Suicide Silence‘s decision to branch out from the constraints of traditional deathcore with their upcoming new album “Suicide Silence” has certainly been a hot topic among fans in recent weeks. Speaking recently to clrvynt.com, vocalist Eddie Hermida discussed the band’s decision to change their sound and the state of the genre of deathcore as a whole.
When asked on why they decided to expand their sound, he offered:
“I think every band that isn’t a new deathcore band, pretty much all the originators branched out in some shape or form. We’re obviously committing to that branch. With All Shall Perish, there’s singing all over the second and third record; it’s very in the realm of Opeth, Killswitch Engage, Emperor. There’s that.
The thing is, in order to fully commit to a sound, fully commit to a change, a lot of the bands — including Suicide Silence, up until we decided it was time to fully commit — they wanted to change, but didn’t fully do it. Chelsea Grin added singing; Whitechapel just did it with the newest record.
The only bands that still stick to the “original” deathcore sound are the newest deathcore bands, because they think that’s the way to make money and that’s how to get fame, just like Suicide Silence or All Shall Perish or Despised Icon. So, they’re the ones waving the flag nowadays; the old-schoolers realized the one-trick pony [aspect] of it. Fans don’t really like the technical aspect; they love the breakdowns.
So, either they become more breakdown-y and continue doing whatever they do, or they branch out. We started seeing that trend, and really, Suicide Silence wanted to make a change before I even joined the band. When I recorded “You Can’t Stop Me,” that was the time for that record. When it was time to start writing this record, it was time. We all looked at each other [and said] this is the perfect opportunity to branch out and do something different. We looked at each other and all jumped off a cliff.”
He also had some thoughts on the longevity of deathcore and an apparent little bit of shade to throw at Thy Art is Murder:
“If bands keep doing what we’re doing, it can still remain as a powerhouse. Fact is, the reason people don’t believe in deathcore is it sounds dumbed-down and cheesy, and not challenging to play. A lot of the death metal elitists make fun of it, and anyone who doesn’t listen to all screamed vocals isn’t going to listen to it.
So, you’re kind of stuck playing to these fans who are either deathcore fans or death metal elitists. Or just metal elitists in general, the patch-wearing fucking weirdos. [Laughs] You start playing to these crowds, and they’re never going to accept the virtuosity of dumbing down your music; they’re never going to understand it. If it’s not played at 230 bpm, people are gonna think it’s wack.
That right there goes to show how simple-minded and afraid of change people in our scene are. If bands starts challenging themselves and pushing what they can do as musicians, and goes out there and write some really good tunes, I think deathcore has a future.
If bands succumb to what Thy Art Is Murder just did, like, “Oh yeah we’re gonna save deathcore,” and they write the same song they wrote on their last record, it’s going to die. That’s just it. If bands start to grow, deathcore will grow; if bands make the music they’ve always made, it’s going to die.”
To clarify however, the newest Thy Art Is Murder song “No Absolution” was a holdover from their 2015 album, “Holy War” that only recently was completed and released. That said, it’s also not the first time Hermida has brought up Thy Art Is Murder in this context. There’s a lot more to be read from Hermida over at clrvynt.com.
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