Nuclear Blast Brutal death metal architects Suffocation are set to release their seventh full-length album, ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam’ on Feb. 15, but fans won’t have to wait another two months to hear new material from the band. Suffocation have just unleashed the new track ‘As Grace Descends,’ and spoiler alert: It’s very heavy. After the departure of drummer Mike Smith, there were some big shoes to fill behind the kit. Thus, Suffocation made an incredibly wise decision in recruiting Dave Culross of Malevolent Creation. Culross has drummed from Suffocation in the past, blasting away on the band’s masterful 1998 EP, ‘Despise the Sun.’ “You will definitely hear ‘Despise the Sun’ shining through on this record,” Culross told us in our recent interview with the band. Not only because of my playing on it, but the grooves in some of the stuff that we did are very similar to the grooves in ‘Despise the Sun,’ and I think that’s what will people are gonna characterize between the two albums … you’ll hear the accents in the blasts, a lot of fast double bass; definitely reminiscent of ‘Despise the Sun.’” ‘As Grace Descends’ showcases a more crisp and powerful production standards, which offers an interesting dichotomy as Suffocation bring a more raw sense of composition to the track. Vocalist Frank Mullen is also noticeably straight-forward in his performance, as he keeps his gutturals low while focusing on the pronunciation of his lyrics. Introduce yourselves with ‘As Grace Descends’ in the player below, and whatever you do, only perform the classic Frank Mullen hand chop if you’ve warmed up first, as you will likely break your wrist otherwise. Suffocation, ‘As Grace Descends’ Suffocation, ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam’ Track Listing: 1. ‘Cycles of Suffering’ 2. ‘Purgatorial Punishment’ 3. ‘Eminent Wrath’ 4. ‘As Grace Descends’ 5. ‘Sullen Days’ 6. ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam’ 7. ‘My Demise’ 8. ‘Inversion’ 9. ‘Rapture of Revocation’ 10. ‘Beginning of Sorrow’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/suffocation-pinnacle-of-bedlam-future-of-vocalist-frank-mullen/” title=”Suffocation Talk ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ Future of Frank Mullen + More” align=”center”]
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Suffocation Unleash Track ‘As Grace Descends’ From 2013 Album ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam’
December 14th, 2012 
Metalkult Suffocation Members Talk ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ Future of Vocalist Frank Mullen + More
December 13th, 2012 Metalkult Nuclear Blast Suffocation have had a strange, yet incredibly productive year in 2012. Despite the messy breakup with drummer Mike Smith and the news that vocalist Frank Mullen would no longer be touring extensively with the band, Suffocation have finished recording ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ their first full-length album since 2009′s ‘Blood Oath.’ We had the chance to sit down with Suffocation guitarist Guy Marchais and newly appointed drummer Dave Culross, who manned the kit for the band’s ‘Despise the Sun’ EP, in their swanky hotel before their Stamford, Conn., show on Dec. 8. The duo reassured fans that Mullen is still 100 percent committed to the band, described what fans should expect from ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ clues on who Mullen’s part-time replacement vocalist could be and much more. Check out our in-depth conversation with Guy and Dave of Suffocation. Suffocation Talk to Loudwire
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Tags: band, blood-oath-, chance, exclusive, frank-mullen, manned-the-kit, metal, news, productive-year, suffocation, videos 
No Comments »Suffocation’s Frank Mullen Avoiding Long Tours, Replacement Filling In on Select Dates
October 26th, 2012 Metalkult Nuclear Blast Suffocation vocalist Frank Mullen recently stated that after over 20 years of making death metal’s most brutal music, he will be playing a smaller role when it comes to the future of the band. Mullen no longer feels like he can go off on tour for long periods of time, so during future shows, the vocalist will be playing some shows, while a guest vocalist will be used to fill whatever additional dates there may be. This comes as sad news for many Suffocation fans, as Mullen is not only the innovator of the modern death metal guttural, but also a personality beloved by fans. Whether he’s threatening to kill members of the audience through ridiculous means or utilizing the famous Mullen air-chop, the Suffocation vocalist is almost as entertaining as he is brutal. Mullen revealed his diminished role in the band to Horns Up Rocks! earlier this week, but has since given a detailed explanation of his future plans. “I am not leaving Suffocation,” begins Mullen. “Massive one month long touring on my side cannot be done anymore though. When the new album is released next year I will be touring as much as possible to support the album as well as the following year in 2014.” The vocalist continues, “When I was asked that question in the interview I was taken off guard and didn’t really know what my schedule was going to look like next year and wanted to try and answer. I haven’t given much thought to what our touring schedule would look like since we’ve been in the studio recording the new release. So I’m going to be getting out there as much as I can to support the album and get out there in front of the ones who have supported Suffocation over the years, the true fans. So we are going to be supporting this record as soon as it comes out” The other members of Suffocation also commented on the situation. “We have respected this decision that Frank has made, but by no means does this mean Suffocation will ‘replace’ him with new singer or stop touring. Death metal has been good to us, and we feel fortunate with the success we have achieved. For shows or tours he can’t be a part of there will be a well respected, talented, fill in singer, so we as a band can continue to prosper and bring Suffocation to the fans. Bill Robinson (Decrepit Birth) is a good friend of ours and came through during the European tours when Frank was unable to make the shows, but he was just filling in those two times. The fill-in singer will be announced soon, and we promise that our fans will not be let down. We have been fortunate to make a great living playing music, and are willing to continue to give our fans what they want.” Suffocation are planning to release their seventh full-length album, ‘The Pinnacle of Bedlam’ sometime in early 2013.
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