Review Summary: Is this really as bad as people are making it out to be? Well...
If you’re reading this, you’re probably very aware of the controversy surrounding Suicide Silence at the moment. It's been nearly a month since they've released their much maligned self-titled album and the dust still hasn't settled - probably because the band continues to kick it up. Much has been said about the band’s actions to defend their new sound – but I don’t think a sound change is necessary a bad thing in itself. After all, Suicide Silence wasn’t a band known for variety. If you heard any of the songs on the first 2 albums, you essentially had a good idea what they sounded like throughout the entire album and that was probably the biggest issue. There were definitely standouts like
Unanswered,
Bludgeoned to Death and
Lifted, but as a whole their albums weren’t very interesting to listen to.
Therefore, it doesn’t really come as a shock that Suicide Silence would try to alter their sound somewhat, but it is surprising that they’ve chosen to go all in on a 90’s nu metal style rather than try and blend it together (like Sworn In and Emmure have done). It isn’t a sound or influence that’s completely foreign to them either - previously they flirted with some nu metal influence on their 3rd album The Black Crown, even featuring Korn’s Jonathan Davis on one of the tracks. In their earlier days, they also covered
Engine No. 9 by Deftones. As a result, it’s not much of a stretch to say this is probably an album they would have wound up making with their former vocalist Mitch at the helm.
However, as can be expected from a sudden sound switch, it’s one they have yet to well refine. Even though the album is nine tracks, there’s still a lot of filler throughout that could have been cut. With a couple of exceptions, the songs don’t feel well constructed. There’s many examples of this – a third of the songs start with a heavy riff but suddenly switch into a lighter section and songs like
Listen are just a mess from beginning to end. Another issue is that a lot of the lighter sections of the album sound very similar. They tend to be near the start of the tracks with the only thing differentiating them from each other being the vocal style Eddie uses.
The Zero and
Dying in a Red Room feature straight singing,
Listen features angsty screams with
Silence being a meeting point between these styles.
Most of the guitar work on the album could have easily fit on any nu metal album released in 90’s –
Run’s riff is incredibly reminisinct of Sepultura’s defining nu metal track
Roots Bloody Roots. The bass sounds exactly like Fieldy’s as well. There are, however, flashes of the old Suicide Silence sound in
Hold Me Up, Hold Me Down - with brief fast sections and high-pitched screams that could have easily been on The Cleansing. Frustratingly, they’re the best part of the song but everything else surrounding it is absolutely dreadful. Every time Eddie shouts the song title I just want to tear out my earphones.
Don’t Be Careful, You Might Hurt Yourself sounds is probably the closest Suicide Silence come to their typical sound but it’s so sloppy that I honestly wonder if they’re playing it drunk.
The biggest successes on the album come when the band creates a much more cohesive song.
Dying in a Red Room is one of these. Most of the song reminds me a lot of Tool, and Eddie’s singing style really shines here. Unfortunately, the crescendo of the song doesn’t really go anywhere. Everything speeds up, preparing you for something crushing but then it only fizzles out – perhaps that’s supposed to be symbolic?
Conformity is a secondary standout - but it really should have ended at the four minute mark. While
Dying in a Red Room is much more of a slow but purposeful driving dirge,
Conformity is mostly a straightforward ballad, featuring a singing style similar to Corey Taylor in his lighter moments. This raises one glaring issue, however – the lyrics are very much at the forefront and they are absolutely absymal. Let’s be real – Suicide Silence have never been a marvel lyrically but that matters a lot less when your vocals are harsh and mostly unintelligible. When you switch to clean vocals, however, the lyrics are very much at the forefront and they NEED to be decent. Any single moment of the album could be chosen honestly, but parts where Eddie is really emphasising them such as in Silence, Run, The Zero and Conformity are the most egregious offences.
In addition to the songwriting being very disjointed, the vocals are another thing that needs serious work. Most of it is frantic, but not in an interesting or engaging work like, say, a screamo act or Converge, just merely in an incredibly grating way. In songs like Silence, Eddie switches too quickly from spoken word to shouting, singing and the result is just incredibly obnoxious.
In short, most of the album is a slog to listen to. The only other worthwhile moment aside from what I mentioned is the somewhat poppy chorus of Run. I’m not completely opposed to a nu metal sound or the idea of Suicide Silence going lighter, as there is evidence here showing that it can work – but they need to seriously think about constructing more cohesive songs and figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
It couldn't hurt to try and have a better relationship with your fans during the next hype cycle too.
Highlights:
+Dying in a Red Room
