Year: 2023
Label: Nuclear Blast
Rating: 7,7 / 10
The first SUFFOCATION album without Frank Mullen, released after 6-year pause, clearly caused great fear among those who had not yet written off the band. I didn't write it off, but I admit that after the most powerful eponymous album of 2006, SUFFOCATION ceased to be a perfect band, since all subsequent works had some clear weaknesses.
But "Hymns from the Apocrypha" impressed me. The worst thing did not happen: Ricky Myers' voice sounds very competent and the manner of performance is almost the same as Frank Mullen's. Which shouldn't be too surprising, because, after all, this is an experienced man - one of the founders of the legendary DISGORGE, who finally found a permanent job after all the shitshow associated with the former band. I admit, when the traditional re-recorded track from "Breeding the Spawn" began at the end of the album, I did not even immediately notice that old Frank was singing on it, and not Ricky.
Musically, the album is a rich stew made from ingredients taken from all albums of the modern era. The dry and bright sound is reminiscent primarily of "Pinnacle of Bedlam", but, fortunately, devoid of its frivolity. The riffs are fraught with bloodthirsty, iron rage in the style of "Suffocation“, but often there are also atmospheric fragments a la ”Blood Oath“ and my favorite swirling solos from the genius ”Souls to Deny". Interestingly, the new album is the least similar to the previous one, and that's good. "...of the Dark Light" was very heavy, dark and deep, but at the same time a little tired and slow, and its sound even on CD felt castrated and flat. "Hymns from the Apocrypha" fixed it all: it's very dynamic, fiery and frisky. And its cover is not bad at all, unlike that blue gay nonsense from 2017 album.
Unfortunately, SUFFOCATION has not written such hits as "Entrails of You” or "Deceit" for a very long time, but so far their charge and legendary skill are enough to keep the listener's attention until the last minute. Yes, this is a product that has nothing really important in it (against the background of the most boring anti-religious poems by Ricky Myers, one can only sigh, remembering the ingenious old environmental lyrics of the band). Still, it's worth listening to, because it's a product from SUFFOCATION, who remain one of the most distinctive technical Death Metal bands in the world, even gradually losing old members.
P.S. I bought myself a licensed edition from Soyuz, but I'm too lazy to shoot a video, especially since there is nothing unusual in the booklet: all lyrics and photos of the musicians one by one on each flap.
English (UK) 
Крыўская