Then of course there’s Annotations Of An Autopsy which is the most heinous crime against humanity since Waking The Cadaver.

http://serocs.bandcamp.com

I agree; Brain Drill is a distinct entity in tech-death that so many just write off as ‘wankery’ because quite frankly they’re afraid to acknowledge that every barrier of speed and intensity they thought existed was just annihilated in only two full lengths.

I hope they can get touring again soon.

That’s fine. One of the unspoken assumptions of citing something as ‘the best (x)’ (and really of reviewing in general) is the way an album/film et. al. strikes the person in question. For me, Suffocation and ‘Pierced From Within’ epitomize everything I love and can never get enough of in Death Metal. Aside from certain undeniable factors I think are crucial to the question of any ‘best’ (influence, consistency and how kind time has been) the ultimate decision is a subjective preference, like all taste. When I say ‘Any and all reasons you could come up with for Suffocation NOT being the greatest Death Metal band of all time have surely been proven false’ I speak from a position of having heard many ludicrous objections to Suffocation’s music as well as never being convinced that they AREN’T the best of the best.

On the other hand, I’m glad that other people have different opinions. Variety is the spice of life and as enamored with Suffocation as I and most of my metalhead friends here in Seattle are, discussing my love for the band and this album is something I look forward to. It not only allows me to hone my arguments but hear perspectives I might not have otherwise heard.

“I do agree that their catalog has stayed consistently good, and that their albums never dropped off in quality like some other bands. And they are extremely influential, undoubtedly. But the best death metal band of all time? That’s quite a big claim.”

Any claim of which band/musician is ‘best’ in a given genre will *always* be a big claim. If instead of Suffocation I said ‘Death is the greatest Death Metal band of all time’ it would still be a massive claim because it cements one band above all other possible ‘bests’. So far on the site there have been two such claims. (‘Pierced From Within’ and ‘None So Vile’ respectively)I’m curious as to whether or not you have a Death Metal album you would place above the rest as a ‘best’ of the genre. I’ve always found other metalhead’s choices fascinating.

“And, even though Demilich, Gorguts, Cryptopsy, and Lykathea Aflame each don’t have the depth of quality albums of Suffocation, couldn’t their single released beat out ‘Pierced from Within’?”

They all come close, but for one reason or another ‘Pierced From Within’ still hasn’t been beat for me. Given all of the simply perfect moments on the album (2:18 – 3:01 on the title track, 3:16 – 3:46 on ‘Thrones Of Blood’, 1:15 – 2:25 on ‘Suspended In Tribulation as a few ‘for instances’) I doubt it’ll be beat in the years to come as well.

“OK, enough negative. The album is really good, and I would think that you would be glad to hear that you sparked the interested of another fellow metalhead into Suffocation.”

I am. I’m also glad I inspired the rest of your comment as well. The subject of ‘which Death Metal release is the very finest’ is one that can go for hours among many different people.

“My favorite track from the album is ‘Brood of Hatred’. In fact, I think I am going to turn on Suffocation right NOW.”

Been blasting it all morning myself. \m/

OK, enough negative. The album is really good, and I would think that you would be glad to hear that you sparked the interested of another fellow metalhead into Suffocation. My favorite track from the album is “Brood of Hatred.” In fact, I think I am going to turn on Suffocation right NOW.