An interview with Suffocation

Suffocation is a pioneer of the American Death Metal scene, having released 9 studio albums since their classic 1991 debut "Effigy of the Forgotten". In the nearly four decades since its formation, the band has been seen quite a bit of personnel turnover, with lead guitarist Terrance Hobbs being the only constant member, but they've always remained true to the sound they've established on their early recordings: brutal, technical Death Metal with serpentine, dissonant riffs, crushing drum patterns, stomach-churningly heavy bass, and the most cavernous, guttural vocals in the whole genre... Their music is essentially the soundtrack to a mass evisceration. Their current album "Hymns from the Apocrypha" is another thick slab of bloody Metal served extra rare that should delight every aficionado of the genre.

We've spent some time hanging out with the boys in Paris as they were preparing to record a show for ARTE Concert and the contrast between their dark, aggressive music and their congenial personalities couldn't be any starker. We had a blast discussing topics such as touring, artificial intelligence in music, the current Death Metal scene, escargot and more. Check it out in the embedded video below, hosted by our friend John Carricaburu of French Death Metal band Psychobolia.

Click HERE to check out Psychobolia's website and buy some CDs and merch.

   Click HERE for a review and some pictures of the show.

The venue:

Backstage:

The merch stand:

Soundcheck and rehearsal:

DISCLAIMER:

As you will see in the video, we've encountered a few, erm... technical problems. Gremlins, as they say. But here's the thing: they might have been our own fault. We'll own up to that. You see, it's possible that we may have imbibed a little too much during the shoot. I mean, it's a Metal show, can you blame us? So keep that in mind as you watch the video, and enjoy!

And here's some bonus content and bloopers for you: