Suffocation is an American death metal band formed in 1988 in Centereach, New York, currently consisting of lead guitarist Terrance Hobbs, bassist Derek Boyer, rhythm guitarist Charlie Errigo, drummer Eric Morotti, and vocalist Ricky Myers.

Suffocation would be unique among the death metal community for featuring African-American musicians in their lineup, with Smith commenting on meeting Hobbs for the first time: "That's where I first noticed, 'Wow, there's another black guy playing this kind of stuff.

[12] In July 1991, founding bassist John Barohn was replaced by Chris Richards (ex Apparition/Sorrow), leaving the band to join Autopsy.

In 1993, the sophomore album Breeding the Spawn was released, its production and mixing being a key weak point that would be immediately harshly criticized.

[7] Mullen and Hobbs reformed in 2003 with Smith, returning founding members Guy Marchais on guitar, and Josh Barohn on bass.

[23] Since after the release of Pinnacle of Bedlam in 2013, vocalist Frank Mullen announced that he will retire from full-time touring with the band due to his new job.

He has since been replaced by various live vocal stand ins, including Bill Robinson, John Gallagher, Kevin Muller, and, currently, Ricky Myers.

Later in 2017, Kevin Muller, who had previously been a touring member, joined the band full-time alongside longtime vocalist Frank Mullen leading the two to share vocal duties on the last album.

[1][30] Lead guitarist Terrance Hobbs shared his view on the subgenre's development, recalling "As bands started to get progressively faster, our ears really liked that [...] Going from thrash like Slayer, Destruction and Metallica to us was natural.

Guitarists Doug Cerrito and Terrance Hobbs have been referred to as "the guitar duo from hell," drawing comparisons to Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman of Slayer.

[40][41][42] Decibel Magazine stated: "Effigy of the Forgotten was a benchmark for extreme music, as it sacrificed neither virtuosity or brutality, becoming a signpost for thousands who were still contemplating how to incorporate scalar runs, rapid-fire palm-muting and hummingbird-wing-quick picking into riffs, while opening up rhythmic dimensions and the scope of the blast beat.

[44] Guitarist Terrance Hobbs has cited Slayer, Destruction, Death, King Diamond, Atheist, and Metallica as early influences on the band's sound.

He also cited "stadium rockers" such as Ozzy Osbourne, Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden as having influenced various elements of the band's craft.