Suffocation – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 18th April @ The Brightside, Bris QLD

Posted on April 22, 2024 by andrewkapper

Suffocation. Photo: Ed Atlas

Suffocation
The Brightside, Meanjin/Brisbane QLD
April 17th, 2024
Support: Revocation, Brimstone

Ultra-influential New York death metal crew Suffocation are an integral part of the metal scene, with their DNA embedded firmly in the slam, brutal death metal, and deathcore scenes. Boasting uber-technical playing, guttural vocals, and hardcore-influenced breakdowns, their sound is so indicative of modern extreme music that it’s easy to forget that some of these songs are well over 30 years old. Having dropped a killer album last year with Hymns from the Apocrypha, Suffocation have been well overdue to hit Australian shores after a near decade absence, and with tech-death titans Revocation joining the party – no greenhorns themselves – Brisbane death metal freaks are lucky enough to witness the first date of this powerhouse run of shows.

Local openers Brimstone takes the stage in front of an already growing Brightside audience, though it’s immediately apparent that the five-piece makes for a head-scratching choice of support. Their drop-tuned groove metal/hard rock vibes live more in the land of Black Label Society or Alice In Chains – musically a great leap from the bonafide death metal main acts ahead of them. 20 minutes is all they get, and while some heads are banged, their professional set suffers throughout from having the vocals sitting far too high in the mix – and simply not being the ideal warm-up for an evening of extreme, technical metal. To their credit, the band plays well, but this has to be one of the oddest choices of an opening slot this scribe has witnessed in a long time – perhaps Brimstone should have been on the recent Orange Goblin bill across the road at The Zoo instead.

With our rock n’ roll opening complete – and a lightning-quick changeover – we’re finally into death metal territory with North American powerhouse Revocation. With the venue filled up as if they were our headliners, the technical/progressive troupe are led by vocalist/lead guitarist/founding member – and all-round talented guy – Dave Davidson. Marking their fourth time in Australia – yet never as the main event – Revocation are currently touring as a trio, with the bass lines pumped in via a backing track. Inheriting the mix frustrations of Brimstone, the sound is bad at the start – mostly all vocals and drums, while the aforementioned bass parts come through way too powerfully. Fortunately, by the time Revocation rips into the sci-fi death metal workout of ‘The Outer Ones‘ – the lurching outro sounds even better live – the audio starts to balance out. Even then, it takes a while for the guitar work to finally come through, and even then it feels like Davidson is fighting to get his solos heard above his bandmates throughout.

The crowd becomes unglued during the suitably titled ‘Nihilistic Violence‘, while mid-set cut ‘Madness Opus‘ gets the biggest ovation of Revocation’s showing. It’s bouncing groove even causes some of the Suffocation members to headbang side of stage, while the jazz-y clean guitar breaks show off the Berklee graduate Davidson’s depth of playing. The outro of deeper gem ‘Teratogenesis’ is extended out, giving the room to jam out the groove and drummer Ash Pearson to shred some licks. A sub-45-minute set feels far too short for a band with such a deep back catalogue, but we get a good sampling, with Revocation leaning heavily into Netherheaven and its predecessor The Outer Ones. It’s pretty obvious from the roars of appreciation and constant energy from the pit that it’s about time for Revocation to tour our fair nation under their own banner. Let’s hope that the next time we see them in Brisbane, it’s a proper headliner.

Thanks to Revocation’s powerhouse performance, the Brisbane death metal masses ensembled here are fired up for our legendary main act. Hitting Australian shores for the first time since 2015, Suffocation may have seen a lineup reshuffle in their recent history, but it’s clear as they plow into ‘Seraphim Enslavement‘ that the veterans have lost zero power or energy. Tighter than a snare drum, the quintet has cemented their reputations as amazing live performers thanks to their no-frills, ultra-locked-in musicianship. Their set is all new material and classics, with fresh tracks from the latest LP Hymns from the Apocrypha slotting in perfectly – doubly highlighting on top of their game the band still, as well as the timeless strength of their older catalogue. Abrupt changes, minimal repeated motifs, and turn-on-a-dime compositions – this ain’t music with hooks, it’s sheer violence and brutality, with old-school pushpits enveloping The Brightside’s dance floor for the rest of the night. Fortunately, the mix issues for the first two groups have been ironed out, with the fluid, finger-style bass work of Derek Boyer slicing through, while the guitars growl and roar, especially during the chromatic slams of ‘Thrones of Blood‘ and the thunderous ‘Pierced From Within‘.

Man-mountain vocalist Ricky Myers’ is completely confident in his role, constantly baiting the crowd into circle pits and air-drumming along all night. Speaking of drums, French-Canadian hunk Eric Morotti does his best at hitting every piece of his kit at all times. Backed with immense power, he handles Suffocation’s highly complex music with a grin on his face, assaulting his poor shells like they owe him money, whether he’s blasting away on mid-career tune ‘Funeral Inception‘, or grooving during the 808-filled ‘Breeding The Spawn‘. Even a brief moment of technical difficulties only highlights the group’s professionalism; as a stage diver seemingly disconnects both Boyer’s and OG guitarist Terrence Hobbs’ power supply towards the end of the night. The two quickly rectify the situation as the track continues, with a quick nod from Hobbs to his lieutenant and fellow shredder Charlie Errigo seeing the young axeman continue on unfazed before his peers join back in. Death metal classic ‘Infecting The Crypts‘ wraps up Suffocation’s main set, with the baying pit successfully calling the band back for a special encore of ‘Surgery of Impalement‘.

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