Human

Progression is a risky business, particularly when one is comfortably coasting on a winning niche that few can claim as being at the forefront of before it became the flavor of the early 90s. Nevertheless, that was what death metal as a whole was doing by said time period, progressing into something quite a bit different than the stereotype associated with the genre's name. Sure, a scene focused more on brutality was keeping up this side of things and actually extending it to the point of near ridiculousness. But the likes of Darkthrone (pre-black metal era), Nocturnus, Cynic, and co-pioneer of the style Death were looking beyond the horrors of either the nightmarish world of flesh eating zombies or real world monstrosities, and instead to some place amongst the stars above, contemplating the vast, undiscovered country beyond this island Earth (obligatory dual Sci-Fi film reference).

With this progression came a more philosophical outlook on lyrics and a broader array of atmospheric devices to complement the still firmly established extreme thrash and doom influences. But of all the albums that were brought out by the previously mentioned acts, Death's 4th studio effort "Human" actually comes off as being more conservative. The inclusion of Cynic's guitarist and drummer on this album presented Chuck with a greater degree of technical possibilities, and he does a nice job of exploiting them. The riff work can be categorized as somewhat busier and more prone towards flashy fills and virtuosic solos, not all that far removed from something Dream Theater might use in passing, but it still maintains that thick, thrashing edge, albeit in a somewhat more modern and mechanical fashion. The proficiency Sean Reinert at the kit is the largest shift in sound, bringing in some more elaborate beats than the straight ones that largely dominated the first two albums, and particularly loading up on the double bass work something fierce.

But ultimately what this album accomplishes musically is some stylistic tinkering around the edges rather than an outright genre shift ("Focus") or a permanent atmospheric gimmick that completely alters the nature of the style ("The Key" and "Soulside Journey"). Crushing fits of heavy riffing with a jolting production such as "Flattening Of Emotions", "Together As One" and "See Through Dreams" definitely remind a bit of the Death of the past couple albums, though the melodic tendencies of some of the guitar work almost leans towards a hint at melodeath with a heavy edge. The only real blatant departures from the established paradigm occur during the intro of "Lack Of Comprehension" that sounds like a spacey jazz music outtake, and "Cosmic Sea" which is a really out there mishmash of ambient and progressive elements, bringing in a dense keyboard backdrop, a barrage of fancy lead guitar work, and some busy bass work out to complement the atmosphere.

Ironically enough, this is among the shorter albums put out by this band, bucking the trend of so-called progressive albums being loaded up with 6 minutes plus fits of technical showboating and genre splicing. In fact, it's chief flaw is that it ends way too quickly, as if it could have had 1 or 2 additional songs tacked on to the end. Musically speaking it's not a massive enough of a departure to really warrant the heavy praise and occasional condemnation it receives, it could even be labeled as product of its time in much the same way that "Scream Bloody Gore" was. It's not a mystery that fans of older Death can and often do take to this album, though it does reveal a level of eclecticism amongst death metal junkies that often conflicts with the stereotypes often attributed to their lot. If nothing else, even when progressing in a very gradual and intentional manner, Schuldiner was still setting trends more than following them, and this album's conformity to an existing trend is likely more coincidental than not.