Symbolic

The copious hype surrounding Death's album "Symbolic" is well earned, and this piece of music is worth every word of praise heaped upon it. It is perfect, and that isn't a stretch at all. Chuck Schuldiner, the creative genius behind death metals best (absolute best, most consistent and innovative) group is a bit of a perfectionist, and its clear on this album. The album conveys the feeling that a lot of time and effort were put not only in writing the music, but in practicing and executing it to absolute perfection. Chuck had the unique talent to make extreme metal (or whatever genre you feel like calling it that day, this music doesn't deserve to be lumped into just one genre- it transcends classification) a very beautiful thing, and he achieved that here.

By this point, Death had gone through a few different lineups, but lets face it, you could give instruments to aborigines and put them in a studio, and as long as Chuck is a part of it, it would come out very very good. This album features Chuck on lead guitar and vocals (he also wrote and composed the whole thing), one of my favorite drummers in any genre in Gene Hoglan, the unknown Bobby Koelble whom Chuck met at the gas station while on his way to the studio (just kidding) on guitar and Kelly Conlon on bass. They all do a very good job, but I think that outside of Chuck, Gene shines the most. He absolutely kicks ass. These songs do an amazing job of conveying raw emotion, it almost seems like your sitting there with Chuck and he is pouring his soul out to you and telling you about what he's gone through in life, both good and bad experiences. It is a very personal experience, and Chuck's vocals here sound less frightening and evil than earlier albums, opting for a very emotional and tormented sound, which, surprise surprise, he executes perfectly.

The guitar work is excellent; brutal and full of tempo and rhythm changes, catchy, incredibly meaty and full tones with riffs that are extreme but also very melodic and memorable. I would have liked for the bass to be a bit more noticeable, but it is still audible at the right times, and the drumming is not just typical extreme drumming, it is very creative too. The album has a very progressive sound, it isn't just typical death metal. Chuck was going for something more, something deeper (not that there isn't phenomenal death metal out there, but Chuck was very experimental and innovative here). The musicianship is top-notch on "Symbolic", and super death metal producer Scott Burns gave it a rather clean sound without sounding sterile, I think he achieved the exact sound the band wanted.

What makes this album so great is that it is so engaging and emotional. Any fan of Death knows that Chuck is a very deep and emotional guy, and he carries his emotion on his sleeve (pardon the cliche). After the opening riff om the first and title track Symbolic, the listener is sucked in and stuck there. One would almost feel rude turning the record off without finishing it, it's like Chuck is confiding in you to share something he wouldn't tell anyone else, and that is what takes this album from very good to great. Even if Chuck didn't write such personal and intense lyrics and sang about typical death metal topics, it would still be a very good record, probably worth at least an 80% on here. If you want an intensely emotional, riveting, gorgeously written and flawlessly performed chunk of metal, go listen to this!