The Sound of Perseverance

Despite the fact that many fans bash this album, branding it as " a waste of talent" and "flawed", I believe that it's an impressive showcase of technical ability and Death's outstandingly evolved songwriting, and while this record may not be as memorable or groundbreaking as Human or Symbolic, it certainly is a force to be reckoned with in the parameters of progressive death metal. However, this is consequential, as The Sound of Perseverance is by far the most ambitious Death album, it was fairly obvious from the start that it was going to receive a divisive reception. Personally, I think that the progressive twists scattered within this album are, for the most part, great. They perpetrate what Chuck Schuldiner was capable of achieving, and there's no denying that some of these tracks are Death's absolute best - Flesh and the Power it Holds is legendary for its mesmerising instrumental section and unforgettable solo, not to mention the brilliant lyrical content, Spirit Crusher is particularly notable for its half-brutal half-melodic riffs, and the chorus, which is a highlight of the Death discography, whereas my favourite song is Story To Tell, the entire song just flows perfectly and is filled to the brim with inspired riffs, basslines, and a very mellow but powerful tone. Some complain that the guitar tone on this album is too thin, to the point where the solos even sound out of tune, but I disagree. The guitar tones might be quite lacking on the bottom end, but they are cold, atmospheric and vibrant, which matches the overall creepy feel of the writing. The production as a whole is fantastic, the drums are layered and really exfoliate Richard Christy's amazing playing, and the record seems to have a certain layer of fogginess blanketed over it, which might have been an intentional callback to the band's first album, Scream Bloody Gore, which adds a nice touch to both albums' legacies, as the bookend albums of this band's near-perfect discography.

The musicality has been improved a tad since Symbolic, despite not having as many class riffs or memorable moments, this is widely agreed to be Death's most enterprising album. The drums are just ridiculously technical and brilliant in every song, especially during To Forgive Is To Suffer and Scavenger of Human Sorrow, Christy is really at his peak on this record, and he boasts that in every minute, straight from the first 7 seconds of the album you'll realise just how skillful of a drummer he is. Scott Clendenin's bass tone is just as cold as the guitars, and while I think it could have been a bit thicker, he still plays his heart out, and the basslines differ from the guitar riffs noticeably, showing that some thought and effort was put into writing the bass parts. Shannon Hamm, who might be Death's greatest rhythm guitarist, boasts a wide array of gripping riffs, and he was an essential part of the making of this album, his playing is tight and complements Chuck's lead sections flawlessly. Bite the pain is probably the heaviest track from the album, featuring a very chuggy verse riff, with Chuck's disjointed vocal lines that make the verses unusually catchy, and a bizarre chorus that is split into almost 4 sections.

Despite each song having wild instrumentals, the structures throughout the album are surprisingly straightforward, with most of the tracks just being verse, chorus, 2 minute instrumental section, verse, chorus, outro, and although this might leave a sour taste in some listeners' mouths and might come off as pretentious and lazy, it works well, and honestly in most of these songs, the riffs are just so good that the repetition is a good thing. The performance from every player is passionate as all hell, which is evident in the painkiller cover, which I don't really listen to all that often since the original is much better, but it's still a great performance from the entire band. Emphasising more on the ambitiousness of this album, the average track length has almost doubled compared to Death's earlier releases, which is a blessing and a curse. Although I love virtually every track on this record, I do think that some sections tend to drag on for too long, but it's never too redundant to the point where it ruins the song completely (did someone say every Dream Theater song ever written?).

Chuck's vocals on this release have been criticised massively, with even Autothrall, the king of metal reviews himself, making a point that Chuck's growls sound like a little girl whining. Although I can see his point, I definitely do enjoy the vocals, and I don't think that the guttural howl found on Leprosy and such would fit as well with these more melodic, laid back songs. I really enjoyed this album, every song slaps on the whole, the riffs are chilling, the drums are insanely precise but loosely articulated, and it was probably the best way for Chuck to put his band to sleep. I'm just glad that he didn't decide to decapitate the band entirely after the release of Symbolic, which it was rumoured that he was going to. Pick this one up for sure, whether you're a proghead or a brutal death metal fan alike.