For 18 years now Suffocation has been creating music that has become the very standard by which we judge all things extreme. Their fusion of technicality, groove and sheer unrelenting brutality has been imitated but never quite duplicated. Milestone records such as Effigy of the Forgotten, Pierced from Within, Despise the Sun, and soon to be classic self-titled record, have influenced a wealth of today’s best musical talents and continues to this day. That is why it’s that it is with great anticipation and excitement that we await, as do many extreme metal fans, the release of Suffocation’s Nuclear Blast debut, Blood Oath. 

A Nuclear Blast representative commented on the signing:

“It is an honor to announce that Nuclear Blast and Suffocation are finally joining forces! Nuclear Blast  is proud to welcome one of the most popular and important bands in death metal history, and without a doubt the heaviest f#!@ing metal band ever come out of New York! This is a dream come true for the staff as well, as we are all huge longtime Suffocation fans. There’s no doubt that the band is one of the most influential bands ever, as we hear their sound even in most of today’s ‘scene’ bands! We cannot express how happy we are as we’ve known the guys for some time now. We would like to thank them and their management for helping making this happen. The future looks bright! Stay tuned because 2009 will bring you Blood Oath. You’ve been warned!”

Suffocation has released the following collective statement:

"After 20 years of discovering the right and wrong relationships in our career, we are proud to announce that Nuclear Blast will be our new record label for 2009 and home to Suffocation. Joining the Nuclear Blast family is an honor and it's wonderful having so many great label mates. After all these years of playing in the death metal world, Nuclear Blast has remained at the top of the metal food chain bringing great and powerful bands to all who love the hard and heavy. 

We've had great success with the relationships acquired since our return and we feel Nuclear Blast will only add to that success. We as a band are looking forward to being offered bigger and better opportunities, while helping the extreme metal scene grow and gain the recognition it deserves. Look for our Nuclear Blast debut, ‘Blood Oath’, in early 2009!”

Suffocation recently completed a North American tour as direct support to reactivated UK melodo-death/gore/grind legends Carcass. The package also included appearances by 1349, Aborted and Rotten Sound.