_edited.png)
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ- Introduction & Thank You!
Hello! I hope you all are doing well while settling into November, and had a wonderful Halloween! I wanted to say a very very warm thank you for all of the support I have received from my first blogpost last week. To all of my friends who have shared my blog to their friends and social media, it means the absolute world to me, thank you !! I hope you have all enjoyed my last Tunage post and will stick around to read future posts <3
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ- Who Is Death?
The band Death was formed in 1983 in Florida, and is single-handedly one of the most quintessential bands alongside Possessed that have influenced most death metal we hear and love today, and could easily be categorized as one of the godfathers of OSDM (Old School Death Metal). Cycling through members, Death has had some of the most talented musicians within the metal scene that have expressed undying love and appreciation for Chuck Schuldiner and his work, the mastermind of Death. Other incredible band members that I feel should be noted is Rick Rozz, Richard Christy, Shannon Hamm, Kam Lee, and Scott Clendenin (rest in peace).
Some highly revered musicians that have worked alongside Chuck Schuldiner are; Gene Hoglan of Dark Angel, Dethklok and Testament; Terry Butler and James Murphy of Obituary; Chris Reifert of Autopsy; Steve DiGiorgio of Sadus; and many more. I heavily encourage anyone who is interested to look into the member involvement with Death's discography.
Without Death's contributions we would not have artists like Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, Incantation, Gojira, Havok, Pestilence, Eyehategod, Gorguts, and Blood Incantation. There are many other bands that could be listed, but that's nearly impossible because it's like asking what bands took influence from the Beatles.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
Death Albums
Death has released 7 Studio albums, all of which I personally think are masterpieces! I am a huge huge Death fan, and I got lucky enough to see Death To All at the barricade during Milwaukee Metal Fest earlier this year. I also got to meet Gene Hoglan with my friend Owen, which was such an unbelievable experience. I was in line getting ready to purchase a Leprosy tapestry and Gene Hoglan was just standing behind me. I had to double take I couldn't believe he was actually behind me.
Moreover, I had a very good time, and I would love to recommend some songs off each album and link a playlist at the bottom for anybody interested in delving into their music! These albums will all be in chronological order from youngest to oldest.
⊱✿⊰ Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
Scream Bloody Gore, released in 1987, was Death's debut studio album. With 10 songs on the track list, this album is absolutely brutal, with hard, heavy-hitting drums, and incredible growling-screeching vocals done by Schuldiner. This is an album that captures the true OSDM sound that so many fans like myself love. ✿ Scream Bloody Gore recommendations: "Mutilation," "Evil Dead," and their self-titled song, "Scream Bloody Gore."
⊱✿⊰
Leprosy (1988)
Leprosy, released in 1998, was Death's second studio album with 8 songs on the tracklist. Leprosy, for many others than just myself, was their introduction to Death; with fast and memorable songs, there are absolutely no skips and every song hits just as hard as the last. I absolutely love this album, and I get sentimental thinking about it; I was 14 and one of my friends had posted a guitar cover of "Pull the Plug," and it totally captured me. I looked up the song and discovered Death. I just was blown away and couldn't stop listening. While it may not be my absolute favorite Death album, which is incredibly hard to choose, it's as if you're asking me to pick a favorite child; it holds a special place in my heart and is one of my favorite albums of all time.
✿ Leprosy recommendations: "Born Dead," "Choke On It," and "Pull the Plug."
⊱✿⊰
Spiritual Healing (1990)
Spiritual Healing, released in 1990, was Death's third studio album with 8 songs on the tracklist. I would almost argue that this album is one of their most brutal; while not being as traditionally brutal, like Scream Bloody Gore, the vocals and drudging riffs are just so captivating. I feel like this is where we begin to see more creativity with the composition of Death's music; near the halfway point of their discography, Death begins to drift away from the traditional OSDM sound and starts to mix in symphonic and progressive elements. This is one of the reasons why I truly believe Chuck Schuldiner is one of the most talented musicians of all time. Spiritual Healing is where I feel we start to begin hearing more of modern Death's work.
✿ Spiritual Healing recommendations: "Low Life," "Genetic Reconstruction," and "Within the Mind."
⊱✿⊰
Human (1991)
Human, released in 1991, was Death's fourth studio album. With 8 songs on the track list, this is my third favorite Death album out of their discography. It's so hard not to put every single song down as a recommendation, and that's one of the reasons why I love Death's work! They value quality over quantity, and their studio albums don't have more than 10 songs per album, making it very easy to suggest their work to people, unlike The Melvins who have just a cluster album of 30+ songs. With the musicians they have cycling through each album has a unique sound and theme to it, and Human has some of the best songs I think Death has ever created.
✿ Human recommendations: "Suicide Machine," "Flattening of Emotions," and "Together as One."
⊱✿⊰
Individual Thought Patterns (1993)
Individual Thought Patterns, released in 1993, was Death's fifth studio album, with 10 songs on the track list; this album is my favorite Death album and has some of their best work (at least in my opinion), this is the perfect middle ground between their heavy music and their experimental music. I really encourage everyone who finds themself interested to listen to this album all the way through. ✿ Individual Thought Patterns recommendations: "Overactive Imagination," "Destiny," "The Philosopher."
⊱✿⊰ Symbolic(1995)
Symbolic, released in 1995, was Death's sixth studio album, with 9 songs on the track list, this is possibly one of the most liked albums across all Death fans. For good reason! This is where we start to see a ton of progressive and symphonic elements peak through their work, and it has probably some of their most intricate pieces of work. Phenomenal album, and for those who aren't super into the OSDM sound, this album is perfect for you! ✿ Symbolic recommendations: "Zero Tolerance," "1,000 Eyes," and "Empty Words."
⊱✿⊰
Sound Of Perseverance (1998)
Sound of Perseverance, released in 1998, was Death's seventh and final studio album before the passing of Chuck Schuldiner in 2001. This is the album that was fully played through at Milwaukee Metal Fest, and I have to be completely honest. I loved Sound of Perseverance, but not nearly as much as all of the other albums. This album is considered to be very hot and cold for a lot of Death Fans: people either really love it or feel it skewed way too far out from their original sound. However, after seeing this performed live, I can say now that this is my second favorite Death album out of all of their discography. There was something about seeing it live that shifted something in me, and honestly, I don't think I would've connected that well to this album unless I saw it performed live. Phenomenal experience and I wholeheartedly recommend this album to anybody interested.
✿ Sound Of Perseverance recommendations: "Story to Tell," "To Forgive is to Suffer," and "Flesh and The Power it Holds."
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
Playlist & Remembering Chuck Schuldiner
With all that being said, If you are meaning to check out Death's work and need a guide, I hope this playlist linked at the bottom, as well as my recommendations, serves you well! If you have never heard of Death, I truly encourage listening to their work.
Schuldiner's work is so incredible; he, and so many other talented musicians, created music that has shaped the music of many other artists I love and enjoy. Not that it's even close to this being the case, but I want to be part of the people who keep Schuldiner's work alive. Schuldiner passed in 2001 from a brain tumor, but his work in Death and Control Denied lives on, LLC.
Link:
Comments