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Trollheart · 10-03-2013, 07:03 AM

Human --- Death -- 1991 (Relativity)

Bet that surprised you, Batlord! Didn't expect to see this album reviewed here, now did you? Mind you, I'm sure you'll have the last laugh and it'll echo back through the dark caverns of the Batcave when you watch my head explode because I started messing with things I am in no way prepared for. I mean, Death? One of the, if not the premier death metal bands of all time? Am I crazy? Am I actually growing a set? Are my skinny arms becoming suddenly muscular and full of tattoos? Is this a big bushy beard I feel growing on my smooth hairless chin?

Or am I about to leap on the table screaming like one of those old fifties cartoons about a housewife and a mouse? Well, here goes...

Galloping drums and a snarling guitar open up "Flattening of emotions" as I wait in trepidation for the vocal, which I know (cos The Batlord told me) that no death metal band worth its salt has anything else. Everything speeds up then and the voice of the late Chuck Schuldiner growls (yeah) through my speakers, but you know, it's a growl but not as bad as some I've heard. Holy crap! I think I actually like this music. Well, like is perhaps too strong a term. But I don't hate it. Not yet anyway.

The guitar work from Paul Masvidal is great, very technical I assume for a death metal band, though I know little of such things. The vocal is angry and shouted, but I can make out the lyric, so that's not bad. Drummer's arms must be on steel pistons or something, the speed he's playing at. Well it just kind of stops in the middle then and we're powering into "Suicide machine" with another big heavy guitar, the drumming from Sean Reinert not quite as manic this time around. But still damn heavy. A slower track, grindier, crunchier than the opener. Great finger-burnin' solo there in the middle from Masvidal, another abrupt ending (they probably all end that way) and "Together as one" hits with piledriver force, Schuldiner's voice seeming to come up from the very depths of Hell itself.

I'm told this album displayed a change in musical direction for Death, where their music got a little more technical and less aggressive --- though this is pretty aggressive! --- and their lyrical inspiration changed. I'm not so sure about the lyrics but the track titles here could be on any metal album, unlike some of the titles from their first album --- "Mutiliation", "Regurgitated guts", "Denial of life" etc --- or even their second --- "Open casket", "Leprosy". These seem to focus more on general themes rather than, well, gory ones. "Secret face" is a little slower than the previous with some fine guitar work from Masvidal, including a really clear and technical solo.

Now no doubt The Batlord, who is never happy and will never consider me to be a True Metalhead, which I concede, will scoff and call me a pussy for not choosing "Scream bloody gore" or "Leprosy", and to him I'll always be a rock chick in high heels trying to be cool and Metal, but you know, fuck him.

There's only so far I can go and this really is my limit. I could not say with any conviction that I would listen to Death for pleasure (good name for a metal band?) as this is not the sort of music I enjoy. But to paraphrase Nixon in "Futurama", I'm meeting you lousy metalheads half way!

The aim of Metal Month is to try to encapsulate, as far as possible, all shades of Heavy Metal and for me to indulge in and review albums and bands that would normally not cross my ears, so I've done my best to step outside my comfort zone and bring to you music you would not expect to see reviewed here in the Playlist of Life. If not going far enough makes me a pussy, then you'll excuse me as I put my knickers back on and fasten my bra: some sacrifices are just a little too great. But hey, I'm happy with whom I am and so far I'm happy with the chances I've taken with this section, the boundaries I've crossed. There are some paths it's just not advisable to walk in high heels, you know?

And while I've been droning on about myself and making many sly references to crossdressing, "Lack of comprehension" has come and gone without making much of an impression on me, sort of indicative of the album really. It doesn't repulse me but, to use one more of the above references, it doesn't quite blow my skirt up either. Maybe I am a pussy. But I know what I like, and in general this is not it. Which is not to say it's not good music: I can definitely pick out good moments, like just now I'm listening to a searing guitar solo from Paul Masvidal, and it is epic. But a lot of the tracks do tend to sound the same to me.

Luckily for me I guess, the album only consists of eight tracks, and the penultimate one, to my surprise and considerable delight, is an instrumental. No growling on this one! "Cosmic sea" is dramatic end epic, and shows what a really decent band Death could be. Almost neoclassical guitar at times, measured drumming and a sort of choir effect engendered somehow. Taken on its own, there's no way you'd peg this for death metal. Superb. Naturally I'd call this the standout, but considering what I think of the rest of the album I suppose that's not really much of a compliment is it?

Death didn't use synths, did they? Silly girl --- sorry, boy! --- no of course they didn't! Well then what made that keyboard-like sound about halfway through before the bass solo? Eh? Answer me that! Another fine soaring guitar solo, veering almost into space rock territory as the piece heads towards its final minute, and the album closes on "Vacant planets", with the return of our friend Chuck, bellowing out the vocals on another slower cruncher with elements of Sabbath and Metallica in it. Yeah, it's more of the same though.

TRACKLISTING

1. Flattening of emotions
2. Suicide machine
3. Together as one
4. Secret face
5. Lack of comprehension
6. See through dreams
7. Cosmic sea
8. Vacant planets

Death certainly deserve their place at the top of the death metal pantheon, it would seem, and there's no doubt modern bands of the genre owe a whole lot to them. It's just never going to be my type of music, and as I speak I can feel my beard disappear, my arms thin and the tattoos disappear and my voice lose that deep, earthy growl it acquired for this review. Guess there are some things you just can't change. Or would want to.

Now, where did I throw my skirt?

