Suffocation
Human Waste

THE REVIEW

In the very early nineties, death metal was experiencing its heyday, with a myriad of bands mostly coming from Florida and the New York area. Suffocation, hailing from New York, formed in '90, immediately recording a groundbreaking demo in the genre, "Reincremated", which opened the doors to a new sound: brutal death metal. Up until that time, death metal (with some exceptions, like the spectacular debut of Morbid Angel "Altars of Madness" in 1989 and the gem "Piece Of Time" by Atheist of the same year) was not much accustomed to overly complex and intricate rhythmic structures, as would happen in the following years. Suffocation would combine hyper-fast and technical rhythms with a previously unknown level of brutality, a sonic scheme based on blastbeat outbursts and quick breaks, frequent tempo changes, and brief slowdowns, all supported by precise and powerful guitar work steeped in crushing low sounds. The vocals, traditionally hoarse and growling in death metal, were made even lower and deeper.

The band consisted of Frank Mullen (vocals), Doug Cerrito and Terrance Hobbs on guitars, Josh Barohn (bass), and the prodigious Mike Smith on drums. In '91, Suffocation recorded this EP: "Human Waste", a concentration of pure power and aggressive execution poured into 6 songs articulated in intricate and lightning-fast rhythms (Smith's intense drumming must be heard to be believed); the piercing and heavy guitars of Cerrito and Hobbs create a thick wall of sound where Barohn's bass is suffocated by the general chaos, and Mullen's voice, cavernous and ultra-guttural, seems to come from underground.

No record up to that point had ever sounded so heavy and brutal indeed. The debut of Cannibal Corpse the previous year was still very tied to traditional death, even though with the following "Butchered At Birth" they would venture into the newly born brutal death. Suffocation remain the undisputed masters of these sounds, and this official debut was their baptism of fire in the global metal scene. The production is still raw and dirty, but each song remains of absolute value, as demonstrated by the fact that the band would re-record 5 of these 6 songs (now become classics) over the course of their career in many albums.

During '91, Suffocation would record "Effigy Of The Forgotten", the definitive masterpiece of this band and one of the best metal albums of all time. It would be followed by a long career full of highly valuable albums, crushing concerts, and a strong underground attitude that still endures today among powerful riffs, primitive growls, and inhuman snare drum barrages.