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“I got fed up with writing about crap monsters. What’s horrific about that? The real evil in this world goes on in society”: The stellar rise and tragic demise of Death, the band who pushed metal to new extremes

How late Death frontman Chuck Schuldiner helped lay down the blueprint for death metal – then tore it up

December 13, 2001. The day dawns grey – and it’s about to turn black. The news breaks that Chuck Schuldiner , one of the most crucial musicians ever to inhabit the swamps of death metal, has died from a brain tumour at the age of 34.

Schuldiner’s former band, Death , were pioneers of the death metal scene, and linchpins of metal’s underground. But even after he steered the band away from their twisted, provocative beginnings into more technical and progressive areas, they never achieved the mainstream breakthrough they deserved.

Death began life in Florida in 1983 under the name Mantas, well before there was anything even approaching a death metal scene. The original line-up featured the 16-year-old Chuck – calling himself ‘Evil Chuck’ – on guitar, plus singer/drummer Kam Lee and bassist Rick Rozz.  The trio began to write and record demos, circulating them through the tape trading network. The 1984 tape Death By Metal would be an early landmark in the developing death metal scene.

“I love the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal , bands like Maiden and Saxon,” Chuck later said. “But I wanted to combine their style with the harder end; with what Slayer and Venom were doing. I didn’t set out to create something new – it just happened.”

By the end of 1984, Mantas had changed their name to Death. The demo Reign Of Terror followed, along with several live tapes. But in a taste of what was to come, the line-up was thrown into chaos when Schuldiner parted ways with Lee and Rozz. He brought in bassist Scott Carlson and guitarist Matt Olivio from local proto-grindcore band Repulsion. Finding a drummer was harder.  

“There were loads of people in the local area up for it, and I could have settled for someone who was OK, but not brilliant. That wasn’t what I wanted,” Schuldiner recalled in the early 90s. “To make Death as good as I believed we could be, I had to have a line-up that kicked ass on all fronts. I even briefly moved to San Francisco in the search of the right man, but that didn’t pan out.”

Frustrated, and now a little desperate, Schuldiner returned to Florida. And feeling that perhaps he was never destined to get his project off the ground, he accepted the offer to join another band, Canadian thrashers Slaughter. “It was a mistake, but I didn’t know it at the time,” he recalled. “Now, I’m not knocking them, but they weren’t right for me. So, after two weeks, I went back home to Florida.”

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Not that he was there long either. With a renewed focus, Schuldiner went back to San Francisco, and this time found drummer, Chris Reifert. Just why the pair had never met before remains a mystery. But things were really starting to accelerate. The duo recorded the Mutilation demo, and got a record deal with the growing Combat label.

It was this two-man line-up that recorded Death’s landmark 1987 debut album Scream Bloody Gore . Schuldiner played everything, apart from the drums, and the style of the album crystallised the entire concept of death metal. It took the thrash template and intensified it, adding guttural vocals, a style that few outside the tape trading network would have been familiar with. Scream Bloody Gore remains a work of warped brilliance.

“Did we set out to do something that was so unusual? No,” admitted Schuldiner, a couple of years later. “This was very much my concept, which may have helped. Apart from Chris, it was a one-man show. And when you’re virtually working on your own, it can sharpen the vision.”

Typically, Schuldiner then changed everything once again. He moved back to Florida once more, left Reifert behind (he would later form cult death metal favourites Autopsy) and teamed up once more with Rozz, by this time in Massacre. Rather than recruit and entirely new band, Schuldiner enlisted the other members of Massacre, namely bassist Terry Butler and drummer Bill Andrews.

It was this line-up that recorded Death’s second album, 1988’s Leprosy , a recorded that benefitted from being more of a band effort than its Schuldiner-driven predecessor. Death were also starting to get noticed outside of the death metal underground, even if they were greeted with derision by the mainstream metal press. But Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy established them as one of the figureheads of a new movement that would soon supplant thrash as the benchmark for extremity in metal.

Typically, Death’s rising profile was marked by instability. Schuldiner’s revolving-door approach saw Death part ways with Rozz after a 1989 European tour. By the time the band recorded 1990’s Spiritual Healing , James Murphy was second guitarist (the latter would also play with Obituary and Testament ).

By the time of Spiritual Healing , Schuldiner had tired of the gratuitous gorehound lyrical approach of the early days and turned his attention to more socially aware lyrics that centred around religious fakery, drug addiction and serial killers.

"I got fed up with writing about crap monsters,” he said in the early 90s. “What’s horrific about that sort of thing? The real evil in this world goes on in society. I’d just reached a time in my life as a person and as a musician when I felt angry enough to write about it.”

