Customer Reviews

Blood Oath

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Marking their 20th anniversary of being around (formed in 1989), Suffocation manages to release their best product since "Despise the Sun". You gotta give 'em credit for sticking around after all these years, while many a cookie cutter death metal bands have come and gone (sometimes the problem is, they don't go away.) So when I got the CD and saw the sticker with the quote, "Best thing they've done in ten years" I was skeptical because how many times have you heard/seen that on the album packaging only to find out that it is far from true? "Blood Oath" is a brilliant exception.

After re-forming after the post-late-90s breakup, Suffocation's output has left a lot to be desired. "Souls to Deny" was a hackneyed, poorly put together album made for the sake of putting out an album. The self-titled album of 2006 signaled something different, it displayed the fact that the band is willing to toy with their style and try different things (sometimes to the chagrin of their fans.) Ultimately, the last half of the last album took the overall product down a notch.

Here we find the band that has found their groove and feels right at home in their song writing ability. Guy Marchais works well with the band as opposed to clashing with it in prior efforts. The dual guitars of Marchais and Hobbes are a treat to be sure, but the booster in the reformed band was obviously Derek Boyer. The guy is well worth his pay delivering some of the best bass lines heard in a death metal album ever. Mike Smith has always been a wild card in Suffocation (odd since he's the founding member), sometimes delivering good performances and sometimes sticking to a rigid Morbid Angel type of drumming. I have to say though, this is his best drumming. The double bass with the quarter time on the bell in the opening track, to the genius beats and changes on "Cataclysmic Purification" -it's all busy, different and blends the styles of the entire Suffocation portfolio together well. Frank of course delivers a convincing performance on vocals. He doesn't do some of the multilayered growls that were heard on the last albums. This time around he opts for a more low-mid-range-intelligible vocal approach (although to call anything Frank does "mid-range" is somewhat disingenuous.)

The albums vision favors the progressive song over the more linear death metal approach. Think more "Pierced from Within" than "Effigy" or "Human Waste". Still though, there are fast songs, slower mid-tempo songs, and songs that go all over the place.

I don't have any problems with this album. Production is well done, the sound of all the instruments sounds good together. Derek Boyer's bass sometimes sounds "twangy" which might bother some, but overall it's a very even mix heavy on the low end and somewhat mellow at the high end.
Easily as good minute for minute as "Despise the Sun" or "Pierced from Within" were when they came out.

I have listened to this album a few times over the last view days, so here's my conclusion:
If you're looking for a fresh new death metal album to add to your collection, you can not go wrong here. The production is very crisp, though the excellent guitar playing could be a tad louder in the mix. Also, check out the track Dismal Dream; Derek Boyer's bass playing is amazing on here. Frank Mullen's vocal style seems to be a a bit deeper than what he applied on the band's self titled release. The tracks Blood Oath and Dismal Dream were the first tracks to grow on me. I also enjoy the doomy atmosphere of Cataclysmic Purification. There's also a new version of Marital Decimation from Breeding the Spawn. This continues the tradition of Suffocation releasing a new version of a song from that album on each of their subsequent full length releases. A great track in it's own right.
Overall, the pace of the music here is a little slower than prior releases. Yet, each track still contains a healthy thick slab of busy action that keeps me wanting to come back for more.
I gave this album a quite a few listens and nuances in the music became more apparent. The songs which didn't initially grow on me, have actually become more catchy now.

Well worth purchasing, if you enjoy a good thick solid slab of death metal.

this album takes repeated listens before it finally gels, and even then it's not as memorable or accessible as their prior albums. For some reason, Blood Oath reminds me of Morbid Angel's Heretic album. There is obvious influence by Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal, even Immolation sprinkled throughout. The new sound is refreshing but ultimately comes off as an exhausting exercise in brutality devoid of any catchy chorus lines or outstanding riffs. Lyrically, this is probably Frank Mullen's weakest contribution to their discography but his voice has stayed true to form. All in all, a solid performance from the true titans of death metal that ultimately is overshadowed by its predecessor. Neither Obituary, Deicide or Cannibal Corpse could capture the magic of their prior albums; Suffocation is no different. Rather than rehashing their self-titled album, though, they've opted for a rawer, darker sound that harkens back to old-school Suffocation. This album will not propel them up the death metal hierarchy but it will still lay to waste the new generation of brutal wanna-be's.

