Ahhh, Suffocation. One of the OG’s of death metal. Unfortunately, I have never seen them, even though I had the chance to my senior year of high school! So, what had happened was (queue Kevin Hart voice) prom night was the same night of the Suffocation show, and I was trying to convince my dad to let me go to the show instead of prom… I was going to wear my prom dress and everything!! But, I did end up going to prom and it was LAME!!! I left 20 minutes in. Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve but I do think it’s a funny story and that’s all that matters.
Suffocation is an American death metal band formed in 1988 in Centereach, New York. Suffocation received fame and attention with their 1991 debut album, Effigy of the Forgotten, which became the staple piece of death metal in the ‘90s. The band was formed by vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Guy Marchais and Todd German, bassist Josh Barohn, and an unknown drummer.
Suffocation’s death metal style is influenced by grindcore. The band uses outrageously guttural vocals with a bottom-heavy guitar foundation, blistering speed, and unmatched brutality, with intricate songwriting. This band is a solid member of the Technical/Math Metal segment, with various time signatures, blast beats, and pure grooves in every single song!
Current Members:
Terrance Hobbs (lead guitar)
Derek Boyer (bass)
Ricky Myers (vocals)
Charlie Errigo (rhythm guitar)
Eric Morotti (drums)
Discography:
Human Waste (1991)
Effigy of the Forgotten (1991)
Breeding the Spawn (1993)
Pierced from Within (1995)
Souls To Deny (2004)
Suffocation (2006)
Blood Oath (2009)
Pinnacle of Bedlam (2013)
… Of the Dark Light (2017)
Favorite Songs
Pierced from Within
Funeral Inception
Bind Torture Kill
Have you seen Suffocation? What are some of your favorite songs?
I first heard of Arch Enemy when my dad showed me the music videos for My Apocalypse and Nemesis. We were both in awe of the talent that this band had (and still has). They have melodic death metal down and create beautiful songs that have amazing harmonies by the guitars and vocals. The first time I saw Arch Enemy was at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia. My dad and I traveled down there just to see Arch Enemy! We got VIP tickets and were able to meet the band! They are so nice and down to earth and are very thankful for their fans supporting them through the years.
Arch Enemy is a Swedish melodic death metal band that formed in 1995. The band was originally a supergroup with members from Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, The Agonist, Nevermore, and Eucharist. The mastermind behind Arch Enemy is Michael Ammot, (Carcass, Carnage, and Spiritual Beggers) who created Arch Enemy once he left Carcass. This band is known for having some of the best female vocalists and has really influenced women in the metal scene to get more involved. I know as a young girl watching Arch Enemy, seeing a badass female perform high screams and deep low gutterals was great to see and influenced me to do more within my metal community. The band was originally fronted by Johan Liiva, but was replaced by Angela Gossow (a German vocalist) in 2000. Gossow left the band in 2014 to become the band’s manager and was replaced by Alissa White-Gluz (a Canadian vocalist).
Arch Enemy’s musical style has been classified as melodic death metal, but their sound has a unique blend of progressive and death metal influences. Their influences are cited as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Manowar, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Testament, Pantera, Death, Obituary, Carcass, Mercyful Fate, and King Diamond. You can hear these influences in their songs when listening to the melodies and harmonies of the guitars. They have mastered their own sound and I love the progression that Arch Enemy has taken.
Current Members:
Michael Amott (guitarist)
Daniel Erlandsson (drums)
Sharlee D’angelo (bassist)
Jeff Loomis (guitarist)
Alissa White-Gluz (vocalist)
Discography:
Black Earth (1996)
Stigmata (1998)
Burning Bridges (1999)
Wages of Sin (2001)
Anthems of Rebellion (2003)
Doomsday Machine (2005)
Rise of the Tyrant (2007)
Khoas Legion (2011)
War Eternal (2014)
Will to Power (2017)
Favorite Songs:
My Apocalypse, Nemesis, Bloodstained Cross, The World Is Yours, First Day in Hell, The Eagle Flies Alone, As the Pages Burn, War Eternal, and You Will Know My Name.
Have you seen Arch Enemy live? What are some of your favorite songs?
