REVIEWS:
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(reviewed by Pat D.)
Holy geez this is a good album! First off, let me say that this 1998 release sounds absolutely nothing like Death's first major label release, Scream Bloody Gore. So if you have had the unfortunate experience of hearing that terrible early attempt at music, please dont discount the rest of Chuck Shuldiner's releases, because the man really did grow exponentially as a musician and songwriter over the years. And oh yes, the lyrics got far better than the ridiculously over the top comic book style writings on that aforementioned 1987 release.
Death are for some reason considered one of the proliferators of Death Metal, but right then and there I feel they get unfairly pigeonholed. Go listen to some Cannibal Corpse and you'll see what I mean. At least with this album, there is far more of a progressive thrash tinge than any other genre, especially the basic snarl of death metal guitars. Chuck Schuldiner, the mastermind and apparently only mainstay of the band over their existence writes positively brilliant melodic, yet chunky guitar lines over odd time signatures and stop start dynamics. Well, at least for this album. Scream Bloody Gore, for example, is about as far from melodic and progressive as you can possibly get.
Moving on, as I stated before, this album is fantastic. It may take a while to grab you becuase of the unbelievably technicality and odd time signatures of certain songs (Scavenger of Human Sorrow , for example, is one of the most fascinating metal tracks anybody has ever written, but it is very hard to grasp on the first or second listens), but once you "get it", any one of these 9 tracks hit you like a sledgehammer. Thankfully, the production is absolutely phenomenal, so it will make your learning experience easier. Highlights are the aforementioned "Scavenger of Human Sorrow", "Spirit Crusher", the actually very accessible "Story to Tell", and the instrumental "Voice of the Soul". Though honestly, any of the tracks on this CD are great. Even the cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" isn't bad - although Chuck cant quite match Rob Halford's vocal performance. A side note for vocals: Chuck is not a melodic singer, but his screams and shouts are far more interesting than the typical "Cookie Monster" style death metal vocalists. I didnt have much of a problem with the singing, but some people might.
The instrumental performance on this album by each member is amazing. Chuck slashes and burns through his heavily thrash/speed metal influenced rhythm guitar lines, drummer Richard Christy (now with Iced Earth) is unbelievably fast, powerful, and dexterous, and bassist Scott Clenderin throws in some nice bass interplay here and there. I have no idea who does which leads (both Shuldiner and second guitarist Shannon Hamm play lead), but they contribute some of the most interesting leads I've heard in a while.
On a final note, there will probably be no more Death releases since as every metalhead knows, Mr. Schuldiner passed away last December. Musicians tend to get overrated after their demise, but heres one guy who was actually good enough to deserve it. It is quite a shame, because judging by the brilliance of this album, there were many more great things to come from this man. Highly recommended to any metal fan.
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