The Sound of Perseverance

The Sound Of Perseverance is possibly the greatest metal album ever made.

Well, I think so.

First and foremost, this is not a death metal album. Sure, it's by Death, a death metal band, but this particular album falls out of the genre. The vocals aren't death metal, the riffs aren't death metal, the writing isn't death metal, the lyrics don't reflect anything remotely death metal... there's even an acoustic instrumental. Whereas all of Death's later albums are death metal first with elements of progressive metal (some with more prog than others), TSOP is entirely a progressive metal album, nothing more and nothing less. Now, is this something like Risk by Megadeth? No, because whereas Risk is a blatant cash-grab uninspired by a muddy cess of anti-creativity, TSOP shows that a band doesn't have to stay within its genre field to be amazing.

However, the music itself is downright beautiful. This is easily the most emotional and soul-driven Death album. Every single riff on this album is filled with emotion and passion. Chuck Schuldiner originally wanted to PULL THE PLUG on the band Death and intended Symbolic to be his final album before moving onto his solo project, Control Denied. The label said they would only produce his solo band if he made one more Death album, but also said he was able to do whatever he wanted with the album as long as it had the Death name on it. Tired of the same old boring death metal, Chuck took the opportunity to go completely nuts, and this album shows. So much creativity and originality went into this album that it is truly one of a kind. One moment, you're soaring above the celestial plain, the next you're being thrown into a mosh pit with an insane neckbreaker riff, and then you'll find yourself on the verge of tears with some moments that sound almost nostalgic and personal. Songs like "The Flesh and the Power It Holds" and "Scavenger Of Human Sorrow" are absolute epics that scale many different riffs, time signatures, and emotions in the same way the galaxy spans many different planets and solar systems. Tracks like "Bite The Pain" kick your ass into shape with sudden tempo-changing riffs that smash you in the face like a hammer, while "Painkiller" is what a T-80 tank with a rocket jet engine would sound like if it were in metal form. There's even a slight jazzy influence painted across the entire album, most prominent on tracks like the opener and "To Forgive Is To Suffer", and the jazz fusion mixes surprisingly well with blistering metal production and riffs to create some of the catchiest riffs known to mankind.

The musicianship is nothing short of incredible. Drummer Richard Christy admitted that, because he was a huge fanboy of Chuck Schuldiner and wanted to impress him as much as possible, he basically did one giant drum solo throughout the entire album. There isn't a single second where Christy isn't going absolutely insane on his drum kit, while also masterfully maintaining sudden time signature changes with stunning precision. Bassist Scott Clendenin also rips away on his fretless bass and has many solo moments, like on "Spirit Crusher" and "A Story To Tell". The guitars steal the show here, as Chuck and Shannon Hamm, who has a very similar style to Chuck that almost can't be distinguished from each other, bleed their entire sous into their strings, going less for typical chugs and open E-string thrashers and more akin to something you'd write for a fallen friend. The solo to "A Moment Of Clarity" sounds akin to the music form of climbing the mountain on the cover of the album, and it's probably one of the greatest solos ever written. Above anything else though is Chuck Schuldiner's vocals. Instead of your basic low death metal growl, Chuck decided, for whatever reason, to experiment with a high pitched black metal screech. These vocals are amazing and blend very well with the music, also adding onto the one-of-a-kind sound. The vocal technique sounds as if any normal human being would've either spit blood into a glass cup after each verse or had some sort of serious condition, and it's beautiful.

It's clear that this album may go over some heads. One reviewer on this site even claimed the opener, "Scavenger Of Human Sorrow", began with "...a beat you would find on some urban gangsta rap album..." and I respect opinions, but something like that is flat out wrong. I wasn't aware that most urban gangsta rap beats composed of wild drum solos written in the 9/8 time signature, as the opening to that song is. Those who are looking for death metal will most likely be perturbed by TSOP, as there is no death metal to be found here. If you want a heavy-as-hell metal album that manages to be unique and unpredictable, you've found the right album. I discovered this album as an 8th grader, sitting on the edge of my bed, listening to Pandora shuffle when the opener came onto the playlist. I've been in love ever since.