Susperia
Cut From Stone
Candlelight 2007
Thick and Heavy
like a sledgehammer in a similar way to Pantera, Norway's Susperia pound out a
near thrash amalgam of metal that is at times generic and commercial while at
others gripping and inspiring. Part of Susperia's style I loathe because
they seem so fake and boring but other parts, mostly the melodic passages with
clean vocals like the chorus on Lackluster. Though considered by many to
be a thrash metal band, I find their brand of music to be a little too modern
and mainstream to embody my vision of thrash. Most of their riffing is
chunky chords that have a metallic feel but their thrash roots manage to come
out during the speedfest of The Clone. Distant Memory tries a completely
different tactic, being a more emotional song with acoustic and atmospheric
parts and 'heartfelt" vocals. Meanwhile Release sports a masculine main
riff similar to Exodus during the Fabulous Disaster days before its drifts into
the strained and pleading vocals I find so appealing. Life Deprived is
probably the most in your face and manly with its hectic speed. Due to
good songwriting it eloquently balances the heaviness with some calm melodic
leads. Basically for me Cut From Stone represents an updated take on the
style of middle ear Pantera with a smattering of other influences and some
catchy clean choruses thrown in. Daniel Bergstrand manages to to give
Susperia a meaty and crystal clear production on Cut From Stone which suits
their style to a tee. Cut From Stone is an album I enjoy while I am
listening to it but I seldom pick it up to listen to. So it treads a fine
balancing act between being enjoyable and being forgettable. I guess it
mainly depends on my mood the day I have it in my CD player. I can see Cut
From Stone have a wide appeal within the more mainstream segments of the
underground.