Suffocation - Live in North America
Nuclear Blast
Death Metal
13 songs (57:57)
Release year: 2021
Suffocation, Nuclear Blast
Reviewed by Goat

It's quite something to note that the previous (and only other official) live album from Suffocation is entitled The Close of a Chapter, particularly when you realise that Live In North America features the final live performance of one Francis Eugene Mullen. The man is synonymous with Suffocation, having that dementedly loveable persona and becoming as well-known for his hand movements and live vocal banter as his growls, and it's honestly sobering to realise that his extended retirement is now complete. Mullen originally retired from touring in 2013, unluckily making this reviewer's sole live experience of Suffocation one fronted by Dying Fetus' John Gallagher - a solid replacement, sure, but not the same. There are plenty of live clips available online of his rambling between songs, often criticising religious hypocrisy (but his Sinatra karaoke is worth a watch too!) but always providing a more than intense and charismatic frontman experience. And that's something worth mourning the loss of, and it's something worth chronicling on a live album, and kudos to Nuclear Blast and Suffocation for realising that and releasing this.

Because guess what? Live in America is a fucking awesome live album. It sounds great, sharp and raw without being muffled. Frank is leading the band at their technical best and all are clearly having a great time. The stage banter is limited, mostly focused on praising the audience with a few exceptions ("this is all about killing people, because that's what I like to do - this one's Thrones of Blood!") and that leaves the stage clear for the music to take point, and boy. Listening to a live Suffocation set is a reminder like no other of how good the New York legends are. Sure, they haven't had any hits, or had an appearance in a Jim Carrey film to milk, but once you've trained your ears to their sound you quickly realise how many hooks their music is pumped with, and Live in North America is an excellent showcase for the band. Each track simply flies by, even the longer ones, and although you could make a case that the album lacks representation from the later career of the band, who would want to swap Liege of Inveracity for, say, Clarity Through Deprivation?

Yes, that earlier period of the band is simply stuffed with great brutal death metal songs. And throughout this live album Suffocation bring them again and again, from the rabid scurrying of Funeral Inception through the technical twists and turns of Pierced from Within. The band's catalogue is so deep and rich that you could pick out any cut here as an example of excellence (and despite my views on ...of the Dark Light they haven't released a truly poor album) with even the likes of Dismal Dream and As Grace Descends getting a look in. And both of those prove themselves capable of standing with the classics! Perhaps it would have been nice to get a final outing for Abomination Reborn or Bind Torture Kill for those of us who love the band's 2006 self-titled album, yet when the tracklisting is filled out with the likes of Catatonia and Jesus Wept it's hard to really complain. And when you're allowing the live recording of a really great concert to wash over your ears, why would you want to? This is a fine depiction of Suffocation at their best and although Frank verbally gives his blessing to future releases fronted by Ricky Myers, you know they're going to have to be amazing to surpass what was shown here. A high bar set, and a reminder of what greatness we've lost; this is vital death metal, and long will it continue in our playlists.

Killing Songs :
All!
Goat quoted no quote
Other albums by Suffocation that we have reviewed:
Suffocation - Hymns from the Apocrypha reviewed by Goat and quoted 84 / 100
Suffocation - ...of the Dark Light reviewed by Goat and quoted 65 / 100
Suffocation - Pinnacle Of Bedlam reviewed by Goat and quoted 81 / 100
Suffocation - Effigy Of The Forgotten reviewed by Kyle and quoted CLASSIC
Suffocation - Blood Oath reviewed by Goat and quoted 84 / 100
To see all 9 reviews click here
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