© Jason Carslon Photography

New York death metal legends Suffocation unleash their ninth full-length album, Hymns from the Apocrypha, via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to …of the Dark Light (2017) pushes founder Terrance Hobbs (guitars), Derek Boyer (bass), Charles Errigo (guitars), Eric Morotti (drums), and newcomer Ricky Myers (vocals) to the very edges of extremity. Standout tracks „Seraphim Enslavement,“ „Perpetual Deception,“ and „Delusions of Mortality“ are emphatically Suffocation but are enhanced with what Hobbs calls „progressive melodies.“ The crushing title track, „Immortal Execration,“ and the re-recording of „Ignorant Deprivation,“ featuring former throat-man Frank Mullen, are brutal alms to death metal’s heaving masses.

„Hymns from the Apocrypha has a more natural/organic feel,“ says Boyer. „We recorded this album ourselves and intentionally took an old-school approach. This was the first time Suffocation captured the essence of the band ourselves. Musically, our goal is to evolve as musicians and songwriters. Our intention has always been to create aggressive, well-composed, well-made, and well-produced music. We put a lot of time and thought into every aspect of our work. Whether performing live or producing ourselves in the studio, we push ourselves to perform to the best of our ability.“