Suffocation

Suffocation is an American death metal band formed in 1988 in Centereach, New York, currently consisting of lead guitarist Terrance Hobbs, bassist Derek Boyer, rhythm guitarist Charlie Errigo, drummer Eric Morotti, and vocalist Ricky Myers. The band rose to prominence with their 1991 debut album Effigy of the Forgotten, which became a blueprint for death metal in the 1990s. Since then, Suffocation has recorded a further seven albums. These feature growled vocals with downtuned guitars, fast and complex guitar riffs and drumming, open chord notes and occasional breakdowns. History Early years and the 1990s era (1988–1998) Suffocation was formed in 1988 in Long Island, New York, by vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Guy Marchais and Todd German, bassist Josh Barohn, and a drummer whose name has not been disclosed. By 1990, the band had replaced their founding members with hired guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Doug Cerrito along with drummer Mike Smith, who were members of a local band called Mortuary, which had already disbanded. The quintet was mainly influenced by fellow American death metal bands as well as the Britain's Napalm Death and Brazil's Sepultura. Suffocation would be unique among the death metal community for featuring black musicians in their lineup, with Smith commenting on meeting Hobbs for the first time: "That's where I first noticed, 'Wow, there's another black guy playing this kind of stuff.'" They signed a contract with Relapse Records in 1990, becoming one of the first three bands to sign onto the newly founded label alongside Incantation and Deceased. The band's first EP, Human Waste, was released through Relapse Records in 1991. The first full-length debut album, Effigy of the Forgotten, was recorded by producer Scott Burns at Tampa's Morrisound Studios and released by Roadrunner Records in 1991. Effigy of the Forgotten would gain critical and fan acclaim and become greatly influential in extreme metal music and later become a key influence in brutal death metal, as well as in deathcore subgenres.