THE CUBE

"The Cube" is the debut full-length studio album by French death/doom metal act Supuration. The album was originally released in 1993 through Reincarnate/Danceteria. Holy Records re-released "The Cube" in 1998 with three bonus tracks. This time under the S.U.P. monicker (the band´s side-project). So it´s safe to say "The Cube" has quite the unusual release history.

The music on the album is very unconventional sounding progressive death/doom metal with a mystical sci-fi theme. I´m not sure I would call it avant garde, but it sure is different from most other death metal releases I´m familiar with. There are brutal growls alright and some heavy riffing too, but other than that you´re in for quite a ride with this one. Supuration generally focus on atmosphere over brutality and most guitar riffs on the album are not brutal, downtuned and raw. Instead I hear quite a few influences from psychadelic rock (early Pink Floyd) and progressive rock/metal in the way the guitars are played and also in the varied rhythm arrangements. The song structures are adventurous and provide the music with a surprise element. In addition to the growling vocals there are some futuristic sounding clean vocals on the album too. The clean vocals remind me slightly of early nineties Voivod. Actually quite a few elements on the album remind me of Voivod. It´s not completely wrong to say that "Nothingface (1989)"-era Voivod and "Gothic (1991)"-era Paradise Lost are valid references.

The sound production is delightfully raw but not in a lo-fi way, so you´re fully able to hear everything that is played, which is great because these guys are skilled musicians. It´s in the songwriting department that they really excel though. "The Cube" is a very original sounding album and Supuration combine all their influences seamlessly into a sound of their own. Things never sound forced or out of place and the band are just so full of adventurous ideas that this is an album that is entertaining and twists conventions throughout. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.