Shown a blank piece of paper, we have all been given the task of writing whatever we want down. Exactly that, whatever you want. Freedom can be in its own right a terrifying thing, having so much possibility that at times it can overwhelm you making you unsure of what you really want. This could be said for the audience A perfect metaphor of one Suicide Silence. Having now laid the ghost to rest of Mitch Lucker with their final You Can’t Stop Me, the band made the ballsy move of changing their entire make up. Having only heard two songs off the record, people were quick to judge but perhaps the freedom Suicide Silence have been given will in turn become what people actually wanted all along. This is our account of the brand new, self titled record.

[tracklist]

1. Doris
2. Silence
3. Listen
4. Dying In A Red Room
5. Hold Me Up, Hold Me Down
6. Run
7. The Zero
8. Conformity
9. Don’t Be Careful You Might Hurt Yourself[/tracklist][details]
   [length]44:00[/length]
   [record_label]Nuclear Blast Records[/record_label]
   [release_date]February 24th 2017[/release_date]
   [/details]

With most of the Metal community having no doubt already heard “Doris” it’s clear that this is Suicide Silence as we have never seen them before. Being chastised for his new brand of vocals, Eddie Hermida’s vocals deliver an absolutely brilliant performance. Creating a window into the inner turmoil that comes from faces ones demons the man’s vocals might be unorthodox but make for spme of the most menacing pieces Suicide Silence have ever put together. Releasing any form of inhibition courtesy of his working with Ross Robinson.

Yet the classic Suicide Silence sound is definitely still there. “Silence“, for example features increasingly delayed tremolo picking before tremor inducing upstrokes bring us into the chorus. Playing with dynamics the band employ the simplistic addition of melody which, contrasted with Hermida’s sandpaper howls work brilliantly. Though undoubtedly the star of the show is simply the album itself. This raw, visceral, portrayal of the band gets truly under your skin. Leaving in wavering sounds in between tracks allude to an idea mixing rehearsal come murders den inside your head. Making Suicide Silence well and truly take up residency in your psyche. “Dying In A Red Room“s malevolent touch is always out of reach with a guitar line that reminds of the deranged twang of Rob Zombie’s unhinged House of a Thousand Corpses.

This delightful deranged style carries on throughout the album, alluding to the affect of the band toying with the audience much as a cat would a mouse. The record may be sung with clean vocals, but feral nature of “Hold Me Up Hold Me Down” will have even the heaviest of supporters questioning if perhaps this is actually the heaviest the band have ever sounded. Chromatic guitar movement coupled with Hermida’s again cage rattling vocals creates a perfect blend, not to mention featuring a brilliant solo section working perfectly within its ten second opening. Believing the audience is safe the false start that is “Run” begins with off beats before the band catches up once again with the listener. The verse primarily a blend of organic drums and eerie samples, again enhancing this idea of the  unhinged before the arrival of hard hitting drums in the prechorus suddenly give way to an incredibly catchy chorus that began as disappointment quickly becomes one of the most memorable.

Beginning with the distorted twang come pop of a hihat brings us into “The Zero“, again the distorted atmosphere seeps in layering the track before another brilliantly written chorus that sees both band and listener lurch forwards. Perhaps most intriguing however is “Conformity” here, we see the true embodiment of this new band. With only clean guitar and vocals leading us into a track that wouldn’t sit amiss in Slipknot’s discography. With Hermida’s delivering the best of his new clean winged performance creating real tension in the track. Putting the quasi ballad to rest before arguably the most relentless track in the album sees some vintage riffing come to light with fast and ferocious drums. Yet it’s the songs end that leaves a deliciously bewildering taste in the mouth. Only to hear a maniacal whistle after “Don’t Be Careful You Might Hurt Yourself” whose tune is uncharacteristcally upbeat amongst the ghostly echoes of mad cackling as what sounds only like a lobby bell is rung and the album comes to its abrupt end. Looking at their now well filled blank of paper, Suicide Silence have done exactly what it is that they have wanted to do, which if you’re open minded enough is nothing short of genius.

[verdict]Yes[/verdict]
[why]Certainly an album that will divide long time fans. For those who remain open minded in the world of Suicide Silence, their self titled effort could well be one of their best to date.[/why]

If you like what you read / heard then you can pick up the record here!