Band:	Suicide Silence
Album:	Remember... You Must Die
Style:	Deathcore
Release date:	March 10, 2023
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Remember...
02. You Must Die
03. Capable Of Violence (N.F.W.)
04. F****d For Life
05. Kill Forever
06. God Be Damned
07. Alter Of Self
08. Endless Dark
09. The Third Death
10. Be Deceived
11. Dying Life
12. Full Void

Omne, I hear you ask, do you pity the fool?

Well, let me explain sucker, that one of the premiere acts in deathcore, Suicide Silence are a band who have seen their stock fall in the last decade. Though the band hit the reset button with 2020's Become The Hunter, it wasn't the immediate return to form fans would have hoped for, although it did put the band back on the right path again. Remember... You Must Die (hereafter Remember...) sees the band continue on their path to recovery, though it is on the path well travelled and one lined with potholes.

The road to recovery is paved with good intentions at least, with Remember... feeling as if the band are comfortable returning to their roots now, moving from merely establishing a foothold after the about-face that was Become The Hunter. Remember... is an enjoyable listen from a band who have seemingly found their mojo again, but while the band do take three steps forward, it comes at the expense of taking one back each time, resulting in some flaws.

While I don't begrudge the band sticking to their roots, it does seem like the backlash from 2017's Suicide Silence reverberates in the band's minds, seeing them trying to return to their roots to appease fans, just as deathcore has seen bands explode in popularity owing to their deviation from the genre's roots. This leaves the band and Remember... in a tricky situation: risk alienating a fanbase (again) that they've only just started to win back, or stick to the tried and tested formula that doesn't reap the rewards it used to. Remember... ultimately is at least a good repetition of the formula, but there are certainly moments (such as "Be Deceived") where you regret the band being so risk-averse, as it may have improved tracks like "Dying Life" that sound stale and don't have the quality to overcome their lack of experimentation.

With that said, Suicide Silence do manage to compensate for any lack of experimentation with enough high-quality tracks to make Remember... an album worth returning to. "Fucked For Life" and "Kill Forever" rank amongst some of the band's best work, while "God Be Damned" and "The Third Death" would be a highlight on any Suicide Silence record. This, combined with the average song quality being enjoyable, if not outstanding (see "Capable Of Violence (N.F.W)" for an example), make for an album that warrants repeated listening.

Remember... benefits from one of the best productions in their discography, with the tracks balancing power and precision in equal measure. Sure, it polishes away the band's earlier raw charm, but the likes of "Alter Of Self" would not have worked had it not had the sonic structure offered here. Kenny's rumbling thunder of a bass does offer fans a good dose of nostalgia with his loose tone, one that compensates for the tight precision Heylmun offers in comparison: a ying/yang that complement each other perfectly.

While I initially had mixed feelings on initial listens to the album, I found it was something I kept coming back to, growing on me that bit more with each re-listen. Remember... is unlikely to remembered as anything special, but at this point in the band's career, it is a solid step back to the summit the band once sat atop.