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On Saturday, Jan 23rd I had the opportunity to head to the Boardwalk in Orangevale, Ca (a suburb of Sacramento) to check out the metal band Suffokate. Arriving at 4:30, I had an interview scheduled with lead singer Ricky Hoover. While they were not the headliner, I was definitely most excited to see them.

Ricky engaged me in a great conversation. He was open, intelligent and interesting to get to know a little bit. Through the conversation I saw into what the band is about. Thanks to Ricky, I think I even learned something about music and today’s metal scene.

Listen here to the entire conversation and follow along:
[podcast]http://cwgmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Suffokate.mp3[/podcast]
00:10: Where they’ve been and where they’re going.
1:10: The guitar players. What they play and how they play.
1:45: The current tour.
2:15: ‘Fallen’ comrades.
3:15: This show vs. other metal shows.
4:15: What they play.
5:30: Musical influences and life influences.
6:45: The origins of Suffokate.
7:05: The new album.
8:15: “Pissed off, angry death metal.”
8:30: “The skies were filled with fire.”
9:30: The ‘pussy’ song.
10:00: “While they sleep.”
10:45: “Force fed.”
11:45: “Holiness is next to filthiness.”
12:50: “Not the fallen.”
13:15: Themes of the record from the man who wrote it.
13:45: ‘Longing for the world to destroy itself.’
15:15: The writing process.
16:00: Writing ANOTHER record.

After the interview, I had about three hours to kill before the doors opened. I made my way around the back and ended up chatting with Suffokate members Lars Diaz and Taylor Jones for a short while. We were joined in the conversation by a couple of the guys from Your Demise. Everyone was really cool. The guys from Demise didn’t know who I was, but they still talked with me like I was one of them, which was cool. The main topic of conversation was that the guys from, ‘For the fallen dreams’ didn’t make the show, after their bus broke down. I am told that they are hoping to catch back up with the tour in a few days.

As for the show…
The opener was a Vacaville based band called ‘At the Crossroads.’ I was really impressed with these guys. For the opening act on a five band metal show, with an already packed house full of angry 18-30 year- olds, I thought they brought the goods in a big way. They were a fitting opener and helped set the stage for the rest of the bands that would follow them. So- here’s a quick shout out to them. Later I met their bass player, Richard Beaven in the crowd. He seemed like a pretty cool guy. We exchanged a few words.

They were followed by ‘Antioch Synopsis’ and ‘Your Demise.’ Then it was time for Suffokate.

After an extended sound check and set up that felt like forever, the lights went down, the energy went up and the band lit the place on fire. They ripped through song after song. The set seemed to fly by. The pit opened up like a hole in the sky. I quickly got stuck against the side wall as bodies bounced everywhere. Hoover’s cry of, “I wanna see violence” was taken to heart by the crowd. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a pit like that in a venue of this size.

Hoover was on top of his game. He screamed his way through song after song. He talked to the crowd. Toward the end between songs, he stood center stage in a dim light with sweat pouring down his face and burning his eyes. He shook it off with an angry nod. For just a moment, he reminded me of Phil Anselmo about 10 years ago. He was on his game and in the moment. He was a metal- wielding bad- ass. Bray Almini and Tesoro Protomartir were fantastic as well, with their long locks whipping around in a tornado of metal fury for 30 minutes.

I came here on this night to see what Suffokate was all about. Between my conversation with Ricky and seeing their set, I think I got the picture. They are metal in every way. Their look, their sound, their attitude, their skills… they have it. These guys are what metal is all about, or at least what it SHOULD be about.

Find more on Suffokate at: http://www.myspace.com/suffokate