Live in L.A. (Death & Raw)

Death – one of the founding fathers and most influential representatives of the extreme subgenre of heavy metal commonly referred to as death metal. Whenever I think of this magnificent band I cannot help but wonder to what new heights mastermind Chuck Schuldiner would have taken his ever-evolving outfit had he not passed away so soon.

Alas, since he sadly is no longer with us, we are left with Live in L.A. and Live in Eindhoven as the band’s last official releases on CD, save some rather forgettable best-of compilations that were published posthumously. I haven’t listened to Live in Eindhoven (which contains almost the exact same track list as the record reviewed here), so I couldn’t tell which is the better of the two. What I do know is that Live in L.A., being Death’s only official live album (aside from its aforementioned twin brother, of course), should be a mandatory purchase for every fan of Death or death metal in general.

The three factors that generally make or break a good live album are recording quality, musicianship and song selection. With regard to the first, the subtitle of this release (Live & Raw) actually fits perfectly, as it is indeed a pretty raw affair that hardly surpasses the sound quality of a competent live bootleg. At the same time, it’s hard to find too much fault with this as all the instruments are adequately audible and the recording is at least honest – this isn’t one of those “Alive in the Studio” deals where all the minor glitches and screw-ups that are bound to occur during a live concert were subsequently erased to make for a more streamlined, polished sound. Let’s just say that when the volume is turned up loud enough, Live in L.A. definitely allows for a rather pleasurable listening experience.

When it comes to the musical performance of the band itself, not much needs to be said other than it’s virtually impeccable; after all, we’re talking about Death here, arguably one of the most technically proficient outfits in extreme metal history. Say what you will about Chuck’s constant line-up overhauls, but he always surrounded himself with absolute top-notch performers who never failed to deliver. This time around, special mention goes to drummer Richard Christy, who puts on a jaw-dropping clinic on his kit, and of course Mr. Schuldiner himself. Considering how technically demanding Death’s music had become in the latter stages of their career, Chuck appears almost superhuman as he not only nails his guitar parts with awe-inspiring virtuosity – he even pulls off the beautiful solo in “Trapped in a Corner” (possibly one of the greatest solo passages in all of heavy metal) to near perfection –, but at the same time delivers an impressive vocal performance. He always had one of the most instantly recognizable voices in all of death metal, and this fact coupled with the incredible amount of venom he manages to put into his lines can literally send shivers down one’s spine. For instance, the way he snarls the words “spirit crusheeeerrrr” in the eponymous song is in itself almost enough to justify buying the album.

Finally, as with all live recordings, the song selection on Live in L.A. is an aspect that cannot be judged by objective means. It’s impossible to please everybody, particularly since this isn’t a double disc set and a single CD provides only so much space. The only complaint I personally have is that the album features only two songs from the band’s discography before Human (“Pull the Plug,” with a nice tongue-in-cheek intro inspired by the TV series Charlie’s Angels, and, of course, the inevitable “Zombie Ritual”), clearly putting the main focus on Death’s final two studio albums Symbolic and The Sound of Perseverance. The most glaring omission may be the complete lack of songs from Spiritual Healing, but again, that’s a moot point because in the end it all comes down to different people’s individual preferences.

While Live in L.A. isn’t exactly perfect due to the rather pedestrian recording quality, the meager packaging (no liner notes and only a few photos) and the fact that one CD simply isn’t enough to commemorate Death’s stellar career, it is nevertheless a very nice live document of one of the most important metal bands to ever grace this planet. Even though Chuck is no longer around, this album is further evidence that he has left a lasting impression and will forever live on through his music.