Blood Oath marks a bit of a change in style for Suffocation. When the band first released Effigy of the Forgotten in '91 I think I can go on record as saying that was probably one of the most brutal albums during that time and they stayed that way for a while. With bands getting faster and more intense Suffo have opted for a different approach, as they have matured. This album is more melodic and less blasting than what I am accustomed to with a Suffo album. Groove/chugging slower sections and mid tempo beats are the main focus on this release. There are even some slower doomy sections that I thought were quite cool. Album opens up with the title track. A normal Suffo opener comes blasting out the gates. This song starts off with fast double bass at a mid tempo speed. There are some melodic/slower parts to this track. The song is flat out awesome. Dismal Dream starts things off next and is more typical Suffo-blast type of stuff. One thing you will notice upon first listen is that Derek Boyer can play the hell out of a bass. It sounds awesome. The only problem is that the guitars get too buried in the mix and at times the production is muddy. The blast parts are where this is prevalent, where the guitars get lost in the shuffle. The slower sections the guitars come through and sound great, wish the production was more even. Mullen sounds great through and through. He doesn't step outside the box as a death metal vocalist, you know what you're getting w/him behind the mic. Mega powerul voice for a guy of his stature. Mike Smith rages on drums, as usual.

As I listen to the cd more, there are just a bunch of sections that seem like retreads of older material. Less memorable songs that are less catchy. They rerecord Marital Decimation from the great Breeding the Spawn cd. It sounds awesome, with some new twists. Problem is this song is like 16 yrs old and is one of the highlights of the cd. I would have liked more memorable songs and this album is more of a grower than an instant 'This album rules'-so I ask you all give it a chance if it first does not grab you by the throat. With some incredible cd's already released this yr with Napalm Death, Job for a Cowboy, Mumakil, Suicide Silence, Oceano, Asphyx, Cannibal Corpse etc and Despised Icon, Dying Fetus, Belphegor all set to release cds later in the year, it will be interesting to see how the new Suffo holds up with the fans, since this is a bit of a departure for them. The cd cover is awesome and the shirt that came along w/the package is awesome as well. It is time for Suffo to get a decent support slot in the states with a big name band to open the doors for them, they deserve it!!!

Suffocation's "Blood Oath" is an awesome display of death metal mastery by the best in the business. "Blood Oath" doesn't have as many hooks as recent Suffocation albums and is perhaps a little shy of the ultra-technical style of some of the past albums, but as usual with Suffocation there is a ton of subtly that may require several listens to get into. The best track in my mind is "Pray for Forgiveness"; the instrumental version of this track is outstanding and shows the real guts of Suffocation's composition style. In general, the instrumental and rough mix versions are a great addition... I wish Suffocation released more of these. Frank Mullen is as good as ever, Terrance Hobbs is a guitar genius and Derek Boyer is simply sick on bass. I'm not one who anticipates every next Suffocation album to be another "Pierced" or "Effigy" only to be disappointed. Those days are gone (the classic Cerrito/Hobbs collaborations are no more). But, the reformed Suffocation is still brutal and technical and this is as fresh an album as they have made with their modern line-up. I place "Blood Oath" up there with the best recent death metal albums and that's saying a lot with Nile and Behemoth delivering their own crushing masterpieces.

It's tough not to have somewhat mixed feelings about Suffocation's latest. Make no mistake, Suffocation remain consummate professionals, unleashing a storm of crunchy, precise riffs and pounding, machine-like drumming. Some will try and tell you how "Blood Oath" is different from other Suffocation releases, but these will invariably be pedantic points. Sure, it's a bit slower overall and emphasizes atmospheric melodicism slightly more, but this is fundamentally the same work they've put out for the past 15 years. Though metalheads love to whine about "selling out," the more common temptation is to give their known audience exactly what they want, and Suffocation steadily is settling in to doing just that.

