Symbolic

A death metal (or death-prog) album is only as good as its riffs. It's a sub-genre centered around the guitars and riff, and if the riffs are very very catchy, as long as the songs are stitched together decently enough, it'll follow the album will be very good. It's a strong tendency, however, for albums with any sort of a prog element, to sacrifice the riff for a perceived more potent wherewithal. Almost like the riff is too small for the big plans the band has for its music, and the album needs to be flooded with bits and pieces of riff, rather than contain fewer tighter and more robust guitar parts.

So the album has got a delectable guitar tone, and a beautiful overall sound. Naturally, this being from a man who wrote an album like 'Spiritual Healing', some of the parts among the myriad of parts on this record are good. Most parts, though, are just solid. Usually, repeating motifs in an album gives it a style, a recognizable signature from the band: here, it's just quite redundant. There's always the same sort of start to a riff, and buildup to that big vibrato-punctuated note; and some of the evil-sounding riffs are just recycled riffs from old Death but not played in tremolo picking but in that prog-style single note riffage instead.

There are loads of the aimless melodic riffs that plagued the previous two "prog mode" albums. Uh oh, here it goes again: tugguh- digdigdigdigdigdigdig (stereotypical bass change) tugguh- digdigdigdigdigdigdig. It really does sound like it's the same riff, with the same "emotional" bass change that happens about six or seven times on every album. To the point it had absolutely become by then in the mid nineties, returning tripe in Death's composition.

Then the song will drag on into another solo section, which there's a bigger emphasis on throughout this record than previously, and those solos are quite long or at least too omnipresent, and they don't help the song-writing. And it's the same old faux-atmospheric notes played with the same harmonic minor (middle-eastern sounding) patterns. Just when the listener might be looking for a more substantial section to come on, there's another solo break.

Interesting to note, the 'Symbolic' riff... is just dated. It doesn't sound as cool right now as it did a few decades back, because of its overly simplistic pattern. It's almost like the 'Smoke on the Water' riff but for death-prog. There's the issue that the original Death sound is lost, but that in evolving (usually to the benefit of the band) the way they did, they often sound like straight-up Kreator here, from the angular/technical death-thrash guitars to the voice timber. Whether this served the band, or set them back, is to the individual's own appreciation. On 'Misanthrope', Schuldiner thinks he's Prong with those start/stop power chord grooves. Give 'Beg to Differ' an ear, you'll know.

Praise for this album; lots of which might not be the most impartial; abounds. So let's join the mainstream for a moment and name the more savory elements on this: 'Crystal Mountain' is the song that basically everybody likes. A strong, engaging intro. An emotional metal ballad with clean guitars for a chorus. Another trademark tapping section over suspended power chords from Schuldiner. And a memorable recurring lead section.

Overall 'Symbolic' delivers a few strong moments the audience will keep with them, and possesses both a gorgeous production and a convincing drive that make it a fun listen. Some of the action supplies a bit of occasional atmospheric depth ('Without Judgment' verse), and the use of leads tucked in behind main guitar riffs gives the songs a layered quality. The problem is always redundancy and using particular devices from the toolbox constantly, and with little variety.