“bamf”

That’s the one-word review our NCS Co-Author IntoTheDarkness conveyed about Suffokate‘s just-released new album, No Mercy No Forgiveness. Actually, I guess that’s really three words. Anyway, to justify our existence, I thought I probably needed to flesh out that review just a bit. So here goes:

Bad ass motherfucker.

Not enough fleshing out? Yeah, you’re probably right. So lemme try again.

It’s deathcore.

And now that I’ve said that, I’m guessing about 75% of our readers are reaching for their mouses to move on with their web surfing. But hold your horses! Our bro IntoTheDarkness has listened to just about every deathcore release known to the civilized and uncivilized world, and he dismisses much of it as formulaic, no-talent crapola. But he said No Mercy was bamf. So there must be something here. So I’m listening to it. What do I hear?

Down-tuned, palm muted, hardcore guitar rhythms. Check. Jackhammer drumming, heavy on the blast beats and double bass.  Check. Roof-collapsing breakdowns that you can feel in your lower GI. Check. A combo of deep-throated death metal growling and vicious, demonic shrieking (often double-tracked in unison). Check. Lyrics? Yes, they have them. Enough said about that (who listens to deathcore for lyrical content?) But wait, there’s more — isn’t there? (don’t give up — continue reading after the jump . . .) Continue reading »