It has now been a shocking four years since the untimely passing of legendary death metal progenitor and Death/Control Denied mastermind Chuck Schuldiner—who died on December 13, 2001 at just 34 years of age after a long battle with pontine glioma, a rare form of brain tumor—proving once more that there is simply no justice in this cold and unforgiving world.
It's a close call, but 1991's "Human" (Relativity Records) is definitely my personal favorite among the many masterwork's of Death's discography that Chuck left behind. Besides exhibiting Schuldiner's strongest work to date at the time, "Human" boasted what I'd doubtlessly laud as the band's finest lineup—seeing Chuck backed by Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert of the almighty Cynic, and of course bass maniac extraordinaire Steve DiGiorgio of Sadus. This record is simply crammed with astounding riffs, ridiculously thick production, awesome cover art, the works... and it all boils down to exceptional songwriting and musicianship that were totally unparalleled within the genre back in 1991.
I remember I rode my bike to the mall one day as a kid and picked this shit up on cassette alongside a Mighty Mighty Bosstones tape, if you can believe that (I'm proud to say that I now own both on CD and still listen to them regularly, ha!), and immediately after listening to it decided that I absolutely had to find out more about Cynic—who, needless to say, later became my all time favorite band (and remains it to this day). If for some shameful reason "Human" isn't already a staple in your collection, give yourself a firm kick in the ass and then take action and pick it up:
Like many, I listened to a lot of old Death records during the week that Chuck passed away in 2001, at which time so many of his post-"Spiritual Healing" lyrics took on a new light. His eventual loss in the battle with cancer was without question one of the most impactful deaths for me in terms of the loss of a musician—someone that I had never met, nor even seen in person, but whose art I had admired and followed for so long. His indelible mark on the landscape of metal will remain forever unmatched, and forever remembered.
Close your eyes and imagine to be without what we take for granted every time we open our eyes...
Comments
Another amazing band people need to hear if they call themselves metal fans. While personally I find ‘Symbolic’ to be their best because of the overall diversity of the songs, Human comes in a close second. Death was the band that made me change my whole perspective on not just death metal (which I identified with Cannibal Corpse before then), but metal as a whole in terms of the artistic creativity present in said genre (along with the almighty Cynic)
12.12.2005 | By Howard
if there was a short and definitive list made of mandatory bands that EVERY metalhead really has no excuse for not listening to, Death would absolutely have to be included (right after Voivod)
12.12.2005 | By Anonymous
I met Chuck after a show in Philadelphia back in ‘98 when they were touring for The Sound of Perseverance. He was the nicest guy you could ever meet. Even though he was probably exhausted from the show, he took the time for a photo and to sign my copy of Human after he had already signed armfuls of albums for many other fans.
Does anyone else find it freaky that Chuck died of a brain tumor after so many of his lyrics were about the inner workings of the mind?
12.12.2005 | By Adam
Great stuff!
Listened to the album the other day and it’s just great in every aspect.
Probably the best Death record ever from a progressive point of view.
12.13.2005 | By Anonymous
Death have always meant a lot to me. They were one of those bands whose records I played non stop during my teenage years. Mostly Human, Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic. Along with Cynic they opened my eyes to just how progressive Death Metal could be.
I recenly picked up the Atheist re-issues and they also have “that” sound. Fond memories. Amazing music that still sounds fresh today.
12.13.2005 | By Matthew Dick
I have so many memories attached to this band that I don’t even know what to say. Dude was just an enigma, that’s all there is to it. I listened to this (my favorite technically) yesterday along with “Scream…” (my favorite emotionally) and “Leprosy”.
Oh, and “Zombie Ritual” - one of the all-time greatest riffs ever written…
12.13.2005 | By scott
his music was unparalleled, especially for that epoch..However, i could never get into the vocals. For some reason they just really grated on me and i could never listen to any death record for too long…even as good as the musicianship was
12.14.2005 | By alexwank
i first time heard that he dided because of brain tumor. people told me that was cancer on throat…
however, great band. I was really stupid and sold Scream…bloody gore. I dont know what I was thinking back there…
11.17.2006 | By Anonymous