Suicide Silence is a Deathcore band that, at the point of this review, clearly needs no introduction (but shall get one anyway). The group formed back in 2002, and hail from Riverside, California. With the sudden burst of interest in Deathcore from other pioneering acts like this band, such as Whitechapel, and the increasing popularity and demand of something heavier out of the Metalcore universe, it was only a matter of time before Suicide Silence broke into the Metal world. After a few demos and paying their dues, they found a home with Third Degree Records, a smaller record label that issued their first label-based release, the Suicide Silence EP in 2005. The EP made it's rounds, and while some just did not know what to make of it, there were plenty who embraced this more obscure release.
Of course, with it being issued on a smaller record label, it was almost obvious that the quality to the recording was not going to be the most spectacular. The quality is still pretty high, though really muddy and still shows traits of an independent or lower quality release through the volume of the release being a little less then it would normally be, having more of a raw sense to the music as well with a slight hollow atmosphere, and the drums don't really hold up too well with varied volume levels to certain parts of the kit affecting the overall sound a bit in a bad way. The guitars are good and, for the most part, come off like traditional chugging Deathcore styles with a slight hint of technicality to them at times between the higher pitch riffs that appear against the deeper parts of the song, and the bass comes through very well and gives the sound a bludgeoning atmosphere to the recording. The drumming is well done too, though at times, as stated, can come off a bit hollow sounding due to the volume levels, which really ends up impacting the band during their breakdowns when the kit has very little to do, leaving some of them far more open then they should be, much like with "Swarm".
Musically, Suicide Silence makes for a decent introduction to the band. The vocals vary through each track of the more aggressive rhaspier screams and gutturals, and both come off well, though sometimes feel a little lost in the mix from the deep bass aiding the already low chugging guitars, especially drowning out the gutturals. This becmes one of the first noticable issues of the EP and hits on "Ending is the Beginning". The song doesn't really come off as anything too intense, and the addition of squeels at times works for the song's benefit to establish a more brutal Death Metal influence. The breakdowns in this song are often not too bad, but when they slow down dramatically to the point where the cymbols are left to fill the gaps, and they just don't have enough of a presence to do this. While "Ending is the Beginning" is not the most interesting or intense tracks, "Swarm" does an excellent job of establishing a stronger, faster approach from the band that the other track neglects greatly due to the heavy use of chugging guitar chords.
Of course, that chugging element becomes a strong focal point of the band, which really is sad to hear considering the most intense and often brutal sounding faaster parts of "Swarm" that hammer away and can often give off a very creepy, hopeless atmosphere, such as around the half way point of the track before the third breakdown of the track that matches the brutality of that passage well. This also works as a great transition back into the faster Brutal Death Metal material that started off the track that just continues to build up, even when the band resorts back to the chugging approach which seems dramatically more intense and sinister, until the very end of the song. The next two tracks basically just follow the same formulas. "About a Plane Crash" is the same chugging approach with some technical aspects that "Ending is the Beginning" has, and "Distorted Thought of Addiction" has more of a Brutal Death Metal sound to it that "Swarm" has, as well as doesn't focus on using chugging guitars every single chance they are given, though they do appear in moderation with an early breakdown that features a lot of dead air that just feels awkward every time it hits. The main difference to "About a Plane Crash" is that the band does it right. That chugging is complimented with a very limited number of passages that do more then just chug, the breakdown is far not as lazy and feels rather brutal sometimes as well, leading the track to just sound and feel richer int he long run.
Suicide Silence ends with a live recording of the track "Destruction of a Statue". Why this was not recorded in the studio is a question that comes to mind, but the more raw nature fo this version really adds to the overall brutality the band does manage to bring with them. The song itself is also highly intense and one of the best tracks off the entire release, as you can just really feel the energy behind it. Sadly, the vocals are buried too far in the background, but that feels more like a problem with the person running the soundboard then anything else as the guitars are heavy, the drums sound great, and the bass is rich and at times has that twang to it, giving the song the sound of bones rattling around, all at a respectable volume level. The CD is also one of those enhanced discs with media files you can view on your computer, but it's just the live version of "Destruction of a Statue" in video format. Again, the vocals are basically non-existent on this, and sometimes you can't tell if it's bad video editing or because you can't hear them that the video does not sometimes synch the lip movements up with the actual music properly.
For the band's signed debut offering, Suicide Silence does a decent job at establishing the group and what they bring to the table. The album has a strong amount of brutality to it, but sometimes the music just is not all that great. The chugging can get a little boring when it dominates the entire song, and due to the quality the lazy breakdowns sound a little less then inspiring, especially when it's left up to the drums to keep the pace going and fill the dead air. Suicide Silence give a good performance with plenty of energy, and it can really be felt on the recording, and thanks to the variety shown on here, it's understandable why this EP release caught the attention of the press, fans, and labels. If you're into this style, it's worth checking out, but the lack of a studio "Destruction of a Statue" is something that hurts, mostly because of the audio problems, and how great a song it is compared to the rest of the material on this EP.
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