The first time I heard of $uicideBoy$ was my freshman year of college when I was hanging out in one of the dorm lounges with a few friends. My friend showed me this duo because I like “horror-core” type rap; it reminds me of gangster rap (and we all know that’s my jam). The first song I heard was $outh $ide #uicide and I loved their vibe and lyrical flow. Their lyrics are very dark which is why I think I like them so much.
$uicideBoy$ is an American hip-hop duo from New Orleans, Louisiana, founded in 2014 by cousins Ruby da Cherry (left) and $crim (right). They first started reciving attention on SoundCloud (ahhhh, SoundCloud rappers, gotta love ‘em) with their abrasive, self-produced beats, as well as their harsh lyrical content and themes that are primarily about substance use disorder and suicide ideation. They own and operate their own label, G*59 Records, under Caroline Distribution. The duo is considered one of the most popular acts in the underground rap scene and are considered to have a cult following (Robertson, Who are $UICIDEBOY$ and how do they sell out shows around the world?).
$crim was inspired by T-Pain and Kanye West to produce music and his passion increased while attending Delgado Community College where he was hired to DJ parties. Rudy da cherry’s interest in music began when he was seven, playing the violin and then drums at the age of ten. He joined some bands in middle school but left in order to pursue a career in hip-hop. Since Rudy and $crim are cousins and close in age, they had a close relationship and decided to form $uicideBoy$. They made a pact while creating this duo stating that if their music career didn’t work out, they would both commit suicide (No Jumper Interview).
Their underground breakthrough came with the release of 2015 EP $outh $ide $uicide. They gained over 75 million track plays on SoundCloud alone. The duo’s first mainstream charts came with the release of Radical $uicide (2016) that peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Rap charts.
$uicideBoy$ have come under negative criticism by mainstream music critics for their use of abrasive and offense imagery, which includes their name, lyrical content, and behavior. Many of their songs contain devil worship but the duo stated that they use this type of Satanic imagery to signify the negative effects of money, drugs, and other items that could potentially manipulate people (No Jumper Interview).
Their musical style has been described with subject matter such as depression, suicide ideation, sexual content, and growing up in New Orleans. You can hear in their songs that one of their biggest influences is Three 6 Mafia because many of the duo’s earlier songs sampled Three 6 Mafia’s songs.
Even with all the controversies, and criticism of the behavior and lyrical content of the duo, they have stated that creating music is like therapy for them and that even though some may take their songs as emo music, depressed music, or negative music, the duo is just connecting their personal experiences with beats in order to share their experiences and use them as therapy (Open Space: $uicideBoy$). This is nothing new, music has been used as an outlet for not only the listeners, but also the creators. Everyone deals with whatever they have going on in different ways.
Discography:
Gray/Grey (2015)
7th Or St. Tammany (2015)
YUNGDEATHLILLIFE (2015)
High Tide In The Snake’s Nest (2015)
My Liver Will Handle What My Heart Can’t (2015)
Now The Moon’s Rising (2015)
Dark Side Of The Clouds (2016)
Grey Sheep II (2016)
Eternal Grey (2016)
I Want To Die In New Orleans (2018)
STOP STARING AT THE SHADOWS (2020)
Favorite Songs:
$outh $ide $uicide, Kill Yourself (Part III), 2nd Hand, Paris, Runnin’ Thru The 7th With My Woadies, and O Pana!
Have you seen $uicideBoy$ live (I haven’t 🙁 )? What are some of your favorite songs?
Ahhh… Death, the OG’s of death metal. Death was one of the first American bands to play (what would come to be called), Death Metal. They are known as one of the most influential bands that pioneered the genre. Today, they would be classified as the “old school,” traditional type of death metal, but when Death hit the scene back in 1987 with their debut release, Scream Bloody Gore, this sound was new, heavy, and groovy. This record is regarded to be the first death metal record. My dad used to play Death all the time when I was a little girl, he loves Death and always plays air drums, air guitar, and vocals when they come on. We love a one man show!! By listening to Death at a young age, it influenced me to lean more towards death metal and the heavier style of metal. And I’m not complaining about it!
