Suicide Silence "Suicide Silence" (2017)

American Deathcore kings Suicide Silence tragically lost their iconic frontman Mitch Lurker back in 2012, his distinct screams and lively stage persona was a defining aspect of the bands identity. The choice to continue on without him would pave for difficult times as the impossible task of replacing Mitch would unsurprisingly cause mixed reactions among fans. 2014's "You Can't Stop Me" featured new vocalist Eddie Hermida and was no stylistic departure but for an old fan of Deathcore it was quite a forgettable record.

Using the self titled card, the band have set out to redefine their sound, much to the disappointment of a quite frankly ludicrous reaction from their "fans". A petition to stop the band releasing this record actually gained traction and signatures within the music community, something Ive never heard of before and is quiet insulting to the band who should never be told what to do with their art. That must be even harder to taste when it comes from within your own fan base. Metal music has always taken quite the beating from the outside world but this is unprecedented.

History and controversy aside this new direction is far from awful but not flattering of these musicians. If I could summarize, Its as if I'm listening to a demo that's got a lot of potential, the elements, ideas and inspiration is all there but it comes together a little flat. So what sort of direction have they taken? Nu-Metal, an instant nose up for some people but its a little misleading, the band have aimed for the more artistic side, were bands like Korn and Slipknot where creating atmospheres of frustration and despair in the creepy moments riddled between bombastic dropped tuning riffs.

Suicide Silence have stripped back that frontal, riff eccentric approach to their sound and although It can still be heard a little in tone, the metallic riffs play second fiddle to noisy dissonance and reverb buried chord picking that has cagey drums and Eddie's unhinged singing forming a fiery emotional atmosphere. It sets the stage for off note, loose and unrestricted ideas to emerge in a constantly tumbling of deranged ideas. Many of which are quite imaginative and of their own identity, although others are distinctly like bands of that bygone era.

Unfortunately these ideas come together with a lack of structure or direction. The bands age would suggest they grew up in the Nu Metal generation and it is great to see they have picked out the lesser explored ideas of that era to go forward with but turning that influence into good songs has not come to fruition. Nothing is bad or awful, in fact there are a lot of intricate, unusual, interesting sounds at work and Eddie's performances are very emotional and grabbing. It just doesn't come together well. No song here creates something powerful as a whole. Even its best riffs fall flat into songs that don't progress with a direction to make anything remarkable of its contents.

Rating: 4/10

Suicide Silence "You Can't Stop Me" (2014)

Suicide Silence are a Californian Deathcore five-piece band who emerged from the early scene with one of the harsher sounds the genre would know. Snappy drums, deafening guitars and two distinct styles of brute force vocals, shrill snarly screams and bludgeoning dense gutturals. The band forged a unique sound which has led them to great success in establishing and growing a large fan base over the years. In 2012 tragedy struck the group when lead singer Mitch Lucker died in a motorcycle accident. Known for being covered in tattoos and being an all round nice guy he would be sorely missed, which is true of the music too, his style and tone an undeniable pivot in the groups sound and success. I was genuinely surprised to hear the band were continuing on. This first record without Mitch features Eddie Hermida stepping up to fill the big boots left behind.

The album continues where "The Black Crown" left off, showing a tamer side to their previously bludgeoning approaching to brutal, slamming music. This constructive riffing approach and choice of tempered, varied styles puts the record in an interesting balance where the brutal, slam moments steal the show. Melodic leads, guitar solos and various breaks do alter the flow where the bludgeoning would get nauseous, but this is what the band used to do so well, a continual onslaught of over the top brutality and although its still a prevalent mentality, the spark is lost in all but a few songs where things get heated but even then its nothing as intense and defining as songs like "Girl Of Glass" which reminds me of the lack of breakdown or breakout moments I had come accustom to.

The records production is a little crowded and overpowering, although effective in creating a brutal tone, the drums and guitars are over compressed, reducing the tone and color in crowded moments where the pounding rhythm takes lead as the instruments tones collide. With such big boots to fill vocalist Eddie does a relatively decent job with rasp screams and deep, open tonal gutturals, but ultimately the spark they once had is lost with Mitch and Eddies generic screams make a mediocre record of a band loosing their charm. Not all is bad, there's a couple of decent tracks and its an entertaining listen if your in the mood for mindless brutality, not to mention an enthralling feature from George Fisher.

Favorite Songs: Control, Warrior, Ending Is The Beginning.

Rating: 4/10