Search - Suffocation :: Effigy of the Forgotten

I like Pierced from Within slightly more . . .

Muddy Moe | Plano, TX United States | 03/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"But this is still about as good as brutal death metal gets. "Pierced" sounds a little more polished to me, not only in production, but in songwriting. And "Pierced" has a little more variation in songs. But "Effigy" is still more or less essential if you're serious about Death Metal.Mike Smith's drumming is creative and excellent and the Hobbs and Cerito twin guitar attack may be my favorite in the whole Death Metal genre. Mullin's vocals are almost impossible to decipher on this album (not so on "Pierced"). However, he is probably my favorite brutal DM vocalist overall.The cool thing about Suffocation is that repeated listenings reveal a little more detail. There are always hooks and changes in the songs that keep jumping out at you, which is what seperates this band from some of the "sonic sludge" you get in a lot of extreme metal."

THE album that defined death metal and inspired all bands af

2C | Indiana | 08/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What can one say, that hasn't already been said, about the most imitated band within the death metal genre? Suffocation have influenced legions of bands who have came after them; and after 15 years, they have been able to maintain their status as the most brutal band in existence (a direct quote from legendary producer Scott Burns), literally leaving all others in their dust. Furthermore, they remain at the pinnacle of death metal music and continue to be the band that all others seem to aspire to, but can never quite surpass.



With that said, "Effigy of the Forgotten" remains THE defining album of Suffocation's illustrious career, not only for the band, but for death metal as well. Below is my analysis of what makes this album a "must own" for any true fan of death metal.



1) Sheer brutality. As hard as any death metal fan may look, a more brutal album simply will not be found (though "Demigod" from Behemoth is slightly more intense and manages to be a little faster). "Effigy of the Forgotten" is relentless, raw, inaccessible, and brutal death metal to its very core. At the risk of resurrecting and tired and overused cliché, I must say that if one were to look for the meaning of death metal in the dictionary, "Effigy of the Forgotten" would be the album referenced in such a definition. It contains all of the elements which characterize death metal: (a) growling and indecipherable vocals which will amaze the listener that a human being could maintain such a prolonged assault on the vocal cords - Frank Mullin is truly a gifted death metal vocalist, (b) sheer speed which never lets up, and (c) down-tuned guitars played with a precision technicality that could split hairs (solos included).



2) "Effigy of the Forgotten" manages to highlight the talents of the band members to the nth degree. All of the individuals who make up Suffocation are truly accomplished musicians, and should serve as a reference for any death metal fan seeking to defend the genre against attacks aimed at stereotyping extreme metal musicians as lacking talent and capitalizing on nothing more than simple power chords. Suffocation is truly a band of accomplished musicians...period! As a matter of fact, it was Suffocation who defined an entirely new subgenre of extreme metal now known as "brutal technical death metal," and it was "Effigy of the Forgotten" which served as the album that launched this brand of music to all who would dare to listen. Of course, fans know that this music caught on in the death metal underground, and placed Suffocation in their rightful thrones as the kings of an entire genre. Nowadays, it seems that, not only is Suffocation the most emulated band within extreme music, but they seem to be the most referenced as well, as evidenced by countless reviews of other death metal bands/albums comparing them to Suffocation.



3) Perhaps the best compliment I can pay to the band in this review is the fact that "Effigy of the Forgotten" is an enjoyable album to listen to (if you love extreme music). I often find myself listening to the album in its entirety when I decide to place it in my CD player. One thing I want to elucidate; however, is that "Effigy of the Forgotten" is an extremely brutal album. Anyone who is new to death metal and looking to purchase an album to orient him/her to the genre may want to look elsewhere initially, as "Effigy of the Forgotten" is not an easy album to listen to if one is not familiar with the stylings of death metal. However, to any true death metal fan, "Effigy of the Forgotten" is the quintessential album to own, and should be on the shelf of anyone who calls him/herself a fan of extreme music.



As is typical of my reviews, I must point out that no album is perfect. And "Effigy of the Forgotten" does have a flaw - minimal variation and uniqueness between songs. Many of the songs on the album, though very good, sound similar to one another. This is unfortunate, because such a flaw is egregious, especially for a band as immensely talented as Suffocation, and therefore serves as the basis of my deducting ½ star and not giving the album a perfect rating. In addition, the similarity among the songs serve as the primary reason I listen to the album in its entirety without giving preference to a single song. Though collectively, "Effigy of the Forgotten" plays as an outstanding album, unfortunately there is no single song (or songs) that stand out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all of the songs sound exactly alike, as enough variation does exist for a fan accustomed to death metal to differentiate between songs. Despite this, each song fails to have it's "signature stamp" which will make it immediately recognizable upon initial listening. However, I feel that it is worth noting that with the later release of "Pierced from Within" Suffocation proved they can write insanely brutal songs and retain the uniqueness, distinctiveness, and variation among each song that makes an album truly great.



In conclusion, despite the obvious flaw I most definitely would call "Effigy of the Forgotten" a "must own" album. As I mentioned before, it is the album (and Suffocation is the band) that launched the brutal death metal movement that has become so emulated within the last decade. Suffocation are truly the kings of death metal, and are likely to be for some time to come.

"

Get me a cigarrete

against_the_radio_and_mtv | Jacksonville, FL, USA | 10/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Geez, what a pleasure. Is Suffocation. The Grandfathers of GOOD Technical Death Metal. By many considered their best and my personal favorite. Guitar Solos that kill the speakers. Heavy AS HELL Riffs. A drummer that kicks an ALMOST INFINITE amount of a$$ and a vocalist that has one of the best growlings in the business. Suffocation delivers top quality music (You guys know that anyway. If you are here, you are not one of those ignorant douche bags that can't come up with something other than a lame "This is just noise" comment)

This is the stuff that must be played in the cars. This is the stuff that must be played in the radio. I don't know you, but any time I can, I deliver some Suffocation into the ears of my friends (Although I stop when they began praying for their lives).

They have said a bunch of times but I gotta say it too.

IS SUFFOCATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"