Suffocation are globally recognized innovators of death metal. Since the 1990s, their massive influence on the genre came from pioneering the balance between brutal and technical sounds now commonly heard in 21st century death metal. Further, Frank Mullen, the group's vocalist, is considered one of the genre's most emblematic frontmen; he was one of the first singers to employ the very deep "death growl" style. After several demos and singles, 1991's now-classic Effigy of the Forgotten influenced an entire generation in death metal and grindcore circles. It was followed by 2003's critically acclaimed Breeding of the Spawn. The band split after 1995's Pierced from Within, and re-formed years later for 2004's Souls to Deny. 2009's Blood Oath marked their first American chart entry. 2017's ...Of the Dark Light charted in Europe. Live in North America appeared from Nuclear Blast in 2021. Brutal/technical death metal band Suffocation were formed in New York during the early '90s. the original lineup was composed of vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Doug Cerrito and Terrance Hobbs, bassist Chris Richards, and drummer Mike Smith. The group's 1991 debut album, Effigy of the Forgotten, became quite influential in the grind/death metal community. Released on Roadrunner Records, it was followed two years later by Breeding of the Spawn. After the release of the Human Waste EP, Smith left Suffocation and was replaced by drummer Doug Bohn. By 1995, the second lineup had issued their first album, Pierced from Within. The band broke up soon after, disheartened by label problems and lack of direction. A mystery album, Despise the Sun, floated around due to record label politics until Relapse finally released it in the summer of 2002. The band re-formed in late 2003 to begin working on their fourth studio album. The resulting Souls to Deny, which marked the return of original drummer Mike Smith, arrived the following year, effectively ending the group's hiatus. Suffocation's eponymous fifth outing saw release in 2006, and was followed in 2009 by Blood Oath; it was the band's first official entry on the Billboard charts, peaking at number two on the Heatseekers chart and at 135 in the Top 200. The Joe Cincotta-produced Pinnacle of Bedlam, the group's seventh studio album, arrived in 2013 and also went to number two at Heatseekers and peaked at 153 in the Billboard 200. By 2017, when Suffocation released ...Of the Dark Light, Mullen and Hobbs remained the only constant members of Suffocation. The album lineup also included bassist Derek Boyer, who had been with the band since 2004, and guitarist Charlie Errigo and drummer Eric Morotti, both of whom joined in 2016 and made their recording debut on ...Of the Dark Light. Again produced and mixed by Cincotta, the album failed to chart in the U.S. despite celebratory reviews, but it placed very respectably in Europe, where it charted in several countries. In 2021, Suffocation released Live in North America for Nuclear Blast. ~ John Bush, Rovi