REVIEW: Suicide Silence – Remember…You Must Die [2023]
Artist: Suicide Silence
Album: Remember…You Must Die
When it comes to going through it, not many bands out there (at least in the deathcore scene) have gone through quite as much as the esteemed and acclaimed Suicide Silence have. After a meteoric rise to notoriety on The Cleansing—and raising all of the deathcore genre along with it—the band would go on to appear on MTV, headline innumerable nationwide tours and influence an army of underground artists. But for those well versed in the band’s history—or really for anyone not living under a rock—you know what happens next, and it isn’t pretty. Following the tragic passing of original vocalist Mitch Lucker, Suicide Silence would carry on with All Shall Perish’s Eddie Hermida. The years that follow are tumultuous, with the following two records (2014’s You Can’t Stop Me and 2017’s self-titled offering) meeting, at best, mixed reception. It was only on 2019’s Become the Hunter that the same band who shaped deathcore in its infancy began to re-emerge, albeit in a different capacity and setting. All of this brings us to Remember…You Must Die, the band’s seventh full length studio record—and also their return to Century Media Records, who brought us their debut three releases. Remember…You Must Die is a lot of things, but chiefly among them, it is a true return to form. Capturing the groove-laden, sharply metallic essence of their crushing breed of deathcore while continuing to innovate and experiment, Suicide Silence’s long awaited 2023 release is finally upon us and, with arms open and stretched to embrace obliteration.
Suicide Silence built their sound on an enthralling combination of death metal, metalcore, hardcore and splashes of things like groove metal and grind—while this has changed shape and size over the years, it’s been close to 15 years since it’s felt as big as it does on Remember…You Must Die. Here, Suicide Silence are massive, with every riff sharpened to a keenly honed edge, and percussion fashioned to induce spine-splitting whiplash. The band’s instrumental element feels both reduced to its most primal elements yet carefully refined, and it starts with the first licks of “You Must Die.” Here, as well as on “God Be Damned” and “Full Void,” Suicide Silence channel their more metallic side, riffing and grooving until the listener is reduced to ribbons of flesh. Similarly, percussionist Eddie Iniguez shines in his recorded debut, translating the vigor and intensity he’s brought to the band’s live performance beautifully into their studio presence. Iniguez shines alongside bassist Dan Kenny on “Capable of Violence (N.F.W.)” and “You Must Die,” where the low end takes ruthless riffs and guides them into crater-forming breakdowns. “Endless Dark,” as well as “Alter of Self” and “Be Deceived,” however, see Iniguez working with guitarists Mark Heylmun and Chris Garza to produce songs that cut and slice as effectively as they sledge, bludgeon and beat the listener senseless. Whether its immolating blast beats and jarring fretwork or gut wrenching breakdowns, Suicide Silence bring intensity with every element of Remember…You Will Die, and the experience is a fluid, furious and fun one for it.
Discussing the vocal element of any Suicide Silence (especially in the post-Crown era) is always a little tricky, and it’s damn hard to not try to draw overt comparisons to Lucker’s work on The Cleansing or No Time to Bleed. Hermida’s saving grace on Remember…You Must Die is that he doesn’t try to Lucker, and he doesn’t try to be the opposite of Lucker either. He brings a distinctly raw and shrill style to the band’s otherwise girthy and groovy dynamic that draws brilliant contrast while still complementing the sharp riffs and lacerating blast beats beautifully. “The Third Death” showcases his range excellently, while “Capable of Violence (NFW)” is a catchier cut that sees Hermida amplifying the instrumental aggression with pointed, barbaric lyrics screeched in an mesmerizing candor. While Remember…You Must Die isn’t a lyrically prolific album, Suicide Silence have never been an overtly lyrical band, and it works pretty well for them—and continues to work well here, keeping things simple and, well, violent for lack of a better word.
I didn’t know what to expect from Remember…You Must Die, but I didn’t expect to love it, and I didn’t expect it to be at the forefront of the band’s discography. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say at this point, many “old heads” in heavy music probably wrote Suicide Silence off—and this record is an excellent example of why you absolutely shouldn’t do that. Remember…You Must Die is a crushing release that scratches the nostalgic itch longing for “old” Suicide Silence while still pushing the envelope and finding new, exciting ways to fuse death metal, hardcore and more. Suicide Silence’s latest release is, perhaps, the first time I’ve been captivated by the band since their debut album—and a harsh impetus to remember that just because things must die, they don’t have to die yet.
8.5/10
For Fans Of: Whitechapel, Oceano, Exhumed, Thy Art is Murder, Lorna Shore
By: Connor Welsh
