Suffocation (band)

"Suffocation are like the death metal equivalent of an old roller coaster that still makes your stomach drop even though you’ve ridden it hundreds of times and there are plenty of newer rides that are faster and more jarring. If you were following death metal in the early 1990s, when there was a sudden explosion of technical proficiency across the genre, Suffocation’s work since re-forming in 2002 will probably make you nostalgic for that era."

"Suffocation are globally recognized innovators of death metal [and] became extremely influential in the thrash/grind community. Since the 1990s, their massive influence on the genre came from pioneering the balance between brutal and technical sounds now commonly heard in 21st century death metal. After several demos and singles, 1991's now-classic Effigy of the Forgotten influenced an entire generation in death metal and grindcore circles."

"The recorded works of the Long Island death metal quintet were largely responsible for the word ‘brutal’ entering the patois of the extreme metal fan, stylized in the now passé forum-friendly format ‘br00tal’. Some modes of death metal require the guitars to tune down and rot. Others require a pedantic noise gate to trim it into the physical ideal of an über-metal rhythm tone. What Terrance Hobbs and Doug Cerrito did was split the difference, finding a way of making sure the technicality was not lost in the mix while retaining the whiff of gore. They could switch things up, too. Tracks like Breeding the Spawn defined the Suffo style, throwing chum for the slam heads and writing with the full knowledge it would ignite the pit – that mid-section breakdown on Breeding was seminal. The likes of Torn into Enthrallment showed another side to them, and proved they had the songwriting nous to sit at the table with death metal’s elite."

"[Suffocation] always brings us the kind of heavy music ideal to break someone's nose in the slam pit."

"When Suffocation released their ‘Effigy of the Forgotten’ debut, they reigned in both brutal and technical death metal, all while other acts around the world were trying to put their signature stamp on the still young genre. Incredibly complex arrangements and constantly shifting time signatures were the hallmarks of a band well beyond their years with Frank Mullen’s uncompromising guttural barks becoming the standard technique. Suffocation excel best onstage where no band can match their unmitigated heaviness and wanton brutality."

"Suffocation might just be the best of the [New York death metal bands]. Since 1988, save for a little half decade break in the late 90s, they’ve been one of death metal’s most consistent bands. Not only do they have some mindboggling technical riffs and one of the genre's most instantly recognisable vocalists in Frank Mullen, their use of breakdowns was hugely influential in the creation of the deathcore movement... we’ll let you decide if that’s a positive or a negative."