Suffocation Plan to Continue with New Vocalist

I don’t think this is gonna be a major surprise for anyone, but it’s the first time anyone has said it aloud, so it seems like it’s worth reporting: Suffocation plan to put our assertion that everyone’s replaceable to the test by soldiering on without frontman Frank Mullen.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware that after thirty years, Mullen retired from Suffo in 2018, reportedly to pursue a full-time acting career. The much-beloved vocalist had already stepped down from full-time touring with the band in 2012; the group, in turn, recruited a series of notable guest frontman, including John Gallagher (Dying Fetus), Ricky Myers (Disgorge), and Kevin Muller (The Merciless Concept, ex-Pyrexia). Which is why, again, I don’t think anyone will be shocked to learn that the end of Mullen’s time as one of the best death metal frontmen ever is not going to be the end of Suffocation’s time as one of the best death metal bands ever.

Bassist Derek Boyer made the news official in a recent interview with Heavy New York:

“Frank, we knew he’s been talking about being done for a while. It’s one of those things you’re definitely going to get another record out of the band. It’s been tough jumping through hoops with ‘Who’s going to do this?’ We have Ricky Myers from California, who’s been doing a lot of the stuff for us. He’s doing really well right now. You’ll be seeing Suffocation coming through your town. That’s not going to stop. You’ll see another record. We’re not going to skip a beat. Frank is awesome. He’s going to be missed, but the band is still a driving force.”

It goes without saying that switching frontmen is a BIG DEAL, and it doesn’t always go so well for the band, at least with regards to fan reaction. Death metal certainly seems to have a slightly better track record with switching vocalists that most subgenres of metal (see: Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, etc.), which is probably because one unintelligible scream is as good another… but Mullen had charisma to burn, and was as famous for his on-stage persona as he was for he actual growling. So he’s leaving behind some very big shoes to fill.

Based on Boyer’s comments, it seems like Myers is the frontrunner to try and fill those shoes. We’ll let you know as soon as the band makes any kind of official announcement.

[via Metal Injection]

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