DEATH - Human
1. Flattening Of Emotions
2. Suicide Machine
3. Together As One
4. Secret Face
5. Lack Of Comprehension
6. See Through Dreams
7. Cosmic Sea
8. Vacant Planets
Label: Relativity Records
Release date: 1991
Artist site: http://www.emptywords.org/
GRADE:
10/10
The fourth release from this legendary band has been my favorite DEATH album since first hearing it, some thirteen years ago. I remember being a huge fan of Spiritual Healing, it was one of my first death metal tapes. I loved the way Chuck Schuldiner and James Murphy sounded together, battling each other out over the simple, yet effective rhythm section of Terry Butler and Bill Andrews. So, I was a bit shocked and worried when I had heard that Schuldiner had basically fired the entire band and was continuing DEATH with a brand new lineup. Until that fateful day when I had just finished mowing the yard and asked my mom to take me to get a new cd. The look on her face when she saw what she was writing a check for! Priceless.
Anyhow, my worries were silenced within the first 45 seconds of "Flattening Of Emotions." The new band Schuldiner had assembled was simply incredible! Guitarist Phil Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert of CYNIC, along with bassist Steve Digiorgio (who at the time was still only known for SADUS) formed what in my mind remains the best lineup of DEATH ever. Where earlier material had been more simple in the arrangements, the songs found on Human were of a complex, technical nature. Any one with doubts only had to hear the solo section of the aforementioned, where Schuldiner and Masvidal wield their magic. The brutality was still there, only with more precision.
Even listening now, I can't get over how tight they are! "Suicide Machine" during the chorus, is unreal; the rhythm section impeccable. "Together As One" brings to mind old Leprosy/Spiritual era DEATH, with an all too classic Schuldiner lead. "Secret Face," at the time, was a very different type of song, in the sense of the arrangement, but one that he would repeat again later with songs like "Trapped In A Corner" from Individual Thought Patterns. The solo here is still one of my all time faves. It builds up so nicely.
For anyone that watched MTV's Headbanger's Ball back in the days, the next song may be a little familiar. "Lack Of Comprehension" was their first video, and one of their best written and performed songs. The intro is really spacey and moody, leading into a melodic, yet brutal main verse riff that sticks to the brain long after the song ends. Killer bridge, excellent chorus (another one of those ultra-tight moments) and a "reaching for the stars" guitar solo that still sends chills down my spine and gets me air guitaring/drumming every time I hear it. In my top 10 DEATH songs of all time.
Another that makes that list is number 7, "Cosmic Sea," an instrumental, at the time an oddity in death metal. Starting off with some keyboards reminiscent of NOCTURNUS (yet lighter in the mix) and riding an emotional rollercoaster of melody, this is the way it's supposed to be done, folks. Every band member gets a chance to shine, without coming off as a showoff. A direction CYNIC, PESTILENCE, ATHEIST and a few others would follow in the next few years.
Human concludes with "Vacant Planets," full of powerhouse drumming from Reinert and another in the long list of excellent lead sections to be found in the DEATH catalog. I wonder if this song ever made it to the live setting, I'm sure it would've crushed.
This album definitely drew a line in the sand for fans, as many old school fans weren't too hip to Schuldiner's desire to push the boundaries of death metal. If for no other reason than to prove that even death metal could be intelligent, a thinking man's metal. As time would tell, he proved his point, as his legacy of music stands tall even today.
PJ
1. Flattening Of Emotions
2. Suicide Machine
3. Together As One
4. Secret Face
5. Lack Of Comprehension
6. See Through Dreams
7. Cosmic Sea
8. Vacant Planets
Label: Relativity Records
Release date: 1991
Artist site: http://www.emptywords.org/
GRADE:
10/10
The fourth release from this legendary band has been my favorite DEATH album since first hearing it, some thirteen years ago. I remember being a huge fan of Spiritual Healing, it was one of my first death metal tapes. I loved the way Chuck Schuldiner and James Murphy sounded together, battling each other out over the simple, yet effective rhythm section of Terry Butler and Bill Andrews. So, I was a bit shocked and worried when I had heard that Schuldiner had basically fired the entire band and was continuing DEATH with a brand new lineup. Until that fateful day when I had just finished mowing the yard and asked my mom to take me to get a new cd. The look on her face when she saw what she was writing a check for! Priceless.
Anyhow, my worries were silenced within the first 45 seconds of "Flattening Of Emotions." The new band Schuldiner had assembled was simply incredible! Guitarist Phil Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert of CYNIC, along with bassist Steve Digiorgio (who at the time was still only known for SADUS) formed what in my mind remains the best lineup of DEATH ever. Where earlier material had been more simple in the arrangements, the songs found on Human were of a complex, technical nature. Any one with doubts only had to hear the solo section of the aforementioned, where Schuldiner and Masvidal wield their magic. The brutality was still there, only with more precision.
Even listening now, I can't get over how tight they are! "Suicide Machine" during the chorus, is unreal; the rhythm section impeccable. "Together As One" brings to mind old Leprosy/Spiritual era DEATH, with an all too classic Schuldiner lead. "Secret Face," at the time, was a very different type of song, in the sense of the arrangement, but one that he would repeat again later with songs like "Trapped In A Corner" from Individual Thought Patterns. The solo here is still one of my all time faves. It builds up so nicely.
For anyone that watched MTV's Headbanger's Ball back in the days, the next song may be a little familiar. "Lack Of Comprehension" was their first video, and one of their best written and performed songs. The intro is really spacey and moody, leading into a melodic, yet brutal main verse riff that sticks to the brain long after the song ends. Killer bridge, excellent chorus (another one of those ultra-tight moments) and a "reaching for the stars" guitar solo that still sends chills down my spine and gets me air guitaring/drumming every time I hear it. In my top 10 DEATH songs of all time.
Another that makes that list is number 7, "Cosmic Sea," an instrumental, at the time an oddity in death metal. Starting off with some keyboards reminiscent of NOCTURNUS (yet lighter in the mix) and riding an emotional rollercoaster of melody, this is the way it's supposed to be done, folks. Every band member gets a chance to shine, without coming off as a showoff. A direction CYNIC, PESTILENCE, ATHEIST and a few others would follow in the next few years.
Human concludes with "Vacant Planets," full of powerhouse drumming from Reinert and another in the long list of excellent lead sections to be found in the DEATH catalog. I wonder if this song ever made it to the live setting, I'm sure it would've crushed.
This album definitely drew a line in the sand for fans, as many old school fans weren't too hip to Schuldiner's desire to push the boundaries of death metal. If for no other reason than to prove that even death metal could be intelligent, a thinking man's metal. As time would tell, he proved his point, as his legacy of music stands tall even today.
PJ
