the standard deathcore formula such as the lead single ‘You Only Live Once’ and ferocious nu-metal tinged opener ‘Slaves to Substance’. Both retain the pit worshipping breakdowns and viscous vocal hooks found on the likes of No Time to Bleed, but they also show off a Pantera style groove which makes for an interesting mix with the djent inspired guitar tone. However, The Black Crown is at always at its peak at its most experimental. ‘Cross Eyed Catastrophe’ shows off melody and even clean female vocals and Witness the Addiction features Jonathan Davis from Korn which seems fitting considering the nu-metal vibe around the album. His clean singing also adds an extra dimension to the album’s sound, and the hook he delivers in the chorus is so mind-blowing he probably wishes he’d kept it for his own band. Despite all of this experimentation, there are also moments of straight up brutality. Human Violence is particularly crushing, taking its warp speed riffs and ultra-bendy solos from Slayer and injecting something utterly destructive and terrifyingly fast. Franky Mullen (of Suffocation) makes a welcome cameo on Smashed. While it is fairly forgettable, it does pick up on a more old school death metal vibe without sacrificing any momentum.
In terms of consistency and experimentation from their original template, Suicide Silence have made a great start. Unfortunately, The Black Crown does sound a little like a band gaining there feet with their new sound. Although it is by far their most consistent release, some of the edge that was practically dripping from their previous outings feels absent. The squeaky clean production may be partially responsible for this. Despite the killer Meshaggah style guitar tone it provides, the drum sound feels somewhat lacking in areas. Perhaps it’s just me just being pedantic. Either way, The Black Crown indicates that Suicide Silence are most than just a passing trend and (love or hate it), they will be around for a lot longer.
7.5
Slaves to Substance, 8/10 – Gets things off to a no nonsense, quite literally roaring start. Pounding breakdown infused chorus with a nu-metal edge. Should please fans of the previous two albums.
O.C.D, 7/10 – Somewhat lesser than ‘Slaves to Substance’, but still has some solid riffs and beatdowns.
Human Violence, 8.5/10 – One of the strongest songs on the album. Thrash riffs at breakneck speed mixed with a deathcore tinge. This will sound awesome live.
You Only Live Once, 8.5/10 – What do get when you cross Lamb of God riffs with Despised Icon breakdowns? A ***ing awesome song, that’s what. The lyrics may sound like the script to a Viagra advert, but it’s catchy nonetheless.
*** Everything, 6.5/10 – Although the previous are hardly ‘intelligent’, this track comes across as particularly dumb.
March to The Black Crown, 4.5/10 – Taking down the pace of the album in a similar way that ‘And Then She Bled’ did on No Time to Bleed, except it has a less atmosphere and only succeeds in making the album seem somewhat sluggish.
Witness the Addiction, 9/10 – Jonathan Davis lends his soaring clean vocals to Mitch’s serrated screaming with a devastating effect. Arguably one of the best (if not THE best) thing Suicide Silence have put their name on.
Cross-Eyed Catastrophe, 8/10 – Just as nastily heavy as previous tracks, but with infused melody in the form of clean female vocals in the final chorus. This kind of experimentation makes deathcore seem interesting again.
Smashed, 7.5/10 – More death metal than deathcore. More riffs. More breakdowns. And who can resist gang vocals like “Let’s smash this ***ing ***!”?
The Only Thing That Sets Us Apart, 7.5/10 – One of the catchiest songs Suicide Silence have ever done, acoustic touches don’t sound like the best idea ever but it works surprisingly well.
Cancerous Skies, 7/10 – Some excellent guitar work and atmosphere. Seems a little bland in comparison to the previous tracks, but it’s still solid and heavy as ***.
