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Can I just say how much I love metal right now? In the past 12 hours, I’ve watched a metal DVD, written three metal reviews, transcribed three metal interviews, and written two metal magazine features – and I still can’t get enough. A big part of my renewed metallic vows is the new Suffocation record, Blood Oath. It doesn’t come out until next month, but the band is already selling it on the Summer Slaughter tour, and I’m sure it’s already leaked all over the Internet. One of my stereo speakers broke recently, and even through one speaker (i.e., with only one guitar), the record still kicks ass.
Cataclysmic PurificationFrank Mullen talks about his vocals
I hardly get fanboy-ish about bands anymore, but interviewing Suffocation for a feature still has me jelly-like inside. Never in my life did I imagine I would get to talk to Frank Mullen and Mike Smith, both heroes to me on their respective instruments. Mullen’s voice is one of this earth’s finest things. When we missed our original interview time and he left me a voicemail – I’ll keep that thing on my phone until it dies. Above is “Cataclysmic Purification,” the first “single” from the album, as well as a clip of Mullen talking about his vocal techniques (which are kind of like Martin van Drunen’s – i.e., none). Hearing that Long Island accent practically makes me weep.
Blood Oath comes out July 14, and you can pre-order it with all sorts of goodies, including a t-shirt, poster, and frickin’ trading cards. Remember RockCards? When I collected them as a kid, all I seemingly got were fucking Bon Jovi cards. Multiple Tico Torres trading cards = FAIL. Suffocation trading cards are infinitely cooler.
Pre-order “Limited Blood Red Edition” here.
I interviewed Terrance Hobbs the other day for a feature that'll be in print/online in a week or so, and I reacted kinda the same way. And re Mullen: I almost feel like he has the archetypal death metal voice. When people use the phrase "Cookie Monster vocals," what they're really saying is "sounds like Frank Mullen."
hahaha Frank's voice is classic. All of them are great dudes. Derek is a hoot! I'd have to say that Mike is the most serious of the bunch?serious about converting youngsters who listen to fluff metal. Go him.
You know, I loved Suffocation back in the day. I listened to the album, and it's pretty decent. The thing is…it always comes back to the same thing for me – ridiculously bad misogynistic lyrics. Does there need to be a song about murdering your wife, cutting her open and eater her uterus? Seriously, is that the best they could come up with? Even if it is a complete "joke" it's not really funny. Why are perfectly logical, progressive people OK listening to that? I understand as a listener of metal that for the most part no one pays attention to the lyrics. You tolerate all sorts of preposterous things in metal. I can do war, murder, genocide, nuclear annihilation and everything in between. But don't you have to draw a line somewhere? Maybe some people don't. Unfortunately, I do. It's a shame, because the music rules.
News flash: Metal is "dodgy."
Why are perfectly logical, progressive people OK listening to that?
Because there is a violence in humans and part of bare, necessary survival, is the expression of desire. None of them, as expressed through art, should be judged with the same moralism we apply to societal functions, whose purpose is the utilitarian servitude of a group (in the best case scenario, to say). Art serves nothing but the inside, and Heavy Metal is an ingressive journey, from the core nihil to far beyond the realms of Arcana. Humanity stands at the edge of this journey and its lore is spectral. To say, you might have to slit a few spectral woman guts before you take the first step in that road.
You are wrong that no one pays attention to the lyrics. If we didn't, then why aren't we all listening to exclusively instrumental metal? Lyrics are a huge deal in HM and you'd have to tackle some facets of what is that makes us human if you were to honestly address the thematics of this type of transgressive art.
As a wiser man has noted, "For humans to become better, you have to show them they are".
As a sidenote, it's interesting you say you can do war and genocide but draw the line at mistreating women. Have you thought why that is?
The wiser man also didn't forget to put a necessary "what" somewhere in there!
I still have a thank you note I got last year from Derek Boyer tacked up on my wall at work. These dudes couldn't be nicer for a bunch of gut-slitting misogynists.
Judas Priest write juvenile lyrics, Morbid Angel play cheezy riffs but if you sound like you stepped outta the movie "Saturday Night Fever" OH GAWD :SWOON:
I couldn't care less about 'bad' lyrics. In fact I really don't care about lyrics at all. That's why I feel blessed appreciating a genre where I can't understand a f*cking word anyway…
Also no, there's no line to be drawn – we ARE talking 'death' metal here.
Well maybe there is a line… It shouldn't be about flowers. Or cute little fluffy things.
Go Frank. Go retarded hand chop of death. Go best band I've had the spine ripping head crunching uterus eating pleasure of seeing live… ever.
eM!eL, NL.
Lyrics are absolutely important. But you cant really evaluate them by reading the print, in black and white. Those printed lyrics are just the key you use to get to the real shit, which is the synthesis of words and music, and the particular delivery of those words, all combining to a certain effect. ALL HAIL SATAN looks very different here in black and white than it does as delivered in the context of "Black Funeral". The music endows those words with power and emotion they don't have alone, often elevating even coarse descriptions of brutal scenes to the level of a kinda poetic vision, operating beyond concerns of political correctness. This is particularly true in METAL. IMO.
Damn, son! Even the choir likes hearin' that sermon now an again. Can ah get uh ay-mehn?
It's always good to see Suffocation getting attention and putting out new material, going on tour, etc. (hopefully making money), but this new album bored me to tears. 5000 riffs, not one original moment anywhere in there, no real emotion, no passion. By the numbers Suffo, they could do it in their sleep. The production is also terrible. I can't imagine that this album will go down as anything more than an excuse for them to tour again. I think everyone realizes at this point that they're just trying to cash in on their past and make some $ before diving back into civilian life. They're about as dangerous, relevant, or effective as the Rolling Stones these days.
atanamar said :
"…ridiculously bad misogynistic lyrics…Why are perfectly logical, progressive people OK listening to that?"
I certainly would never write anything that was gratuitously anti-woman though I could see myself writing in particular about a woman/wife who has hurt me or who was a detestable person. But nothing about bitches and hos. I hate that stuff. So yeah, hate towards women in general kind of turns me off, but suffocation is so compelling musically that I compromise in their case.
That's pretty much where my sensitivity ends though:) As far as I'm concerned, racial/ethnic hate, chauvinistic pride, intolerance and sheer bigotry has been the artistic fuel for many interesting (BM especially) bands.
Also, i wouldn't label myself a progressive or leftist