Death was an American death metal band from Altamonte Springs, Florida, that formed in 1983 by guitarist and vocalist, Chuck Schuldiner (RIP). The original name of the band was Mantas but a year later, Schuldiner changed the name to Death. In an interview in 2010, Tim Aymar states that the renaming of the band happened because it allowed Schuldiner to turn his brother’s death into “something positive” (Aymar, Tim Speaks Out) Rehearsal tapes circulated around quickly and established the band’s entrance into the realm of heavy music. Death’s albums were very popular amongst the metal crowd and received positive criticism. Their 1991 release, Human is their best-selling album.
In 1994, Death left Relativity and signed with Roadrunner Records. They released Symbolic in 1995. After the release of Symbolic, Schuldiner broke up Death after tension with Roadrunner Records and focused on his other band, Control Denied. The seventh (and final) Death release, The Sound of Perseverance (1998), was released on Nuclear Blast.
After Schuldiner finished Control Denied’s debut album, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. His condition improved during the process of recoding on Control Denied second release, but the tumor impacted him negatively, leaving him in a vulnerable state. He contracted pneumonia and an hour after being released from the hospital on December 13, 2001, he passed away.
Perseverance Holdings Ltd. Partnered with Relapse Records to re-master and re-issue the Death and Control Denied releases, along with Schuldiner’s earlier work in Mantas. Symbolic was the only record not a part of Relapse’s deal because the rights are still retained by Roadrunner Records as of 2008 (Sobti, K. Navjot, Relapse Records To Reissue All Chuck Schuldiner Material).
The lineup of Death has changed many, many, many, many times throughout the years, and it is hard to keep track. Chuck Schuldiner has remained the sole original member of Death throughout their album releases.
Discography:
Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
Leprosy (1988)
Spiritual Healing (1990)
Human (1991)
Individual Thought Patterns (1993)
Symbolic (1995)
The Sound of Perseverance (1998)
Favorite Songs:
Low Life, Pull the Plug, Symbolic, Voice of the Soul, The Philosopher, Scream Bloody Gore, and Living Monstrosity.
I first started listening to Debauchery probably about 2 years ago when I was looking for groovy death metal to listen to. As you all have probably guessed, and are not surprised, is that I love groovy death metal; it’s my all time favorite. The first song I heard by them was Murder Squad and I LOVED it!!! The riffs are groovy and smashing and the vocals are very deep with some raspy gutturals, it reminds me of Chris Barnes!
Debauchery is from Stuttgart, Germany and are a death metal and death ‘n’ roll band. I have never heard of death ‘n’ roll but it definitely suites Debauchery! They were founded in 2000 as Maggotc**t before changing their name to Debauchery in 2002. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Thomas Gurrath. Gurrath was a high school philosophy teacher until he was discovered to be a part of Debauchery in 2010. He was given the option to either keep his teaching job or his band. Obviously, he chose his band.
The band’s lyrical content involves themes such as war and death. They also involve the science fiction Warhammer 40,000 fictional god, Khorne. This band is hella groovy and is sure to make you bang your head and bounce around. If you want some groovy ass death metal, then Debauchery is for you!
To French-Colombian multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Garzón-Montano, genre has never been a consideration. This is apparent in his laundry list of musical influences that range from Stevie Wonder to Jeff Buckley to Radiohead, and is reflected in his small, yet impressive discography that draws from styles of funk, soul, R&B and reggaeton, to name a few. After listening to his work, I am frankly surprised he hasn’t reached a wider audience. In fact, you may have heard GGM’s work already and haven’t realized it yet: his track “6 8”, featuring his fragile voice cradled by soft piano chords and patient percussion, was sampled in Drake’s hit “Jungle”. H.E.R’s cover of the same song earned him a Grammy nomination as a songwriter.
His 2014 EP Bishouné: Alma del Huila was his introduction to the world and contains “6 8”, the song that put him on the map. All instruments and vocals were painstakingly recorded to tape by GGM himself to achieve a warm, organic sound. “Everything is Everything”, with its syncopated vocal harmonies, funky bassline, and addictive chorus, speaks of solidarity in the face of universal suffering – easily one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard in the past few years. Another highlight is “Keep on Running” which features plunky piano stabs and woozy organs, on top of which GGM sings about the dangers of running from one’s problems.
