Suffocation – Hymns from the Apocrypha
Release Date: 3rd November 2023
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Order/Stream
Genre: Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal.
FFO: Dying Fetus, Ingested, Deeds of Flesh, Decrepit Birth.
Review By: Eric Wilt
A new album by a band of Suffocation’s caliber and pedigree is always a cause for celebration, but in the case of Hymns from the Apocrypha, the first Suffocation album not to feature Frank Mullen as the main vocalist (he does appear on one track), it’s also a cause for some trepidation. Frank Mullen is a death metal institution, and from his gravelly, guttural growl to his on-stage death chop, he was a huge part of Suffocation’s sound and shows. The question will his replacement be able to fill his blood-splattered shoes has loomed large over the band since his official retirement in 2019, and I’m here to tell you that the answer is a resounding yes! New vocalist, Ricky Myers, isn’t exactly new considering he began filling in for Mullen over a decade ago and has been with the band full-time since 2019, but this is his first time behind the mic on a Suffocation studio recording. A death metal lifer, Myers played drums for fellow death metal legends Disgorge, so his work experience checks out, and his vocal ability does too. If you can imagine Frank Mullen’s vocals even lower and stronger, you can imagine what Myers’s vocals sound like. His addition is, if anything, an improvement.
As for the new album, guitarist Terrance Hobbs, the lone original member of Suffocation, has outdone himself while bringing the band into this new era. Joining Hobbs and Myers on Hymns from the Apocrypha are Derek Boyer on bass, Eric Morotti on drums, and Charlie Errigo also on guitar. The album was co-produced by Hobbs, Boyers, and Christian Donaldson and was recorded at In-Line Studios, which is owned by Hobbs and Boyers.
Suffocation’s sound hasn’t changed much since their inception, and they aren’t trying to surprise anyone with Hymns from the Apocrypha. The riffs are still razor sharp and the drums are still huge. The guitars still bounce between rapid-fire riffing and groove-oriented power chords, and there are slams aplenty. In fact, everything that we’ve grown to love about Suffocation over the years is present on the new album and then some.
Fans will feel right at home as Myers growls over the mid-paced dual guitar work in the title track. The next song, Perpetual Deception, is filled with blast-beats and contains one of the sickest slams to ever appear on a Suffocation album. Further on in the record, Seraphim Enslavement shows that Suffocation is still adept at changing tempo on a dime. This song also includes a solo that sounds like it was ripped right out of 1990. Descendants includes some of the most progressive riffing that Hobbs has ever included on a Suffocation record, and even gives Boyer’s bass a few seconds alone to lead the song into the next section. Delusions of Mortality, the eighth track on the album, is a ridiculously heavy song and is the perfect way to end the Ricky Myers portion of the record. Finally, Frank Mullen makes a cameo on the re-recorded version of Ignorant Deprivation, and although it’s nice to hear Mullen’s one more time, you can tell that his voice isn’t as strong as it once was, and the track shows just why Myers has been such an important addition to the band.
After 35 years in the game, and with a new vocalist, you may expect the quality of Suffocation’s output to drop off. In fact, I think it would be understandable if it did, but with Hymns from the Apocrypha, Hobbs and company prove that they are still a force to be reckoned with. Cemented firmly in my top ten for the year, I have no doubt that this album will rejuvenate long-time fans’ love of the band and will also win the death metal stalwarts a new slew of supporters.
(5 / 5)
Right on!
\m/