Suffocation

Suffocation were formed on Long Island, New York, in the late 1980s by vocalist Frank Mullen. By 1990 guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Doug Cerrito and drummer Mike Smith had joined, and Suffocation became one of the first bands signed to the new Relapse Records.

After the Human Waste EP, the debut Effigy of the Forgotten was recorded with Scott Burns at Morrisound and released by Roadrunner in 1991. Its mix of blinding speed, complex riffing and crushing breakdowns made it a cornerstone of both technical and brutal death metal. Breeding the Spawn (1993) and Pierced from Within (1995) followed before the band split up in 1998.

Mullen and Hobbs revived Suffocation in 2003, and the reunion brought Souls to Deny (2004), Suffocation (2006), Blood Oath (2009), Pinnacle of Bedlam (2013) and …of the Dark Light (2017). Mullen retired from the band in 2018, handing the microphone to Ricky Myers.

Hymns from the Apocrypha, the band’s ninth studio album, was released by Nuclear Blast on 3 November 2023. It was Myers’ first studio album with the band. In 2026 drummer Eric Morotti left, and Origin’s John Longstreth has since taken over behind the kit.

Current line-up: Ricky Myers (vocals), Terrance Hobbs (guitar), Charlie Errigo (guitar), Derek Boyer (bass), John Longstreth (drums).