Death - The Sound Of Perseverance (Nuclear Blast/1998)
Originally formed as Mantas in 1983, the late legend Chuck Schuldiner changed the band name to Death in 1984. The older material was considered to be death metal. That would include 'Scream Bloody Gore', 'Leprosy', 'Spiritual Healing' and 'Human.' This last official Death release fits into the genre of death/progressive metal.
The music on this album is way melodic. The riffs are more technical than previous releases. Songs such as "Scavenger Of Human Sorrow", "Bite The Pain", "Spirit Crusher" and "Flesh And The Power It Holds" are brilliant songs. Everything on here features Chuck at his best in terms of songwriting capabilities. Each track has its key moments, especially on the acoustic instrumental entitled "Voice Of The Soul."
Tempos are moderately fast, with some exceptions. The metal just flows on this album. There isn't a track on here that is boring or repetitive. The songs are so well thought out it's amazing. Analyzing each, it's clear that every one of them are so original in their entirety. Some songs shine better than others when it comes to uniqueness. It's true that Chuck didn't like categories of metal. It's featured on www.emptywords.org in a past interview. But anyway, his musical ability really shines the most on this Death album. Chuck took metal to a new exploration here. The songs are less brutal but very catchy.
The sound quality is brilliantly mixed with each instrument well heard. This is probably the best Death production ever thanks to Jim Morris. Shannon Hamm, their last guitarist was a little more technical than Chuck on his leads. He had a unique picking style. It's featured on Death's live DVD. Overall, this is one of the best lineups Chuck arranged to be featured on this album. At the time, these musicians were hardly even known too!
Chuck's lyrics focus more on spirituality and society. They are the most thought out than previous releases. However, on most Death albums Chuck's lyrics are very well done especially on 'Individual Thought Patterns.' But this last Death album they are the best. Death does a cover for Judas Priest's "Painkiller" on the last track. Awesome too!
In conclusion, 'The Sound Of Perseverance' is Death's most technical and one of the most brilliant releases out of their entire discography. There isn't a track on here that doesn't show Chuck's brilliance in songwriting and lyrical compositions. Chuck was metal's Mozart for sure. Death metal was pretty much founded by Death, at least in earlier days. Don't miss out on this release! RIP Chuck Schuldiner!
Rating: 9/10.