Interviews About Albums: Suffer - Grand Canvas Of The Aesthete (2024)

In this new interview, we sat down with the American Death Metal band Suffer to ask questions about their album "Grand Canvas Of The Aesthete". 

1. What can you say about this new CD?

This is the first new Suffer material since our 2015 release, konQbine...and the first material with Justin back on guitar since 1996. Just and I have a chemistry that is pretty special and this new album definitely reflects that. We are all excited for this release as this is without a doubt what we wished every other Suffer release sounded like. We spend a great deal of time working on the form and flow of the material. We wanted to make this release reflect 35 years of work. Suffer was formed in 1989 and if we were going to go through this re-birth, we wanted it to be something that proved we were 100% on top of our game.

2. What is the meaning of the CD name?

I have grown as a lyricist over the years...to a degree. I mean, I still write about the very same topics only I have grown and broadened my scope to be more poetic and much more symbolic. I strive to bring the harshest topics and deliver them in as poetic and alluring way as I can. I love being able to write with layers of underlying meanings that seem overwhelmingly grotesque and vile on the surface, but if you analyze what is being said you can find that it applies to a multitude of other personal and social topics. The title of the CD is a reflection of that growth. In essence, this album is the apex of those elements...and we titled it accordingly.

3. Which one is the composer of the CD?

Justin and I wrote all of the riffs for the album...virtually 50/50. We spent the better part of 6 months emailing riffs back and forth until we had dozens of riffs in a Google Drive folder. Justin then selected which riffs were best suited for each other to have the backbone for each song. From there I worked with Jason on clicks, tempos, and transitions to bring them to life. Lyrically, I write and perform all vocals. That is about the only process where I work best in my own personal bubble.

4. If you had to pick one song, which one would you pick?

Carnal Flesh Parade. That song is a brute from start to finish.

5. Is there a special message in this CD? If there is what it is?

I generally don't set out to bury a message into any of my music. I can't say that I am a fan of any music that is trying to drive home some sort of directed message. The world is flooded with flagrant and overwhelming opinions...and it is a massive turn-off. That said, every song and every album has a message...somewhere. I just elect to not jam it down people's throats. If there was a message...it is dual-sided. 1. Be offensive, be loud, and be unapologetic for doing so. The world is filled with overly emotional cry babies who feel their feelings are more important than your rights....and they are not. 2. Death Metal has no age limit. Suffer has been around for 35 years and we are now sitting at 50 years old as members, yet I feel we can write and deliver better than ever before. Age isn't the object, your mental position is.

6. Are there some lyrics that you'd love to share?

I would recommend those who have an interest in lyrics as I have always loved to do since I was 9 years old. Buy the album, throw on some good headphones, grab the lyric sheet, press play...and follow along. Lyrics are just words...the real poetry and power come from how those words are applied and delivered over the top of the music. I still do this to this day with every album that I like. It gives me a whole new level of appreciation for talented vocalists.

7. Which inspirations have been important for this album? Like musically or friends, family, someone you'd love to thank especially?

With this album specifically, it has definitely been finding inspiration in each other. We have been working together in Suffer since 1989 and this band has become a part of who we are as people. We formed with Death Metal had little to no roots in the Midwest whatsoever and worked to help spread the word when the genre was just beginning to spread from the coasts. We take great pride in that and we took a lot of time to self-reflect on our history throughout the process of this record. We talk about our past and what we have done at nearly every session. We talked about influences and inspirations and what drove us to keep going the entire time we recorded this album. It has truly been a wonderful experience and the respect we have for each other as musicians and people has grown exponentially. This album and the process of producing it has been a large advancement in personal pride in what we do as well as mutual respect for each other and the talents each person brings to the band. It has definitely left us chomping at the bit to get going on new material.

8. Something to add?

We would like to thank all of our fans who have joined us over the last 35 years and we look forward to welcoming those who enjoy what Suffer has to offer. We invite everyone to check us out at www.suffersd.com as well as our label www.wisebloodrecords.com and on our socials at facebook.com/SufferSD, instagram.com/official_suffer, and on YouTube @SufferSD