His vision for Death may have evolved, but things within the band were as combustible as ever. In 1990, Schuldiner turned down the chance to tour Europe, in the belief that things weren’t organised well enough. Amazingly, Butler and Andrews decided to go ahead without him anyway, bringing guitarist Walter Traschler and vocalist Louie Carrisalez (the latter actually Death’s drum roadie). Schuldiner was not amused, taking legal action against Butler and Andrews.

That was the final straw for the frontman. Rather than try and recruit a permanent band, he opted to use a revolving cast of session musicians for albums and tours. For 1991’s Human , he enlisted Cynic guitarist Paul Masvidal (who been Death‘s touring guitarist) and drummer Sean Reinert, together with Sadus bassist Steve DiGiorgio.

Human would be a turning point for Chuck Schuldiner. 1993’s Individual Thought Patterns , 1995’s Symbolic and 1998’s The Sound Of Perseverance (each featuring a different line-up, naturally) found the frontman moving away from the extreme metal genre he helped create towards a sound that was increasingly technical and progressive. Those albums are acclaimed today, but they baffled the more entrenched sections of the death metal scene. Schuldiner himself had pre-empted the reaction in the early 90s.

“Death is not a limited band where I want the same, simple beat through everything,” he railed. “I’m inspired by a lot of bands that aren’t death metal. I’ve got influences that come from different types of music, different types of metal. To say being technical isn’t allowed in this type of band, I just think that’s a narrow-minded statement. It’s coming from someone who doesn’t understand my direction. They don’t have to like it. But if you really wanna get into the reasoning of it, Death isn’t a band that I want to limit.”

By the time of The Sound Of Perseverance , Schuldiner was openly talking about folding Death and starting a new band. He delivered on that promise in1998, when he put Death on ice and Control Denied. Released in late 1999, the latter’s debut album, The Fragile Art of Existence , leaned fully into progressive metal. But that wasn’t the biggest change. Schuldiner had stepped back from singing duties to focus on playing guitar, instead enlisting vocalist Tim Aymar. who adopted a cleaner, more operatic singing style than Chuck. The latter insisted he made the decision to step back partly to put clear water between his old and new bands, and partly because of his dissatisfaction with his old singing style.

Control Denied toured in support of The Fragile Art of Existence , but then tragedy struck when Schuldiner was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Sadly, he passed away in 2001, leaving an incredible legacy – one that has never truly received the respect it deserves outside of death metal circles.

Like so many people before him who were single-minded in their pursuit of excellence, Schuldiner burnt out others at an incredible rate. “I can’t believe this band has lasted so long,” Schuldiner said in 1998 “Maybe the reason we’ve been going for so long is that I still haven’t made the  ultimate record. But I’m proud of everything we’ve done along the way. Will we ever get there? I dunno. I doubt that I shall ever be completely happy.”

Originally published in Metal Hammer Presents: The Devil’s Music

Malcolm Dome had an illustrious and celebrated career which stretched back to working for  Record Mirror  magazine in the late 70s and  Metal Fury  in the early 80s before joining  Kerrang!  at its launch in 1981. His first book,  Encyclopedia Metallica , published in 1981, may have been the inspiration for the name of a certain band formed that same year. Dome is also credited with inventing the term "thrash metal" while writing about the  Anthrax  song  Metal Thrashing Mad  in 1984. With the launch of Classic Rock magazine in 1998 he became involved with that title, sister magazine Metal Hammer, and was a contributor to Prog magazine since its inception in 2009. He died in 2021 . 

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• American death metal bands
• American technical death metal bands
• Death metal bands
• Technical death metal bands

Death was an American death metal band from Orlando, Florida, founded in 1983 by guitarist and vocalist Chuck Schuldiner . Death is considered to be one of the most influential bands in heavy metal and a pioneering force in death metal . [2] Its debut album, Scream Bloody Gore , has been widely regarded as the first death metal record, [3] while the band's driving force, Chuck Schuldiner, is acknowledged as the originator of extreme metal . [4] [5] The band ceased to exist after Schuldiner died of brain cancer in December 2001, but remains an enduring metal brand. As of 2013, Death has sold over three million albums worldwide, and one million in the United States (excluding the sales before the Nielsen SoundScan era). The group is considered the best-selling death metal band on a global level.

• 1.1 Early history (1983–1987)
• 1.2 Mid-era (1988–1992)
• 1.3 The final years (1993–2001)
• 1.4 The aftermath (2001–onwards)
• 2.1 Band logo
• 3.1 Final lineup
• 3.2.1 Guitarists
• 3.2.2 Bassists
• 3.2.3 Drummers
• 3.2.4 Live musicians
• 4 Discography
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Biography [ ]

Early history (1983–1987) [ ].