Read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_%28metal_band%29

10-03-2013, 07:03 AM	#1913 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,970	Human --- Death -- 1991 (Relativity) Bet that surprised you, Batlord! Didn't expect to see this album reviewed here, now did you? Mind you, I'm sure you'll have the last laugh and it'll echo back through the dark caverns of the Batcave when you watch my head explode because I started messing with things I am in no way prepared for. I mean, Death? One of the, if not the premier death metal bands of all time? Am I crazy? Am I actually growing a set? Are my skinny arms becoming suddenly muscular and full of tattoos? Is this a big bushy beard I feel growing on my smooth hairless chin? Or am I about to leap on the table screaming like one of those old fifties cartoons about a housewife and a mouse? Well, here goes... Galloping drums and a snarling guitar open up "Flattening of emotions" as I wait in trepidation for the vocal, which I know (cos The Batlord told me) that no death metal band worth its salt has anything else. Everything speeds up then and the voice of the late Chuck Schuldiner growls (yeah) through my speakers, but you know, it's a growl but not as bad as some I've heard. Holy crap! I think I actually like this music. Well, like is perhaps too strong a term. But I don't hate it. Not yet anyway. The guitar work from Paul Masvidal is great, very technical I assume for a death metal band, though I know little of such things. The vocal is angry and shouted, but I can make out the lyric, so that's not bad. Drummer's arms must be on steel pistons or something, the speed he's playing at. Well it just kind of stops in the middle then and we're powering into "Suicide machine" with another big heavy guitar, the drumming from Sean Reinert not quite as manic this time around. But still damn heavy. A slower track, grindier, crunchier than the opener. Great finger-burnin' solo there in the middle from Masvidal, another abrupt ending (they probably all end that way) and "Together as one" hits with piledriver force, Schuldiner's voice seeming to come up from the very depths of Hell itself. I'm told this album displayed a change in musical direction for Death, where their music got a little more technical and less aggressive --- though this is pretty aggressive! --- and their lyrical inspiration changed. I'm not so sure about the lyrics but the track titles here could be on any metal album, unlike some of the titles from their first album --- "Mutiliation", "Regurgitated guts", "Denial of life" etc --- or even their second --- "Open casket", "Leprosy". These seem to focus more on general themes rather than, well, gory ones. "Secret face" is a little slower than the previous with some fine guitar work from Masvidal, including a really clear and technical solo. Now no doubt The Batlord, who is never happy and will never consider me to be a True Metalhead, which I concede, will scoff and call me a pussy for not choosing "Scream bloody gore" or "Leprosy", and to him I'll always be a rock chick in high heels trying to be cool and Metal, but you know, fuck him. There's only so far I can go and this really is my limit. I could not say with any conviction that I would listen to Death for pleasure (good name for a metal band?) as this is not the sort of music I enjoy. But to paraphrase Nixon in "Futurama", I'm meeting you lousy metalheads half way! The aim of Metal Month is to try to encapsulate, as far as possible, all shades of Heavy Metal and for me to indulge in and review albums and bands that would normally not cross my ears, so I've done my best to step outside my comfort zone and bring to you music you would not expect to see reviewed here in the Playlist of Life. If not going far enough makes me a pussy, then you'll excuse me as I put my knickers back on and fasten my bra: some sacrifices are just a little too great. But hey, I'm happy with whom I am and so far I'm happy with the chances I've taken with this section, the boundaries I've crossed. There are some paths it's just not advisable to walk in high heels, you know? And while I've been droning on about myself and making many sly references to crossdressing, "Lack of comprehension" has come and gone without making much of an impression on me, sort of indicative of the album really. It doesn't repulse me but, to use one more of the above references, it doesn't quite blow my skirt up either. Maybe I am a pussy. But I know what I like, and in general this is not it. Which is not to say it's not good music: I can definitely pick out good moments, like just now I'm listening to a searing guitar solo from Paul Masvidal, and it is epic. But a lot of the tracks do tend to sound the same to me. Luckily for me I guess, the album only consists of eight tracks, and the penultimate one, to my surprise and considerable delight, is an instrumental. No growling on this one! "Cosmic sea" is dramatic end epic, and shows what a really decent band Death could be. Almost neoclassical guitar at times, measured drumming and a sort of choir effect engendered somehow. Taken on its own, there's no way you'd peg this for death metal. Superb. Naturally I'd call this the standout, but considering what I think of the rest of the album I suppose that's not really much of a compliment is it? Death didn't use synths, did they? Silly girl --- sorry, boy! --- no of course they didn't! Well then what made that keyboard-like sound about halfway through before the bass solo? Eh? Answer me that! Another fine soaring guitar solo, veering almost into space rock territory as the piece heads towards its final minute, and the album closes on "Vacant planets", with the return of our friend Chuck, bellowing out the vocals on another slower cruncher with elements of Sabbath and Metallica in it. Yeah, it's more of the same though. TRACKLISTING 1. Flattening of emotions 2. Suicide machine 3. Together as one 4. Secret face 5. Lack of comprehension 6. See through dreams 7. Cosmic sea 8. Vacant planets Death certainly deserve their place at the top of the death metal pantheon, it would seem, and there's no doubt modern bands of the genre owe a whole lot to them. It's just never going to be my type of music, and as I speak I can feel my beard disappear, my arms thin and the tattoos disappear and my voice lose that deep, earthy growl it acquired for this review. Guess there are some things you just can't change. Or would want to. Now, where did I throw my skirt? Read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_%28metal_band%29 __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018 Last edited by Trollheart; 10-22-2013 at 03:30 PM.