SUICIDE SILENCE: Remember…You Must Die

SUICIDE SILENCE 
Remember…You Must Die

CENTURY MEDIA 

8/10

DEATHCORE: “Suicide Silence is back to being Suicide Silence,” declares founding guitarist Chris Garza. “It took years of hell to get here, but we’re better for it.” Coming from one of the best genre definers that put deathcore on the map, Suicide Silence has gone through quite the journey since the band came to fruition. They debuted onto the scene with their crucial 2008 album, The Cleansing, andtheir use of bitter and self-aware lyricism would strike a chord with the music industry and fans. 

Since then, the band has continued to push and redefine itself over the years. While the loss of Mitch Lucker in 2012 was extremely difficult, Suicide Silence has been one of those resilient bands that has grown from the pain of loss and adversity. With the addition of Hernan “Eddie” Hermida from All Shall Perish on 2014’s You Can’t Stop Me, they triumphed over tragedy. They would also overcome fan backlash from their 2017 divisive self-titled LP, produced by Ross Robinson. 

Become the Hunter, their 2020 album, was not only a solid redemption album, but it also demonstrated that the band still had a great deal of fiery energy to offer the deathcore genre and that they were not going to let their difficult past hold them back. Now, after the struggle of the pandemic that nearly disbanded the band, Suicide Silence has taken a page from The Cleansing and recaptured the aggressive magic of their past with their new album, Remember…You Must Die. With their homecoming to Century Media, where Suicide Silence released Mitch Lucker era classics like No Time to Bleed (2009) and The Black Crown (2011), it’s clear that the California quintet has come full circle.

From the beginning, Suicide Silence shows that they have taken the time to regroup and reenergize their sound. The atmospheric intro “Remember” revs into the second track, “You Must Die.” With a high-octane burst of guitars, drums, and an aural barrage of screams, Suicide Silence comes in full force and establishes why they are still one of the best at their craft. 

A highlight of the album, “Capable of Violence,” is aggressive and satisfyingly brutal. Thunderous guitar riffs, dexterous drumming, and throat shredding vocals make way for another major moment, “Fucked for Life.” One of the best examples of the band’s elements coming together on the record, Suicide Silence stretches out its legs to deliver a definitively merciless experience. It demonstrates the band’s return to its roots, with frighteningly violent guitar patterns, breakneck percussive energies, and vignettes of melodic cadence.

Moments like “Altar of Self” and “Endless Dark” continue their tenebrous take on the deathcore experience with a bellicose melodic chain of guitar chugs and rapacious intensity of the drum work that defines Suicide Silence’s dedication to a demolishing experience infused with the honesty the band has always bought to the table. 

Resurrected destructive movements, such as “The Third Death” and “Be Deceived,” advance Suicide Silence’s narrative by demonstrating that the band has worked hard to establish its graduated evolution with their career and deathcore. Suicide Silence has dug deep from the start of Remember…You Must Die to retrieve their wistful presence throughout this experience to convey the band still has what it takes to be a force to be reckoned with in the genre.

The album ends with colossal entities “Dying Life” and “Full Void.” With a corrosive force of guitar and percussive energies underscored with hints of melodic guise, Suicide Silence has come back more confident than ever, signing on the dotted line with one of the most massive five minute technically gorgeous tracks the band has produced on this record. 

Suicide Silence may have lost themselves over the years, but with Remember…You Will Die, the band has punched through all the walls of emotionally challenging hard times and has come back swinging. Suicide Silence has defined their chaotic sense of melodic dissonance and darker, more contentious aesthetic without sacrificing their original style, giving deathcore fans and devoted fans of the band something to be proud of. Suicide Silence has realized that a reset and a sense of pause are necessary to reconvene and find yourself, and find themselves they have on Remember…You Must Die. ~ Sammie Star