New York's Sulaco is a little tough to pin down. Their technical complexity alludes to progressive metal; the blast beats scream grind or death metal; Erik Burke's vocals ooze hardcore and noise rock. In actuality, Sulaco's all of it rolled into one chaotic bundle. The Rochester quartet has been crafting this madness since 2002 and they're back at it in 2018 with their newest album, The Prize. It holds six songs across 27 minutes—a fairly terse record—but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in vicious intensity. This certainly isn't lost on a song like the closing track, "So Be It."
While it's nearly five-minute runtime is raucous and mosh-inducing, the inspiration for the track finds its roots in overcoming deep, negative emotions. Burke describes the meaning of the song in a statement to Metal Injection, "'So Be It' is about your final feeling of shame, being fed up and finally moving forward after drowning. It's about getting over a failed marriage. Taking your punches and letting go."
This intricate fusion of progressive death metal, grind, and emotional fortitude makes this track even weightier. Burke and Brian Mason's guitar noodling seemingly echo the psychological tangles behind the song. Lon Hackett's bass and Chris Golding's drums booming low-end provide a gritty emphasis of Burke's strife and conquest.
Check out an exclusive stream of "So Be It" now. Pre-orders for The Prize are available now ahead of its August 17 release date through Translation Loss Records. Also be sure to catch them at the next Maryland Deathfest.
