Review: “Remember… You Must Die” by Suicide Silence

“Suicide Silence are back to being Suicide Silence” declares founding guitarist Chris Garza. “It took years of hell to get here, but we’re better for it.”

For the past two decades Riversdale Californian Deathcore Kings Suicide Silence have toured the World over, held aloft as genre pioneers with 2007’s “The Cleansing“, 2009’s “No Time to Bleed” and 2011’s “The Black Crown” before tragedy struck. They overcame the death of iconic vocalist Mitch Lucker in 2012, triumphed over tragedy with the addition of Eddie Hermida from All Shall Perish and decimated the weak with 2014’s solid but not stunning “You Can’t Stop Me”. However as everyone knows 2017 saw the arrival of a self titled album produced by Ross Robinson that found the band in KoRn and Deftones inspired territory and the backlash from the fans was fierce. The road to recovery began with substantial anniversary touring for “The Cleansing“, the band seeking to remind fans they still had the hunger for Extreme Metal before the arrival of album number six “Become the Hunter” and the return to the bands early years label home Century Media. Drummer Alex Lopez was a casualty, his replacement Ernie Iniguez earning his stripes on the road. Three years further down the road and album number seven “Remember… You Must Die” was recorded, produced and mixed by Taylor Young (Nails, Xibalba, Vitriol) at his San Fernando Valley studio The Pit Recordings…

As immense as “Become The Hunter” is there is still the lingering sense that Suicide Silence must prove themselves consistently to the fans now in order to retain the momentum of their return to power and with “Remember… You Must Die” the band go a long way to doing just that. Pummelling opening cut “You Must Die” manages to take influences from Hardcore, Death Metal and Deathcore and throw them all into the melting pot together for a powerhouse, breakdown loaded cut with plenty of verve and swagger. The turbulence continues with a violent opening to “Capable of Violence (N.F.W)“, a bruiser designed for fans to destroy each other in the pit to, the scorching solo enhancing Hermida’s anthemically powerful vocal performance. Instantly gratifying there is the question over whether the band have played the opening pair a little safe, not using some of their more extreme powers however “Fucked for Life” does manage to bring out the dead with a Nu-Metal introspective narrative and some tastefully done atmospheric moments amid the crushing destructive power. It’s as if the band have made a decision to start the record off at a point of intensity and then gradually dial it up so things start to reach a real spice heat with “Kill Forever” which is loaded with blasting and jack hammer footwork from Iniguez as Hermida hits his shriller stride vocally. A brutal roar and savage breakdown bring the house down in style on this one, the click-y bass from Kenny masterful throughout. “God Be Damned” is where things reach boiling point with brain rattling blasting and circle pit inducing Death Metal riffs a plenty in the first half. Slowing things down to a darkly atmospheric centre with Hermida screeching like a banshee before building back up to a storming finale makes for a classically styled piece of writing, the haunting moments of lead adding a little polish.

Staccato riff breaks add punch to “Altar of Self” which has other worldly qualities as the band play with haunting additions as Hermida voices a wrathful God. The slow, skull shattering breakdowns bring the weight to support those vocals, giving them the necessary platform before “Endless Dark” punches you in the guts. Deliberately kept a little raw and edgy in production and mix, Suicide Silence come across as playing live on the floor for this one, each cut fitting together like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle (or a glove on the hand of a serial killer) to ensure a smooth experience from back to front and from side to side and things play out. Cuts like “The Third Death” shine because of the verve, swagger and groove they’re packed with rather than a single virtuoso moment, ensuring there is no one trick pony here. Instead the bands play to their strengths with punishing rhythm attacks and swift tempo changes that flow in waves, the mid section of “Be Deceived” being a prime example, the whammy bar moments being just peachy. The soundtrack to a horror story which Stephen King would be proud “Dying Life” has at its heart a solo which cleaves the flesh from the bone, surrounded by the kind of blunt force trauma inducing material that mean this one should be in the bands live set. Unrelenting aggression and self analysation that runs through every track reaches “Full Void” like a collection of rivers running to the sea, the band arguably saving one of the finest moments for last. Mesmerising leads and extended instrumental passages nearing six minutes bring the curtain down in style with a cut for stage dives and high fives from a band who we would urge people shouldn’t be too quick to judge [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Remember…
2. You Must Die
3. Capable of Violence (N.F.W)
4. Fucked for Life
5. Kill Forever
6. God Be Damned
7. Altar of Self
8. Endless Dark
9. The Third Death
10. Be Deceived
11. Dying Life
12. Full Void

“Remember… You Must Die” by Suicide Silence is out 10th March 2023 via Century Media