If you thought the previous CD Souls to Deny was a strong effort, then wait till you hear Suffocation. This CD will almost knock you over. The New York death metal heavyweights Suffocation are ready with yet another round of their brutal death metal. Musically everything is exactly as we know and love it. The band doesn't really try out any new tricks and why should they? The unit sounds just as crushing and uncompromisingly brutal as they did on Despise the Sun or Pierced From Within. Compared to the strong comeback Souls to Deny, it's like the band has gotten an extra testosterone injection this time around. It's one of those CD's that just go straight in.

Everything sounds even heavier and tighter than on the predecessor. While the production on Souls to Deny appeared a little thin, it's the direct opposite on Suffocation. The sound is so grotesquely heavy and violent that it hurts. This really provides the music with the power it needs to work properly. Frank Mullen has evolved and appears to be at the top of his game. Mullen's guttural vocalwork is perhaps more understandable these days, but still immensely powerful and brutal. I like this as it's not a trip into the monotone. The guitarwork of Terrence Hobbs and Guy Marchais is a study in surgical precision and technical complexity. These two musicians really have the ability to combine tiny bits of melody alongside with seemingly chaotic passages and brutal breakdowns. The excellent drumwork of Mike Smith is another thing that makes the self-titled effort such a monster. His hard-hitting blastbeats annihilate everything on its way and fit just in perfectly, but also his controlled and tasteful fills serves as an asset in the music. Unlike previous Suffocation material, the bass isn't present in the soundscape, but it's nothing that becomes too apparent. The quintet finishes it all with a re-recording of "Prelude to Repulsion" from Breeding the Spawn. It's nice to hear that song with the proper production it should have had.

Nine in score is perhaps not quite enough and I'm also so ridiculously close to give Suffocation the perfect 10 in score, but it lacks that tiny little something that make it outdo the perfect Pierced From Within, but they are close, very close.