Review Summary: A lackluster offering that presents some good ideas and concepts, but is ultimately devoid of any innovation or surprises
Artist: Suffocation
Album Title: ‘Of The Dark Light’
Year of Release: 2017
Location: USA
Genre: Brutal-technical death metal
Label: Nuclear Blast
Preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiSvg6SVZvs
So far this year, we’ve been met with an influx of death metal releases that have had a striking presence in the underground metal community. The last seven months consisted of notable and praise-worthy albums from impressive acts such as Decrepit Birth, Dying Fetus, Hate, & Benighted. From all of the offerings that came about this year, one can surely find plenty diamonds in the rough. And then we have the latest Suffocation release…with a title sounding just as generic and cliché as the music itself, this offering from the New York death metal heavyweights lacks any form of luster or shine…and leaves much to be desired.
By far the biggest issue I’ve had with this release was the lack of anything remotely resembling innovation, originality, or even creativity throughout. This goes for all aspects of the album; ranging from the bland, clockwork guitar riffs, to the absence of any significant vocal ticks or moderately meaningful track themes. All around, ‘Of The Dark Light’ turned out to be a monotonous, average borefest of a bdm release that represents a mere shell of what made this band so great in the first place.
Aside from the two singles that were released as promotional material through Nuclear Blast a few months back, notably the self-titled track, there is not really much here to write home about. Don’t get me wrong, I was supremely hyped when I first heard about a new Suffocation release being in the works way back when. And, following their previous few not-so-great albums, I should’ve had lower expectations from the get-go. However, the two singles just dragged me in, especially with that climactic slamming breakdown in the middle of the self-titled track…still gets me pumped.
One of the positive points I have for this album is that it’s not very long; therefore the monotony does not really overstay its welcome. The album’s 35-minute running time is not too overwhelming. Another pro is the production quality, which, overall, proves itself tolerable and a decent job done by engineer Joe Cincotta. In addition, the mixing/mastering undertaken by the legendary Chris “Zeuss” Harris isn’t too shabby either, although, not sure if I’d say good enough to reach Top 100 in Germany’s music charts. The artwork by Colin Marks is intriguing, if a tad mystifying, since I’m really having difficulties trying to pinpoint what I’m looking at exactly. Appears to be a man levitating inside a type of whirlwind with his body being mutilated by a blue aura. From what I’ve gathered through track titles and lyrics, the album possibly conceptualizes crossing through a daunting void into another dimension, which could be an interesting concept if done correctly.
Now that we’re done listing all the things this album did decently, it’s time to get into some of the cons or issues that this record has…oh boy. First off, as was mentioned prior, the riffs written by longtime guitarist Terrance Hobbs are just very lackluster throughout and don’t employ the power or inventiveness of the early Suffocation releases. This album does have its good moments, but in all they are few and far in between. Second off, the drumming felt a bit off or convoluted at times for me, not sure how to explain it. The drum work, while passable, just did not come off as appealing for whatever reason. Perhaps the samples may be to blame. The bass lines, when they were audible, had some decent groove. However, they were just overshadowed by all of the other bland stuff going on in the mix. The vocals were also mostly disappointingly forgettable, with only a few sections that exhibited raw energy that was actually convincing.
In conclusion, this new release by the guys from Suffocation, who are frequently hailed as one of the brutal death innovators and kings within their own right, is ultimately a mediocre album with few memorable points. The production, album art and mixing/mastering all come off as competent; however, it is a shame that these factors are joined with such painfully dull and formulaic music. The boys at Suffocation have forgotten some of their roots, it seems, as their work is declining over time. Personally, one should look to their 1990s works, or even ‘Souls to Deny’, for higher quality technical brutal death. Otherwise, this new stuff just doesn’t cut it…as you’ll hardly find anything new or inventive here. Just stuff you’ve already heard before, coupled with less energy and originality, as well as many of the other things that made the early works so great.
Rating: 2.5/5
Favourite Tracks: ‘Of The Dark Light’, ‘Your Last Breaths’