2017 saw the release of GGM’s debut studio album, Jardín. As a concept album, many of its tracks contain recurring motifs of fruits and plant life, giving the project a strong sense of cohesion. Standouts include “Fruitflies”, which showcases GGM’s vocal prowess, and “Crawl”, whose rubbery bass and backing vocals serve as a callback to Bishouné’s funk sensibilities.
Gabriel Garzón-Montano has proven himself to be a gifted singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, all at the beginning of his career. I can’t wait to see what he does next!
I was with one of my friends, heading to Taco Bell when she started playing Jet by Citizen. I loved the vibe of the song and the soothing, but raspy vocals. When I got home, I looked up Citizen and quickly started listening to them more and more. Now, their music is sad. You can hear the vulnerability and sadness in the lyrics and vocals, but complimented with the musicianship, it makes for a beautiful song.
Citizen is a rock band from Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio. Some have considered Citizen to be indie rock, grunge, or post-hardcore. Citizen is currently signed to Run For Cover Records. The formation of Citizen started in 2009 when Mat Kerekes departed as the drummer from his previous band, Sound of Glory, a metalcore band. The early material of Citizen was characterized as melodic hardcore which is unlike their most recent work.
After signing to Run For Cover Records in 2012, Citizen recorded a Split EP with labelmates, Turnover. This Split EP marks the growth and maturity of both bands as helped them evolve from local bands to national artists. My favorite album by Citizen is Youth (2013). Every song on this album is so good and you can feel the emotions that the song is projecting. People have described this album to be emo, grunge, or post-hardcore and I get those vibes from the album. I am a big fan of grunge and the grunge I listen to, for the most part, is sad. Citizen gives me that impression, and I never get tired of listening to it.
Discography:
Youth (2013)
Everybody Is Going to Heaven (2015)
As You Please (2017)
Current Members:
Mat Kerekes (vocals)
Nick Hamm (lead guitar)
Ryland Oehlers (rhythm guitar)
Eric Hamm (bass)
Favorite Songs:
Jet, Roam The Room, Sick And Impatient, The Night I Drove Alone, The Summer
The first time I heard of Bring Me The Horizon (BMTH) was years ago with their debut record, Count Your Blessings (2006), when my brothers would listen to it and I loved their sound. I got to see BMTH once at the Carolina Rebellion and boy, let me tell you, they put on one hell of a live show. They probably have one of the best stage performances that I have ever seen.
Bring Me The Horizon is a British rock band formed in Sheffield in 2004. They signed to Columbia Records exclusively in the United States. The band released their debut album, Count Your Blessings in 2006. Their sound was new for listeners and they were met with critical disdain. Critics may not have liked their album, but I loved their heavy hitting, ass beating sound. Their second release, Suicide Season (2008), was a creative, critical, and commercial turning point for the band. With later releases, they changed their style with more influences from classical, electronic, and pop music. BMTH is easily one of the most musically diverse bands I have ever listened to. They have changed their sound so much over the years of their existence and they are the only band (in my opinion) that can change that much and still make great music. Even though I am a fan of BMTH from their album Sempiternal to their first release, they never fail to keep fans on their toes with their evolution. I am willing to bet that they can make any type of album, and it will be an awesome album.
BMTH’s earliest influences were bands like At the Gates, Carcass, Pantera, Metallica, Every Time I Die, and genres such as death metal, grindcore, and emo. Their sound has developed from that starting point and now are influenced by progressive rock, post-rock, dubstep, and electronic. With their changes in influences, it can be seen that BMTH has always attempted to grow and change with each album, believing that they should be different.
Current Members:
Oliver Skyes (vocalist)
Matt Kean (bass)
Lee Malia (lead guitar)
Matt Nicholls (drums)
Jordan Fish (keyboard)
John Jones (touring musician) (rhythm guitar)
Discography:
Count Your Blessings (2006)
Suicide Season (2008)
There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret (2010)
Sempiternal (2013)
That’s The Spirit (2015)
Amo (2019)
Favorite Songs:
Happy Song
Drown
Sleepwalking
Hosptial For Souls
Chelsea Smile
Pray for Plagues
Have you seen BMTH? What is your favorite song by them?
