Recorded by Wes Johnson at Archive Recordings and mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air, the debut album from Salt Lake City, Utah based metal/hardcore band SUFFOCATER consists of 7 heavy songs that combine many different influences, from hardcore punk, southern metal, rock’n’roll, to progressive metal. Today, we’re giving it a nod with a special track by track commentary below.
Catch the band live with ANONYMOUS and MARINE CORPSE at Quarters Arcade Bar in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 27th.
1. The Dead Zone
This song is based on the Stephen King book/movie. I’m a huge a horror fan and this movie is definitely in my top 10. While it’s more psychological horror – that is what inspired me most about it. The lyrics follow the movie fairly well with the chorus “The ice is gonna break!” Being an iconic line from the movie. If you haven’t seen this one, definitely check it out.
2. Don’t Give a Fuck
This pertains to the frustration of dealing with mental health issues. Seeing this doc, taking this pill, yet still not seeing any results. Eventually it’s easy to say fuck it and just assume you’re wired this way. This song was originally written for a different punk band I was in but was left on the table. I threw some growl vocals over it and enjoyed the elements of street punk combined with death metal.
3. Clean Room
This is a song I had lying around for years. I loved the opening guitar riff and didn’t want it to go to waste. This is not very serious song lyric wise. It’s literally just about not wanting to clean your shit hole apartment. How the eventual build up of clothes and crud can lead you to feel like you’re losing your mind. It’s definitely one of my favorites to play live.
4. Drinking Poison
One of the first songs written for the band. About the hellish hangovers I’ve endured over the years. Throwing money away to feel like a worthless corpse the next day. This is usually our opening song in sets. I’m sure many who partake in poison can relate to this one.
5. Dennis
Another song based on a horror classic, this one being Cabin Fever. The Eli Roth version though, not the shitty remake. Dennis is a troubled boy who when approached, has the tendancy to bite. So as the song says “Don’t sit next to Dennis!” Later in the film there is an actual sign near Dennis that says the same thing. This the last song we wrote for album and has inspired many future songs, since we really felt like we found our sound in this one.
6. Janitor
This is our street punk song essentially. Riffs that sound like they could come from a NOFX record with death metal growls. Another one that doesn’t dive too deep in lyrical content, it simply praises the profession of the janitorial arts. While simple and fast, still a favorite of mine to play live.
7. Night Stalker
I think this is the 2nd song we wrote as a band. The lyrics are about the infamous creepy as fuck serial killer Richard Ramirez. It doesn’t glorify his actions but rather serves as reminder to lock your doors and be fucking safe. It’s another punk song fused with angry metal vocals. This was a band defining song early on and will likely be a staple in our set for quite awhile.
