LIVE REVIEW: Suffocation @ Club Academy, Manchester

For nearly four decades, SUFFOCATION have been at the forefront of death metal. Since exploding onto the scene in the closing years of the 1980s, their complex riffage, guttural snarls and pummelling breakdowns has been replicated time and time again and although the band’s lineup has been subject to frequent changes of personnel, their tenacity for crafting brutal metal has never wavered. Now, on the back of their ninth studio record, 2023’s Hymns From The Apocrypha, the band grace our shores once more and a sold-out crowd at Manchester’s Club Academy awaits them.

Brutal death metallers ORGANECTOMY take to the stage first and given that the New Zealanders have travelled halfway across the world to be a part of this tour, it’s pleasing that there is already a throng of people packed inside Club Academy‘s intimate confines to greet them. Walking on stage to the theme of Isengard from Lord Of The Rings, a fitting homage to their homeland given it is the spiritual home of Peter Jackson‘s film trilogy, the band waste no time in launching into their explosive blend of death metal. Pulverising slamming riffs from guitarists Sam McRobert and Matthew Bolch encourage bodies to slam in the pit whilst Tyler Jordan‘s gutturals pack an almighty punch and his cheeky stage banter keeps the crowd entertained throughout. A fine opening salvo and one that sets the night up nicely for what follows.

Rating: 8/10

Akin to tonight’s headliners, Washington’s ENTERPRISE EARTH have been host to a revolving door of band personnel and although such disruption could impact their ability as a live unit, in a tight and concise performance, ENTERPRISE EARTH‘s brand of technical-leaning deathcore sounds colossal in the live arena. With splashes of clean vocals utilised to drive home their more melodic edge, the band are arguably the lightest band on the bill, but they still have their moments where they sound like the aural equivalent of a battering ram; with Death Magick and Reanimate // Disintegrate being clear highlights of this. New vocalist Travis Worland displays enough charisma and energy to keep the crowd engaged and Gave Mangold adds further flair with his extravagant work soloing and shredding. A solid effort.

Rating: 7/10

SANGUISUGABOGG are heavy. Obtusely heavy. So heavy that the sheer ferocity of the beatdowns would cause your bowels to empty. Since forming in 2019, the American brutal death metal band have bulldozed their way to the forefront of the scene and judging from how densely packed Club Academy is by the time they enter the arena, it’s clear that they are a big draw. A one-two punch of Black Market Vasectomy and Face Ripped Off ignites sheer bedlam in the pit and a sea of crowdsurfers cascade over the barrier, akin to a wave crashing upon the rocks, keeping the security on their toes where as Permanently Fucked sees frontman Devin Swank unleash bout after bout of gutturals so nasty, everyone is pulling their best stank face. Granted, music this obtuse and densely heavy has an air of dumbness about it and the band don’t stray far from the template of slam, but when you see hundreds of people losing their collective shit, it makes for a great sight indeed.

Rating: 8/10

For lesser bands, following the sheer bedlam orchestrated by SANGUISUGABOGG would be an impossible task, but SUFFOCATION have the pedigree and experience to display a stunningly heavy performance, one in which lives up to their reputation. Granted, the crowd has slightly thinned, but Club Academy is still heavily populated and as the band erupt into set opener, Seraphim Enslavement, it’s clear that the veterans have lost any of their bite. Riffs bend and contort as Terrance Hobbs showcases his proficiency of his instrument and Ricky Myers is a fine frontman as he commands the stage with the utmost of authority.

It’s a thunderous opener and from there, SUFFOCATION keep the intensity red-hot. The likes of Pierced From Within, Infecting The Crypts and Thrones Of Blood still sound colossally heavy, as much as they did when they were first unleashed upon the world decades prior, whilst material from last year’s Hymns From The Apocrypha (particularly the title track and Dim Veil Of Obscurity) more than hold their own against the band’s more infamous cuts from their discography. SUFFOCATION have proven time and time again over their lengthy career that they are uncompromising in their approach to creating stellar slabs of death metal and tonight’s offering in Manchester is no different. Death metal is in rude health in 2024 thanks to a school of killer new blood, but the old guard still has plenty of fight in them.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from Jess Robinson here: 

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