13th March 2026

Track Review: “Pendulum of Vengeance” by Suffer

“It represents how this instinct is part of who we are as a species — that for most people, our thought process leans toward vengeance before it ever leans toward peaceful resolution. The pendulum in the title symbolises the inevitability of that cycle. No matter what happens when revenge is taken, the pendulum still swings left to right. The person you exact revenge upon will often look to do the same in return — it becomes a continuous, endless cycle.” ~ Suffer

After six years at the grindstone establishing themselves as a force in European Deathcore, in April 2024 founding members in vocalist Michael “Chobba” Crutchley and guitarist Ashley Edwards decided to step down from their roles in Suffer. In their wake guitarist Kieran Whitehouse, bassist Jack Cooper and drummer Jack Ken remained steadfast in their desire to continue the bands perpetual forward motion and after a transitional period that included the release of two singles and a one off live performance, the trio made the decision to forge a new creative direction. In August 2025 they officially welcomed new vocalist Greg Hevican and guitarist Klaudiusz Trzebuniak, returning to the stage whilst writing in the background. Exploring the deeply human pull toward revenge, examining the satisfaction and gratification often tied to retribution, their first commitment to tape together is “Pendulum of Vengeance“.

Recorded and edited by Anthony Wall (Tailgunner, Hunger, As The World Dies) at Firestorm Studios with tone creation, mixing and mastering by Will Cattanach (Spoiler, Bleak, Postmortem Promises) at Freewill Productions “Pendulum of Vengeance” is the sound of the hammer striking white hot steel against an anvil in the Blacksmith’s forge in hell. A combination of shrill screams and death growls from Hevican confirm his prowess as a wrathful God during a throat splitting first verse, the band sonically shifting from Deathcore into Extreme Metal while still keeping hold of their roots. Dark symphonic textures nuance the bands crushing guitar tone while Hevican reaches Slam levels of venom spitting ferocity. The percussion sounds huge, like the winds of plague bringing forth a tornado of souls and while the breakdowns are of course still there, now they have greater impact, breaking up urgent, sinister and menacing riffs like a sledge hammer shattering a create slab. Hevican is a supremely talented vocalist capable of incredible range and he brings out the best in those around him, driving the band forward while holding aloft the sphere of destiny. Greater moments of tension and break give the hellish soundscape a sense of epic grandeur, the band now pulling at the same threads as Existentialist, Draconian Reign and Obey The Tyrant. Sometimes bands talk about taking a new direction when in point of fact they have merely tweaked something here or there but Suffer are as good as their word. They’re no longer simply a force of Deathcore nature; they’re an Extreme Metal beast capable of annihilating the weak and crushing everything in their path [9/10]