On one level, you have to admire their commitment: Suffocation broke up and then returned to find that most of the significant death metal made in their absence drew heavily from and expanded on their own work. Instead of going with the flow, however, Suffocation ignored the followers and continued putting out the sort of metal they innovated. The trouble, however, that the sound just isn't as powerful as it once was. Though Suffocation is credited as a major founder of both brutal and technical death metal, "Blood Oath" is not especially intense or complex by modern standards. This is now true of "Pierced From Within," of course, but that classic is saved by the extremely high level of the songwriting and the fact that it was relatively distinct. (The somewhat rawer, more brute production doesn't hurt either.) Now that Suffocation has put out "Pierced From Within" II, III and IV, however, the simple distinction of their specific voice is wearing thin. "Blood Oath" is still a quality album with a number of especially effective songs (the title track is impressively dynamic as always, as is the epic "Provoking the Disturbed," and "Dismal Dream" throws in some nice atmosphere, breaking a little new ground), and they still manage an impressive mix of invariably intriguing riffs. But the fact remains that the songwriting isn't as strong as it was on "Pierced From Within" or "Souls to Deny" (many have turned on that, but I think it's excellent), and this, combined with the stagnating sound, is transforming Suffocation from the band that revolutionized the genre to one of those bands that put out the same damn album again and again. The material is still strong enough that I've no doubt that I'll pick up their next release, but I hope they start moving forward again at some point.

Suffocation has one of the BEST black drummers I have ever heard. Mike Smith the drummer is excellent at what he does and that's beat the drum skins to death. In all the whole band is great and Blood Oath is the CD to get for your Death/Black Metal collection. Thanx

Blood Oath is to my ears easily Suffocation's catchiest album. You have actual songs here, not just one aural holocaust after another. (Not that Effigy of the Forgotten-style brutalization is a bad thing. I'm a big fan of that record, and of Pierced from Within. Nor is Blood Oath Suffocation "lite"--it's a d--- heavy record, only a mite more melodic than previous efforts.) Probably my favorite death-metal release of the past few years. Can't wait for the next Suffo effort.

Well well, what have we here, another day, another great Suffocation release? Why yes, yes we do, this band always manages to amaze me with all their releases, I got Pierced From Within about 6-7 years ago, and I've been into Suffocation ever since that album entered my stereo, and have gotten every release since then, I liked their comeback album 'Souls to Deny' a lot, although I have not listened to it for a while, and I just got done listening to their 2006 album simply titled 'Suffocation' and was vowed once again, (I hadn't heard that album in a while either, and it owned me), and I just got this album yesterday, and on the way home from getting it, by the way I live like 50 miles from the nearest record shop, so it's not easy for me to get metal albums, so this was pleasant, but anyways, after purchasing it with a few other albums (the new Death Angel is awesome by the way) that is one of the others I purchased, but yeah anyways, I walked out of the store, got in my car, took the wrapper off the CD, pushed power on my car stereo, and plunged this CD in, and was vowed right off, because I'm a pro listener of the band, I knew when I heard those crushing riffs, those awesome blast beats, and Franks awesome vocals, I knew this was going to be a pleasure to listen to on the way home (I caught myself with a lead foot a few times), and Derek Boyer's bass on this album is completely awesome, and is very audible, I say this is easily the best produced Suffocation album, everything is heard, and it all shines, there is not a weak song on the album, this is strong all the way through, and plenty of tempo/riff changes throughout to keep everyone interested, there is something here for everyone, the fast as hell parts, and then the mid-tempo parts, which are just crushing, Suffocation fans know what I'm talking about, that New York style death metal with those crushing breakdowns, I would place this album right there with 'Pierced from Within' as another reviewer stated, so bottom line, BUY THIS ALBUM, AND BE VOWED, the masters have retaken their rightful crown!

I'm not a huge Suffocation fan but I've listened to and owned most of their records. I didn't get into there last one but this is a solid enough effort to make me think they are still progressing. The vocals are a little stale for this type of technical musicianship, but it doesn't really ruin the sound, it's just kind of there. I like the production, especially the drums...very powerful. The riffs are interesting and catchy. I can understand if some folks don't dig this, but it's good stuff. Much better than most modern metal.