The Sound of Perseverance

During the late 1990s, Death's frontman Chuck Schuldiner was focusing deeply on making sure that his idea of being in a progressive/power metal band would become a reality (this band would be called Control Denied). This was going along rather swimmingly for him. However, the fans were craving another release by Death (and for obvious reasons). Chuck took kindly to this idea and got to work on one more album for them before they went on hiatus. He didn't really have to do a whole lot of extra work, either. Some of the songs on this album were meant to be on the debut album from Control Denied, so he "Deatheized" them. Then he gathered Richard Christy on the drums, Scott Clendenin on the bass and Shannon Hamm on the other guitar. This is the lineup that recorded the last album under Death's name, "The Sound Of Perseverance".

While not being the best album that Death released, it manages to be extraordinarily high up on the food chain (or in this case, the metal chain) and it hasn't been forgotten by anybody. This is probably Death's most melodic release to date while still managing to have a good amount of energy. It is still raw power, just raw power with a shitload of complexity and some melody as well. It fits splendidly well in the end. Actually, It is a bit more on melodic during the first half of the album and it gets more abrasive towards the end. This trait doesn't exactly apply to every track of the album. The first track, "Scavenger Of Human Sorrow" was actually one of the most abrasive songs on the album. This really starts on track 2, "Bite The Pain". The eighth track, "A Moment Of Clarity" was the most abrasive song on the album. I remember when I heard the opening riff on that song and it just made me think "Well THIS could solve my problems with waking up in the morning". Sure, it's one of the slower songs but that doesn't mean that it's a wimpy track. Then there's the final track, "Painkiller" (originally by Judas Priest), which is less aggressive, but I can't get mad at that song. But the one problem with it is the solos. They're good, but not nearly as nicely done as the original and they're actually not even the same solos. The other thing about this song that I want to mention is the fact that this is the first song where Chuck used clean vocals. He only did it for about 30 seconds overall, but it was nice to hear him experiment because that's what he's generally good at.

My highlights on the album include "Scavenger of Human Sorrow", with extremely relatable lyrics and some masterful guitar work. It's one of the heaviest songs on the album. Not quite as heavy as the early days, but this isn't really a death metal album. Another is "Spirit Crusher", which is one of the most varied songs on the record. It contains a shitload of tempo-changes, however somehow, it is able to prevent itself from feeling like a scattered mess like that of a bum in someone else's basement. It contains some excellent riffage and it has some very metaphorical lyrics that fit the song. Another highlight is track 5, "Flesh and the Power It Holds", where the level of technicality on the album is at one of its absolute highest points. Lyrics are top notch as well. The opening riff is a bit odd. But it's strangely appropriate. The last two tracks that I wish to mention are "To Forgive Is to Suffer" with a very clean song structure and lyrics that touch on a subject that I haven't heard anyone else in music explore and I've been listening to music for a long time: being too nice to people who are flat out douchebags. If you keep act like their actions are not in some way doing harm to anyone or anything, they will continue to do it and ruin happiness. The last track is the cover of "Painkiller". Like I've said before, it may not be quite as good as the original version by Judas Priest, but it still stands out with the rest of the highlights on this album (I am not saying that it is the best song on the album).

My Favorite song on the album is "Voice Of The Soul". I'm not entirely sure how to generally classify it, but I know that it is a masterpiece. It blends progressive rock, Spanish folk and ambient music to make a dark, as well as eerily soothing sound. It has four sections of music and each one catches your ear, especially the second one. The acoustic melody has a very (for lack of better word) flowing sound and the lead has this as well, but with a more technical and sophisticated sound. No drums, no bass, no vocals, just guitar. It is actually a ballad, which works splendidly. Probably the best song that Death has ever forged.

Practically every aspect of this album is sufficient, but my favorite out of it all is the guitar work. Chuck and Shannon give riffs and solos that are almost as powerful as they are technical. You can tell that they both knew what they were doing when they went into the studio to record this album. It manages to run strong throughout the album and never at any point weaken. Everything else is good About this album as well. There is only one tiny problem: Chuck's voice is not nearly as charismatic as it was on the last album. Come to think of it, it can actually get kind of annoying. This luckily doesn't get in the way too much at all.

This is some of the best work that Death has ever released (The best being "Symbolic"). It isn't one of those albums that you forget about, musically. You can't remember everything it contains, but that's practically impossible. It is an album where you can marvel and greatly appreciate due to the immensely sufficient and sophisticated technicality that is heard on it. This is an album that I greatly recommend to fans of progressive metal, thrash metal and anyone who isn't too close-minded to not get past the guttural vocals. I for one love it a lot. R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner: