Suffocation - Human Waste [EP] (1991)

Suffocation are widely recognized major innovators of death metal. They had a massive influence on the genre and pioneered the balance between brutal and technical sounds commonly heard in modern death metal. Frank Mullen is considered as one of the most emblematic death metal vocalists as well as one of the first to use a very deep "death growl" vocal style.

There was an earlier "incarnation" of Suffocation existing from 1988 to around 1990 which featured vocalist Frank Mullen, bassist Josh Barohn, guitarists Guy Marchais and Todd German and Barohn's friend on drums. By 1990, the band had hired guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Doug Cerrito along with drummer Mike Smith, members of the local band Mortuary which had already disbanded.

The band split-up after Despise the Sun and reformed in 2002 with some line-up changes. Doug Cerrito was asked to join when the band reformed, but apparently he wasn't interested. Mike Smith left the band again in 2012 due to personal differences with other members and was replaced by Dave Culross (who had previously played with the band on Despise The Sun). Culross was later replaced by Kevin Talley.

Human Waste was the first CD ever released on Relapse Records, though they aren't the first band released on the label (they first released a bunch of 7" singles). It is the first printed and distributed CD by Relapse.

 

-Tracklist:

 Side A:
1. Infecting the Crypts     04:37
2. Synthetically Revived     03:38
  
Side B:
3. Mass Obliteration     04:28
4. Catatonia     03:55
5. Jesus Wept     03:38

 

 

-Line up:

• Frank Mullen: Vocals
• Terrance Hobbs: Guitars
• Mike Smith: Drums
• Doug Cerrito: Guitars
• Josh Barohn: Bass.

 

 

 

 

 

Label: Nuclear Blast.

Recorded & mixed at Recardamatt Studios, West Islip, N.Y., Sep. 1990.

Engineer: Paul Bagin.

 Considered Suffocation's second demo.

The intro of "Human Waste" was taken from the 1988 film Hellbound: Hellraiser II.

Track 4, "Catatonia", is commonly known as the first song the band's ever written - a re-recording of which appears on their 1998 EP Despise the Sun.