Symbolic

With the meteoric release of Human in 1991 and the subsequent misstep (to some) in Individual Thought Patterns, Death had something to prove in 1995. Could they get a hold of the wave of technical death metal that saw bands like Suffocation and Atheist rise to the top? Well, Chuck went back to the lab for two years, still partnered with Gene Hoglan, and decided to construct an earth-shattering classic that is essentially a shoe-in for top five in any death metal all time list.

The title track opens things up with a slow-burning riff that quickly escalates at various points in the song into a thrashy blitz, coated in Chuck’s signature growl. He howls into the abyss about… something? Truth be told, it’s hard to pinpoint the message he’s trying to get across here but with how fantastic his vocal performance was on every album, it never really mattered. Whether it’s about zombies or suicide, Chuck Schuldiner’s vocals remain the best in the business.

What drives this album the most is the diversity of riffs that Death will run through in a single song. “Zero Tolerance” throws four or five different riffs at you in the two minutes, complete with the elegant pinch harmonics that always find their way into a song. And then come the solos, and wow does Chuck absolutely nail every single one. Whether he’s injecting the occasional jazzy melody or just simply tearing up notes, there isn’t a trite moment of guitar on this entire album. And as Chuck was eclipsing his most progressive era, the brevity of his work and the technicality of the instrumentation only grew.

It’s hard to find a song here that can’t be stapled down as a classic, the otherworldly guitar licks on “Empty Words” alone give it the status, but the pre-hook riff is just as good as any other Death has ever put on a record. It calls back to “Leprosy” at times, and to the untrained ear, they can come across as quite similar. But much like Keith Richards in classic rock, Chuck often operates in a specific wheelhouse, deviating slightly but always enough to give every riff he writes a distinct quality. The crawling power chords on the hook and the palm muting are just icing on the cake- this song is fucking perfect.

There’s no sense in dissecting this album song for song, though that is a fine way to listen to it, it’s best listened to as one composite masterpiece. Death incorporates influences from all spheres of metal: doom metal and shred have their shining moments if you listen carefully enough all over this thing. Soaring hooks and heavy, thrash-infused bridges are the key pleasures of this record. The band works incredibly well with contrast on numerous tracks, but the totality of each song seems to pull through as a piece that’s greater than the sum of its parts (though those parts are pure platinum!).

Oh, and I couldn’t forget “Crystal Mountain.” Arguably the greatest thrash song ever composed, this song alone runs through three of Death’s best riffs throughout their entire discography. And this all happens before the greatest guitar solo in death metal history, each note being supercharged with emotive power. So there’s that, if the A-side wasn’t enough to convince you that this is on the Mt. Rushmore of death metal.