Review: Suicide Silence – “You Can’t Stop Me”

BAND: SUICIDE SILENCE

ALBUM: YOU CAN’T STOP ME

LABEL: CENTURY MEDIA

RELEASE DATE: JULY 15, 2014

RATING: 8.5/10

With the tragic 2012 death of vocalist Mitch Lucker, Suicide Silence’s future was held in question. That question was answered with an announcement that Eddie Hermida (All Shall Perish) would be stepping up to fill Lucker’s role. On 2014’s You Can’t Stop Me, Hermida inherits the crown and wears it like the rightful heir. 

From the first seconds of “Inherit the Crown,” it is obvious that Suicide Silence has not lost an inch of ground in their time unsureness. Eddie Hermida is the star player of the track, ripping into his lines with a ferocity and clarity that cannot be matched. The dual guitar efforts of Chris Garza and Mark Heylmun are both riffy and melodic, even throwing in the tightest solos that the band has seen yet.

“Inherit the Crown” sets an accurate tone for the rest of You Can’t Stop Me: relentless, well-written, fantastically executed. The album has none of the sometimes distracting experimental qualities that held back 2011’s The Black Crown. Dual guitars waste no time in creating ferocious attacks that let up only for blistering solos and massive breakdowns.

The rhythm section of bassist Daniel Kenny and drummer Alex Lopez is still the tightest in deathcore. Kenny is more prominent on You Can’t Stop Me than ever before, the pounding bass standing out among the onslaught, the perfect complement to guitar parts that border on death metal.

The all-star of You Can’t Stop Me, though, is Eddie Hermida. While an very well-written album instrumentally, it is Hermida’s vocals that have assured Suicide Silence’s position as the deathcore crown jewel is not compromised. Hermida has a range that Lucker did not and a clarity of his vocals that is rare to find. Lyrical themes deal often with his ascension to his position in Suicide Silence and his promise to move forward and cement his legacy. Helped on tracks by Cannibal Corpse’s George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher and The Dillinger Escape Plan’s Greg Puciato, the vocals on You Can’t Stop Me are some of the finest in heavy music.

Suicide Silence has not lost an inch of ground. In fact, sacrilegious as it may be, the addition of Hermida has allowed the quintet to craft its finest release to date. There may truly be no stopping Suicide Silence now; Hermida wears the crown like it was always his. You Can’t Stop Me is leagues ahead of Suicide Silence’s previous work.