Suicide Silence - "The Black Crown" CD Review (Century Media)

Last week, Riverside California’s Suicide Solution released their third full-length, The Black Crown (Century Media), consisting of eleven tracks of pissed-off, explosive deathcore. This new disc was recorded earlier this year with Steve Evetts (Poison the Well, A Static Lullaby, DEP, etc.) producing and features guest vocals from Jonathan Davis (“Witness the Addiction”) and Suffocation’s Frank Mullen (“Smashed”). The band has been playing some of these songs live over the last few months and the first studio track, “Human Violence”, premiered in May on Liquid Metal.



The disc seems to have caused a big stir in the press and on the message boards when Mitch Lucker told Kerrang that the album's lyrical themes would feature personal topics rather than anti-religious themes. Lucker explained: "I'm not trying to put people's beliefs down - it's about me and my life. This is my head cracked open and poured on the paper! I still have the same beliefs and same views, but I'm more open to everything," he adds. "At this point in my life, I don't see the good in making people hate you for something you say. This record is for everybody.” Personally, I’m not sure what all of the hubbub is about as solid playing and songs that rise above the generic “crush, crumble and chomp” approach that too many deathcore bands go for significantly outweighs any lyrics, regardless of whether the lyrics are good, bad or indifferent. Lucker may be showing us what is in his head but no one is ever going to mistake this disc for a Cartel CD.

What separates this disc from other deathcore bands is that Suicide Silence integrates into their music a number of influences from outside the genre. In addition to the expected death growls and blast beats, there is the technical precision and rhythmic change-ups of mathcore bands like Dillinger Escape Plan coupled with elements of the riff-oriented structures of nu-metal [Note: the iTunes version of this disc comes with a bonus track which is a cover of Rob Zombie’s “Superbeast”] and an aggressive underlying hardcore vibe. The first single / video from the new disc is “You Only Live Once” which provides a solid flavor of what the rest of the disc sounds like. The disc’s constantly changing musical landscape keeps the music engaging over multiple listens.



Suicide Silence is currently on the road with the Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour which runs through August and "local" tour stops are at PNC Bank Arts Center in Homdel on July 27th (tickets range from $25 - $85) and Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden on July 31st (tickets range from $25 - $85). Sharing the Revolver Stage with Suicide Silence are All Shall Perish and Straight Line Stitch.

Links:
Suicide Silence