Review: “Soul From Flesh” by Suffer

The perpetual forward motion of time inevitably brings change and for Black Country Deathcore collective Suffer, that has meant a not insignificant rebuilt. When original vocalist  Michael “Chobba” Crutchley exited stage left after 2024 single “Rotten” his boots were briefly filed by former Postmortem Promises frontman Aaron Ketley. That seemed like a match made in hell but his time was short lived leaving the band to regroup once more. The desire to continue to attempt to reduce venues to rubble remained strong and so it wasn’t long before they recruited new vocalist Greg Hevican and guitarist Klaudiusz Trzebuniak. 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, EP “Soul From Flesh” is their first together.

A haunting melody and a distorted bleak spoken word narrative builds a sense of melancholia but something wicked this way comes as “III” launches into a crushing crescendo of poisonous riff breaks and huge bass drops. The delicate piano finale a moment of majesty that is closer to the world of Lorna Shore and Draconian Reign than anything that Suffer have created before. Diving head first into the psychological cycle of retaliation “Pendulum Of Vengeance” is an incredible demonstration of vocal prowess Hevican who in four minutes and fourteen seconds produces the kind of performance that gives the likes of Will Ramos and CJ McCreery a run for their money. There are cinematic touches, clanky bass lines, Slam inspired blood gargling and surgical Death Metal riffs all thrown into this one melting pot and the downtempo finale is the Coup de grâce.

As if to prove that the opening track wasn’t a flash in the pan moment of brilliance that the band couldn’t replicate “Self Immolation” hits like a concrete slab to the skull. A cut of devastating force, it takes all the aggressive tendencies the bands previous works have offered and injects a verve and swagger in confidence and new found power. Chugging Death Metal riffs churn and burn, the breakdown soaked in melancholia as brutal as they come and if you’re not dragged kicking and screaming into the dark world of Suffer by the end, you need to see medical attention.

Laced with themes of abandonment, anxiety and imposter syndrome title track “Soul From Flesh” is a savage beating from start to finish as pounding rhythms and brutal tempo shifts increase the intensity. Spine juddering staccato riff breaks feel like being hit by wave after wave of sonic abrasions, the demonic vocals caustic enough to burn the ear canals while drawing you in with a lyrical narrative as dark as a night without stars. The nightmarish “Desolated Dreams” turns the screw one last time as the band embrace Blackened Deathcore with hints of influence from bands like Black Tongue. A sublime solo followed by a brutal breakdown make way for some orchestration before a Fallujah style finale that is soul stirring in the darkest, bleakest kind of way concludes the piece. It seems there is nothing that Suffer can not achieve when they put their collective minds to it as by the end of the record it feels like Suffer have transcended Deathcore and been reborn into to world of Extreme Metal [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. III
2. Pendulum Of Vengeance
3. Self Immolation
4. Soul From Flesh
5. Desolated Dreams

“Soul From Flesh” by Suffer is out 7th August 2026 via Arson Theory and is available over at bandcamp