Originally released in 1998 by Vulture Records. Because it was pretty hard to get, Relapse decided that it was time for a proper and well deserved re-release. After a US tour Suffocation broke up in 1998 due to a lack of motivation and inspiration. Drummer Dave Culross joined Malevolent Creation again. Guitarist Doug Cerrito joined Hate Eternal and recorded the masterpiece ‘Conquering The Throne’ with them. He left the band shortly after that. According to Dave Culross in an interview with Pitt Magazine, bassist Chris Richards got into techno/gothic, vocalist Frank Mullen quit making music and other guitarist Terrance Hobbs did an upbeat R&B disco thing. Yep folks, people change! `Despise The Sun` is by far the best release by this influential US death metal band who spawned numerous imitators all over the world. These five songs are a perfect example of catchy and memorable songwriting, fast and inventive drumming, and aggressive powerful riffs.

It also contains Frank Mullen’s best vocal performance ever. Listen to the man in ‘Bloodchurn’. You can hear he enjoys ripping his vocal chords to shreds! Just great! Another cool aspect is Suffocation’s use of creative breaks. Like in ‘Funeral Inception’ and the title track for example. This is also one of the last death metal albums produced by Scott Burns. I must say that the production could have been a bit better, especially the snaredrum sound. But hey, this is a classic so I won’t nag about minor details. If you already have the original Vulture Records release, then it’s no use buying this one, because unfortunately there are no extra tracks added. If you missed it back then, here’s a chance to get one of the best death metal releases in general. Don’t miss it now, this is essential!