Suicide Silence: Mitch understood importance of clean vocals

Suicide Silence

Suicide Silence frontman Eddie Hermida says the band’s late vocalist Mitch Lucker would have understood why they’ve moved away from their deathcore roots.

They’ve come under fire from some of their fans in recent weeks for using clean vocals – a subject that Hermida recently laughed off.

And in a new interview with Metal Hammer, the singer says that their late frontman Mitch Lucker would have been open to their new sound – because he had been thinking along similar lines.

He says: “I think the reason for the change grew from 10 years ago. Being part of deathcore becoming a scene and a genre, with the gimmicks and the look, all of that closes you off creatively.

“The guys in Suicide Silence already knew that before making their second record together. I remember back then I asked Mitch, ‘What are you gonna go next?’ He said, ‘We are gonna explore it all. If I have to sing clean, I’ll do it! I’m taking lessons and I don’t care!’

“Meanwhile, I was in All Shall Perish and we weren’t playing that contrived deathcore sound either. So with that in all of our bones already, the next step this time was looking everybody in the eye and asking, ‘Are you ready to jump off this cliff?’”

Hermida calls the current deathcore scene “very small and contrived” and adds: “The fact is, no one is going to be talking about the last 15 years of music, because it didn’t achieve shit.

“I’ll tell you what people will be talking about, and that’s this record. I’ve recorded with my favourite producer and I’ve finally got a band who were willing to jump off the deepest of deep ends and play something unsafe, so I can write some unsafe shit, too.”

Lucker died from injuries sustained in a motorbike accident in 2012.

Suicide Silence’s self-titled fifth album will be released on February 24

The full interview with Suicide Silence can be found in the new edition of Metal Hammer which is out now. Ozzy Osbourne and Avenged Sevenfold frontman M Shadows are the cover stars, while artists including Metallica, Trivium, Slipknot and Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor, Judas Priest and Steel Panther also feature.

The new issue also has a 15-track CD featuring up-and-coming bands, plus 12 free posters.

Suicide Silence tracklist

Doris
Silence
Listen
Dying In A Red Room
Hold Me Up, Hold Me Down
Run
The Zero
Conformity
Don’t Be Careful You Might Hurt Yourself

Suicide Silence: “We were ready to jump off this cliff”

Suicide Silence 2017 tour dates

Feb 19: San Antonio Paper Tiger, TX
Feb 21: Dallas Trees, TX
Feb 22: Albuquerque The launchpad, NM
Feb 23: Phoenix Joe’s Grotto, AZ
Feb 24: Santa Ana Observatory, CA
Feb 25: San Diego Soma Side Stage, CA
Feb 26: Camarillo Rock City Studios, CA
Feb 28: Bakersfield B Ryders, CA
Mar 01: San Francisco, CA
Mar 02: Reno Jub Jub’s Thirst Parlor, NV
Mar 03: Fresno Strummer’s, CA
Mar 04: Santa Cruz The Catalyst Club, CA
Mar 14: St Petersburg Aurora Concert Hall, Russia
Mar 15: Moscow Yota Space, Russia
Mar 19: Southampton Engine Rooms, UK
Mar 20: Manchester Club Academy, UK
Mar 21: Glasgow Garage, UK
Mar 22: Birmingham O2 Academy 2, UK
Mar 23: Bristol Marble Factory, UK
Mar 24: London Koko, UK
May 19: Columbus Rock On The Range, OH
Jun 09: Paris Download Festival, France
Jul 14: Bridgeview Chicago Open Air, IL

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.