Yet another day, yet another Album Of The Year. The first part in their career saw them sell out club shows, inspire young audiences and be at the top of their deathcore game. Then, one of the greatest tragedies of 2012 occurred. Mitch Adam Lucker suffered terrible injuries following a motor cycle accident and sadly passed away. Suicide Silence’s future was completely up in the air, after grieving for their friend the band resolved to carry on. Playing a fitting memorial show the band played all their choice cuts but with a plethora of different singers and one emerged on top.
Suicide Silence – You Can’t Stop Me
Eddie Hermida. Previously of All Shall Perish, Hermida, the totally underrated metal vocalist adds a completely new dimension to the band. But why does this make them AOTY material, I hear you wonder? Because its precisely that, the band has completely rebirthed. This is the new age of Suicide Silence. Back stronger than ever with the defiant You Can’t Stop Me, the band have gotten back that invigorated young buck sound. Adding Hermida to the ranks, not only works on a musical level as his technique makes him king of the deathcore arena. Also on a personal level, the man was a friend of the band prior to his involvement and has slotted in perfectly. Not making a clunky stop start album Suicide Silence have seamlessly integrated the man into the band, with his commanding live presence and inhuman pipes it was the perfect choice.
Now to the songs, personally I have found previous Suicide Silence efforts slightly lack lustre, don’t get me wrong they are top of their game for a reason but personally breakdown after breakdown just didn’t do it for me. You Can’t Stop Me however showcases new elements of the band, better song writing, more mature lyrics. With a fourteen track album easily becoming arduous, the songs blister past. Retaining their breakdown heavy formula but having tightened it up, adding in unconventional notes or changing time signatures and the inclusion of (more of) the all important solo’s! . The anthemic rousing choruses are still here but more well thought out and include monumental hooks “We Have All Had Enough” being one and of course lead single “You Can’t Stop Me”. When the band decide to get heavy though, this is potentially one of the flat out heaviest releases of the year with cuts like the slow crawl of “Don’t Die” or the absolute spitting rage of “Cease To Exist“.
Suicide Silence have, in one fell swoop reaffirmed their identity completely. Paying homage to their old singer and friend whilst creating potentially the best album of their career, ushering in the new age of a band that has only just truly begun to reach its potential. They have most definitely Inherited The Crown.
