Customer Reviews

Effigy of the Forgotten-Pe

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Do not be fooled by these Roadrunner re-releases. The packaging is horrible, terrible liner notes, bad covers (original covers look like fax copies!), no lyric sheet, and no nice printing on the cd itself (the little orange worms from Effigy's were printed on the cd, as well as Pierced's cover onto the cd...here you get a horrible grey disc....the horror!). I own both orginals (no LP's, I was too young when those came out, you'll probably find them on Ebay for alot of cash...)The first album features an awesome piece by Dan Seagrave (if you like death metal and don't know who he is shoot yourself !), Pierced From Within features a Seagrave imitation, but spooky and scary as hell too. I went and bought the Pestilence and Annihilator reissues and was thoroughy disapointed by this cheap product. Of course, it is the only way to get these albums (the originals will go out of print soon i am sure), or else pay ridiculous prices for Japanese Imports. It is a shame, Roadrunner sucks and they have no respect for the music fans that got them where they are, or the artists they once signed. Rather than give that stupid label a cent, download these from the internet and send the band $20, or buy merchandise from their site (www.suffocation.us).

By the way, awesome music here. What you get is the "original" brutal death metal band (if you like Brutus, Spawn of Possession,Decrepit Birth, Deep Red, Deeds of Flesh, Pyaemia, Disavowed, Gorgasm, Disgorge etc. and the new wave of ultra-brutal blasting thechnical death metal (Unique Leader roster)then check this band out, this is where it all started). New album will be out 27th. of April, which is a continuation of where "Despise the Sun" left off: great songwriting, memorable riffs, shorter more effective songs, and great production.

The modern Roadrunner Records, for the most part, blo ws hard and bad without even inhailing, but how can you deny the existence of God now that they have begun to rerelease most of their classic albums either as a 'Best Of...' collection or as a double pack (well, they are both of the same C.D. but it seems like an appropriate description). And they could not have done any better than releasing godlike Suffocation's classics 'Effigy of the Forgotton' and 'Pierced From Within'. Both of these ablums are beyond words, true death metal materpieces of the highest quality. 'Effigy of the Forgotton' is one of the most alurring debuts in metal history with the brilliant production and music, not to mention songs like "Seeds of the Suffering" and "Reincremation". 'Pierced From Withing' is perhaps one of my top five favorite death metal albums (up there with Death, Immolation, and Incantation). "Surpended in Tribulation" is one of the greatest death metal songs in history! He ll I can't say enough about these two albums except to buy this album (if you don't already have them seperate)! You nu-metallers should get a kick out of this one, a swift kick to the fri ggin' head.

Roadrunner records deserves a heaping of praise for its new "Two From The Vault" series. Now, for one extra-low price, you can get two classic albums from the heaviest, most technical death metal band ever in one handy package. Listening to the great "Effigy Of The Forgotten" and the even greater "Pierced From Within" chronologically, you can really see not only how Suffocation evolved from one album to another but what elevated them above the plethora of run-of-the-mill death-metal bands. Morbid Angel and the like do a pretty good job of exemplifying what the genre is about, but during their brief existence (and hopefully their recent comeback as well), Suffocation were basically playing a different game altogether. I can think of no other band that played such complex, technical stuff without sacrificing even a bit of the brutality characteristic of death metal. Death's later output was even more technically advanced than Suffocation's, but noticeably less heavy, to the point where it couldn't even really be called death metal (this is certainly not meant to knock Death; they ruled!). But anyway, "Effigy" and "Pierced" clearly stand as paragons of how technical death should be done.

"Effigy" is a steamroller of stunning power and heaviness, with Frank Mullen's impossibly low gurgling grunt serving as an extra instrument to complement the crushing riffs of Terrence Hobbs and Doug Cerrito and Mike Smith's crazy drum patterns. The opening "Liege Of Inveracity" and the following title track, especially, are among the most oppressive death metal songs ever. Both tracks demonstrate just how masterful this band was at mixing their aural punishment with equal amounts of musicianship and groove. It's on the stunning "Pierced From Within," however, that Suffo really showed what they could do. If "Effigy" established the band as leaders of the death metal pack, "Pierced" separated them from said pack completely. Death's "Symbolic" and Carcass's "Heartwork" came out the same year, and while those albums are both justly praised as classics neither one is as relentlessly vicious or viscerally impacting as Suffocation's masterpiece was. While "Effigy" was a finely honed killing machine of an album, "Pierced" saw the band refining their approach even further, adding even more reams of complexity to their already potent sound.

Perhaps the most notable change on "Pierced" is in Frank's vocals. His throat-scarring grunt from the band's debut was gone, replaced by a vicious, menacing growl that added clarity without sacrificing brutality. The songs themselves became more rhythmically complex and less predictable, with frequent tempo changes and some astonishingly intricate riff structures from Doug and Terrence. Most important of all, though, was the addition of drummer Doug Bohn. His predecessor, Mike Smith, was great himself, but Doug is just a machine, taking every bit of the skill of math metal drummers like Meshuggah's Tomas Haake and Candiria's Kenneth Schalk and applying it to death metal. Blastbeats, double-bass, you name it: Doug did it, and in a creative and unpredictable manner as well. I don't think I've ever heard another drummer make use of dynamics as well as Doug did here, varying his assault constantly for some of the most endlessly fascinating drumwork these ears have heard. Not even to mention, Chris Richards's bass lines were heavy enough to shake houses at their foundations.

I'd write a long conclusion to this review right now, but I have to get back to work. So to sum up: this albums are great, and this package is essential for anyone looking to discover Suffocation. So stop reading and pick it up now!

This release is a complete joy to those of us who have either just gotten into Suffocation, or for those fans who are still holding onto those worn out copies from when they first came out... Roadrunner may be evolving into a much different label from when these guys were on the death metal roster, but they have put together a very solid, respectful package... and don't let the slightly cheapie looking cover fool you (as it did to me)... inside the booklet are full reproductions of both classic covers, included with song credits and various band photos...

While this is not a replacement for your original copies, it is a top-notch addition to your collection (not to mention a great backup), and it's perfect for those of us still wanting to grab the original versions later on (damn completist obsessions!)...

If you've read the reviews for both of these cds, then you'll know how sweet of a deal this is... well worth it for a new listener to this band! Sure the cover is waaaay cheesy and could've been handled better, but since these two are harder to locate in most stores, this certainly is value for your money... buy this, then grab the rest of their catalogue... and then wait for their new one to come out next year on Relapse!