Death - The Sound Of Perseverance
This is the last release of the almighty Death as sadly band leader Chuck Schuldiner died not long after this record came out. Like all Death records, this one is instantly recognizable as Death but is significantly different from previous releases (in as much as death metal can sound different!).
Probably the most dramatic change is the pace and emphasis of the songwriting. The majority of the songs here follow a slower, almost jazz like structure with the emphasis much more on melodic scales/solos and extremely intricate time changes rather than crushing, dare I say straightforward, riffs of albums past. While you could see a little bit of this on their last record "Symbolic" it was not the dominant theme like it is here. For longtime fans this might not sound that different than their previous work but what were really small prog rock explorations in the past have turned into the bulk of the sound here. This is not to say the level of musicianship has degraded in the least. Actually this is the most technical set of songs they've ever pumped out. The sheer scope of each song is epic with the myriad tempo changes and mind numbingly complex drums really raising the bar in terms of technical merit. This is surprising given the mighty Gene Hoglan isn't behind the throne anymore. This sounds like heresy but this new guy may be even better!
Even though this record exceeds past releases in terms of execution and complexity, the heavy emphasis on slower prog rock riffs makes this a tough record for people like me to really get into. Granted Death has always exhibited prog rock leanings in the past (like "Vacant Planets " on "Human") these were always kept in check by the overall brutality of the music. There are brief moments of that old sound weaved into the songs here but they remain frustratingly few and far between. A cut like "Flesh And The Power It Holds," which has a punishing chorus/outro on par with anything Death has done in the past, is mired in an overlong intro and meandering middle passage that are totally unrelated to the rest of the song. This is followed by the spacey, instrumental acoustic cut "Voice Of The Soul" with lots of dual guitar solo wanking that would have been much more at home at the end of the record (so I didn't have to hit skip!). This is in turn followed up by the most straightforward cut on the record "To Forgive Is To Suffer" which really sounds like an outtake from the "Symbolic" sessions so it's a welcome but somewhat out of place tune on this record.
Music aside, one thing I really do like on this record is the vocals. Chuck stuck with the shift to less distorted vocals he first did on their last record. I can't tell you how much better this is. Rather than sound like a cookie monster clone like all his contemporaries, (who, ironically, copied it from earlier Death records) he has a high register snarl that is downright evil.
On the whole this is of course a must have release for its sheer technical complexity, the best cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" ever, and it's unique take on death metal but if you're really looking for bone crushing death metal you're better off grabbing "Human" or "Spiritual Healing".
Probably the most dramatic change is the pace and emphasis of the songwriting. The majority of the songs here follow a slower, almost jazz like structure with the emphasis much more on melodic scales/solos and extremely intricate time changes rather than crushing, dare I say straightforward, riffs of albums past. While you could see a little bit of this on their last record "Symbolic" it was not the dominant theme like it is here. For longtime fans this might not sound that different than their previous work but what were really small prog rock explorations in the past have turned into the bulk of the sound here. This is not to say the level of musicianship has degraded in the least. Actually this is the most technical set of songs they've ever pumped out. The sheer scope of each song is epic with the myriad tempo changes and mind numbingly complex drums really raising the bar in terms of technical merit. This is surprising given the mighty Gene Hoglan isn't behind the throne anymore. This sounds like heresy but this new guy may be even better!
Even though this record exceeds past releases in terms of execution and complexity, the heavy emphasis on slower prog rock riffs makes this a tough record for people like me to really get into. Granted Death has always exhibited prog rock leanings in the past (like "Vacant Planets " on "Human") these were always kept in check by the overall brutality of the music. There are brief moments of that old sound weaved into the songs here but they remain frustratingly few and far between. A cut like "Flesh And The Power It Holds," which has a punishing chorus/outro on par with anything Death has done in the past, is mired in an overlong intro and meandering middle passage that are totally unrelated to the rest of the song. This is followed by the spacey, instrumental acoustic cut "Voice Of The Soul" with lots of dual guitar solo wanking that would have been much more at home at the end of the record (so I didn't have to hit skip!). This is in turn followed up by the most straightforward cut on the record "To Forgive Is To Suffer" which really sounds like an outtake from the "Symbolic" sessions so it's a welcome but somewhat out of place tune on this record.
Music aside, one thing I really do like on this record is the vocals. Chuck stuck with the shift to less distorted vocals he first did on their last record. I can't tell you how much better this is. Rather than sound like a cookie monster clone like all his contemporaries, (who, ironically, copied it from earlier Death records) he has a high register snarl that is downright evil.
On the whole this is of course a must have release for its sheer technical complexity, the best cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" ever, and it's unique take on death metal but if you're really looking for bone crushing death metal you're better off grabbing "Human" or "Spiritual Healing".