The first time I ever heard of Mulatto was one year ago when she released the music video for her single, B**** From Da Souf, and I absolutely LOVED it!!! Bad b**** music is my favorite type of music. Mulatto is so raunchy and real in her music and it’s a breath of fresh air to have someone playing the game like she is. I didn’t start listening to more of her music until recently and I wished I started listening to her sooner! She writes her own lyrics and her flow with lyrical word-play is so smooth! Her type of flow and style of vocals reminds me of how DaBaby writes and raps his music. Those two on a track would be fire!!
Alyssa Michelle Stephen born on December 22, 1998 is an American rapper professionally known as Mulatto. She chose this racial slur as her stage name because she is a mixed woman. Her mother is white and her father is African American. She wears her mixed race with integrity and lets everyone know where she comes from. She talks about her life being mixed in her songs claiming that she is “too white” or “too black” depending on who she is around and hangs out with. When listening to Mulatto, you can hear the pain and struggles she had been through, especially on the song “No hook.” I love artists who are real in their songs and discuss things that they have been through and what is going on inside their head.
Stephens was born in Columbus, Ohio and moved to Georgia at the age of 2. She was raised in Clayton County, on the south side of Atlanta. She talks about where she comes from a lot in her songs. She is also repping the south side of Atlanta. In interviews, Mulatto has stated that where she grew up was in the country side and that they have a close community. While growing up, she used to go to and participated in drag racing. Mulatto started rapping at the age of 10 and she quit school later on in her life to focus on her music career.
In 2016, she became a contestant on the Lifetime reality show, The Rap Game, produced by Jermaine Dupri and Queen Latifah. This show was set up like a boot-camp where aspiring rappers would compete against one another for eight weeks. Mulatto was the overall winner of The Rap Game and was offered a recording contract from Dupri with So So Def Records but she turned down the deal claiming that it wasn’t enough money. She then decided and continues to be an independent artist. She talks about this event in her music as well, talking about why she didn’t accept the deal and honestly, I am proud of her for following her gut and doing what was best for her. She did not want to be consumed by the industry and she wanted to have control of her music and what she released.
Since being on The Rap Game, Mulatto has released albums, Eps, singles, and has some features with rappers that were on The Rap Game with her and also some other female rappers such as Saweetie and Trina. For an independent artist, she is killing the game and is making her name known. These past few years have been great for female rappers in the game and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
So, if you like boujee, confident, pretty girl music, then Mulatto is the girl for you!
After hearing the artists newest single ‘Sick of Feeling Useless’, released May 7th, I decided to look into the artists a bit more. I absolutely loved the anthem styled tune and it’s message. It seemed to me that this duo is full of heart and on a mission to spread truth and shed light on what it feels like to live in the modern world. It only took a quick visit to the artists Facebook page to see that that is definitely the kind of artists they are.
The artist’s music can be described as blending elements of pop, rock, and hip hop. The theme of the music, as stated by the artists, is ‘I’m gonna do my best to make music for people to heal to’. The duo, from Nova Scotia, had a change of heart a few years ago on the kind of music they wanted to create. This was following a life changing retreat Kadillace went on, after which he said ‘they helped me understand who I am’. The singer, Frank Kadillac, said he didn’t want to make music that just made people feel sad or worse, so he decided to change the style and use his music to try and help people instead. Kadillac said music was an outlet he always used for healing, and it makes him feel good when people reach out and let them know that their music is having the same effect on them as it had on him.
You can definitely hear this in the track I mentioned above. The headbanging chorus ‘Sick of feeling useless’ is simple, but punches right in the relatable feelings. Anyone who relates to the sentiment will likely enjoy the artists other similarly themed music.
The duo is really rising right now, as their most recent album landed them a Juno nomination for Breakout Group of the Year. The artist also had their cinematic debut with the track ‘Shape of My Mind’ which played in the opening scene of the movie Dangerous Lies. The artist has also been featured in Spin magazine and is continuing to grow in popularity. I can’t wait to see what they come out with next.
