Not too sure sure what it is about this album that people hate so much, but for me, this is the last decent album the band would release until a few weeks ago with 'Pinnacle of Bedlam'. I've listened to this album time and again in order to detect that fatal flaw that causes tears to erupt from the assholes of the trendsters at large and I've yet to come across any. I felt that STD was was an admirable return for Suffocation and I've certainly heard worse as far as comeback albums are concerned.
I know there are some fags out there who whined about the absence of former Suffo guitarist Doug Cerrito, but let me tell you, Guy Marchais was actually in the band before Cerrito or even Terrance Hobbs, for that matter. In fact, it can be argued that, aside from Frank Mullen, Guy Marchais is the only "original" member now in Suffocation.
I like the fact that there are nods to chestnuts such as 'Jesus Wept' like in the beginning of 'To Weep Once More' and overall, the riffing and the production on this album feels like somewhat of a throwback to the band's prime. Souls to Deny could have easily been released between 'Effigy of the Forgotten' and 'Pierced From Within', in fact, I'd actually rank this alongside 'Pierced...' in terms of quality overall.
I must confess that, for the most part, I have long since given up on reading death metal lyrics. All I can tell you is that Suffocation has always had a knack for coming up with some of the most cringe inducing song titles in musical history ('Marital Decimation', anyone?), though to their credit, 'Souls to Deny' is hardly their worst album in this regard.
Though I'll always prefer 'Human Waste' and 'Effigy of the Forgotten' over pretty much the rest of the band's catalog, I have no hate in my heart for Suffocation. My only complaint throughout the years is that the band seems to have released pretty much the same album since their early days, not to mention the fact that I've never been terribly fond of the "9,000 riffs per song" approach. Nevertheless, I do have the utmost respect for the band and, for what it's worth, feel like 'Souls...' is more than a worthy addition to the band's discography. Again, I'm puzzled as to what part of this album gets all of you silly little bitches' panties in an uproar, but then again, I've never quite understood the musical tastes of others.
I'm only in my early 20s and I was a bit of a latecomer to death metal (first being exposed to it in the late 2000s when I was about 16 or 17). I've sampled the Suffocation/Internal Bleeding/"New York" style of death metal extensively and I think this is probably the best album of the bunch. I'd give it 9.5/10, really can't see where anyone might pick holes in it. Riffs: wildly inventive and catchy. Production: Workmanlike, pretty bassy as per usual, but clear and natural sounding. Lyrics/vocals: really just the standard DM fare, nothing to divide opinions. Honestly what death metal fan wouldn't like this, let alone a big-time Suffo fan?
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