Only a mere two weeks after having joined TesseracT into "The Strangeland" alongside Unprocessed and The Callous Daoboys for my first gig of 2024, the time had come for me to travel back to Lyon for a night of savage brutal death metal excellency made possible yet again by the fine folk at Sounds Like Hell Productions.
With on-going nation-wide protests and road blocks (I mean hey, this is France after all) it appeared I would have to earn my way to this stacked line-up of sonic brutality, and by the time I finally reached Lyon and found my way to the MJC Ô Totem (my first time attending this venue!), I had very regrettably missed out on Organectomy's precise yet bludgeoning brutal death metal all the way from New-Zealand and just about managed to catch Sanguisugabogg halfway through their set as I hurriedly barged through the venue doors while the band were playing "Pissed" from their last year's album Homicidal Ecstasy.
The irony of that timing was not lost on me, because pissed I definitely was for sure after missing out on the two bands on the bill I was most looking forward to seeing.
However, Sanguisugabogg's infectious hardcore-influenced, cavernous and gory death metal booming through the speakers immediately took over my senses and reminded me why I was here in the first place, and just like that ; exhaustion and disheartenment gave way to satisfied spinal motions and stank faces of approval on my behalf.
Unsurprisingly, most of their setlist was comprised of tracks taken from Homicidal Ecstasy with the exception of "Dragged by a Truck" and "Dead as Shit" with which they closed their set, both taken from their 2021 full-length debut Tortured Whole.
When frontman Devin Swank let the audience know "this stage is your stage" before kicking off the band's last song for the night, he probably expected some stage-diving action but instead, Lyon's crowd swarmed the stage to headbang in unison alongside a slightly confused but amused Sanguisugabogg for the entirety of their notorious track, "Dead as Shit".
Next up were Enterprise Earth, promoting their newest album Death : An Antology which would be released the following day, and who could perhaps be seen as "the black sheep" on this roster of death metal bands with their shape-shifting melodic deathcore.
Perhaps that is why the audience initially seemed to give Enterprise Earth the cold shoulder, given that most attendees were visibly mainly here for Suffocation, as they snubbed frontman Travis Worland's call for a circle pit during their opening track.
Although Travis (who replaced Dan Watson as a full-time member in 2022) seemed a bit frustrated by the unresponsive crowd, creating a somewhat tense atmosphere, that didn't stop him from giving a brilliant vocal performance, showcasing his diverse range which perfectly suits Enterprise Earth's recent multi-genre flirtations, from djenty breakdowns to accoustic interludes and soaring melodic choruses as well as some symphonic blackened death metal.
(Enterprise Earth)
A couple of tracks later and after a few confrontational calls for movement, the crowd eventually warmed up and both circle pits and walls of death could be seen taking place by the end of their set, which was mostly comprised of songs off of their 2022 album The Chosen
(my top deathcore pick for that year) and singles from Death : An Antology as well as other of the album's tracks that weren't yet released.
After a quick stop at the event's food truck (Easy Lunch Lyon) for some grub, it was time for the "pièce de résistance" of the night ; the founding fathers of brutal death metal and spawners of deathcore : Suffocation.
On this European tour, Suffocation are currently promoting their latest album Hymns From the Apocrypha, recently released in November of 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records and it is their first studio album featuring current vocalist Ricky Myers, who replaced founding member Frank Mullen in 2019.
Suffocation immediately burst onto the stage, plunging the venue into a state of chaotic hypnosis at a relentless, frenzied pace from start to finish without ever letting loose for a single second.
Not that they need to prove anything after over three decades of existence as one of the most influential bands in death metal, their performance at the MJC Ô Totem that night was testament to their virtuosity, precision and stamina as performers.
Even though two thirds of the current line-up joined in recent years, if you didn't know any better you would not be able to tell the difference, to the credit of the more "recent" recruits Eric Morotti (drums) and Charlie Errigo (rythm guitar).
As for those potentially sceptical of iconic frontman Frank Mullen stepping down from the band, Ricky Myers does a fantastic job at filling his shoes and more, displaying a complete mastery over his punishing vocals as well as proving to be a charismatic frontman.
(Suffocation)
Even though the tour is named after Suffocation's latest album, the setlist was pretty diverse and career-spanning, obviously showcasing the newer material but also going back to fan favourites such as "Pierced From Within" or "Infecting the Crypts" and even some older cuts like "Catatonia" or "Effigy of the Forgotten".
Sanguisugabogg's Devin Swank also joined the band for a dual vocal performance of yet another older cut, "Liege of Inveracity" and the History Channel-featured track "Bind, Torture, Kill" was played after the cheering audience demanded for an encore to spend their remaining energy on after many a circle pit.
As the crowd of death metal afficionados made their way to the bar, merch tables or simply home, their thirst for spine-snapping carnage having visibly been quenched, it was safe to say that this had been a successful night of brutal death metal debauchery.
Thanks again to Sounds Like Hell Productions, the MJC Ô Totem and their partners for making it possible to have this smorgasbord of some of the best current brutal death metal-adjacent acts play in this part of the country, here's to many more!