Chuck Schuldiner , founder of Death.

Founded in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner under the original name of Mantas in Orlando, Florida. [4] [6] Death was among the more widely known, early pioneers of the death metal sound along with California's Possessed . In the late 80s, the band was both a part of and integral in defining the death metal scene which gained international recognition with the release of albums by a number of area acts.

Together with Kam Lee (Barney Kamalani Lee), and Rick Rozz (Frederick DeLillo), Schuldiner started to compose songs that were released on several rehearsal tapes in 1984. [4] [6] These tapes, along with the Death by Metal demo, circulated through the tape-trader world, quickly establishing the band's name. In 1984, Schuldiner dissolved Mantas and quickly started a new band under the name Death. Tim Aymar, in an article written in December 2010, states that Chuck Schuldiner renamed the band Death in order to turn his experience of the death of his brother Frank years earlier into "something positive". [7] Its members included the same Rick Rozz and Kam Lee. Another demo was released, called Reign of Terror . [6]

In 1985, the Infernal Death tape was recorded and released. Rick Rozz was out of the band by early 1985. Kam Lee played with Scott Carlson and Matt Olivio, bassist and guitarist respectively, of the band Repulsion for a short time. However, Kam had some "personal problems" that caused him to be ejected from the band. Olivo and Carlson left soon afterward. [6] Schuldiner moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and recruited DRI drummer Eric Brecht, but he was not happy with this incarnation of Death and moved back to Florida without a band. In 1986, Schuldiner got an invitation from early Canadian thrash band Slaughter to play on their album, which he accepted, moving to Canada. However, this only lasted two weeks, and he returned to the States. He returned to Florida, then moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area again, where he joined with 17 year old drummer Chris Reifert . They recorded the Mutilation demo, which led to a deal with Combat Records , owned by Important Distribution (later becoming Relativity, and subsequently Sony), that enabled them to record the first LP.

Scream Bloody Gore was released in 1987, widely considered a genre template for death metal. Schuldiner briefly had a second guitar player, John Hand, but Hand did not appear on the album (though his photo did). By this time Schuldiner had moved back to Florida, splitting with Reifert who had elected to remain in California, where he went on to form Autopsy . There, Schuldiner teamed up with former bandmate Rick Rozz and two members of Rozz's band Massacre , Terry Butler and Bill Andrews.

Mid-era (1988–1992) [ ]

In 1988, that line-up recorded Leprosy . After much touring in support of the album, including a quick and ill-planned tour of Europe, Rick Rozz was fired in 1989. After a tour of Mexico featuring guitarist Paul Masvidal (later to re-emerge in the Death camp), a replacement was found in James Murphy , with whom the third album Spiritual Healing was recorded in Tampa in the summer of 1989. Murphy was sacked relatively quickly. By this time Schuldiner abandoned the "gore" lyrical theme for more social critique and melody was added to the band's sound. [8]

In 1990, on the eve of a European tour, Schuldiner decided against traveling, claiming at the last minute that he felt the tour was not adequately organized (and citing the group's previous disorganized European tour in 1988). Andrews and Butler continued with the tour of Europe as 'Death' to fulfill the band's contractual obligations, and recruited roadies Walter Trachsler (guitar) and Louie Carrisalez (vocals) to replace Schuldiner, much to Schuldiner's shock and disgust. Schuldiner took legal action and Butler and Andrews were fired from the band.

Schuldiner abandoned the idea of a band set-up altogether and began working with session musicians only. Schuldiner hired Steve DiGiorgio and recruited Sean Reinert and Paul Masvidal from underground Florida band Cynic . In 1991, Death released Human , which is considered a more technical and progressive album than their previous works and complex rhythms, riffs and song structures. Human was Death's best-selling album yet, receiving many accolades and some MTV play for the group's first video, directed by David Bellino, for the track " Lack of Comprehension ". Due to obligations with his primary band Sadus , DiGiorgio was forced to depart after the recording of Human and new bassist Skott Carino did Death's extensive world tour, from October 1991 until March 1992, in addition to appearing in the music video for "Lack of Comprehension".

Schuldiner fired his manager Eric Greif after Spiritual Healing but settled and re-hired him before the recording of Human . [9] Although there were at least two lawsuits between Greif and Schuldiner, Schuldiner was characteristically mellow in an interview with Thrash 'n Burn about what the writer referred to as his "gruesome collaboration" with Greif: "We just came to the conclusion that it was stupid just fighting all the time, taking each other to court and all that stupid shit." [10] "Fate has an interesting way of working these things out ... Yes, we had a falling out, but we're working together again and it takes a lot of worries off my mind knowing Eric is the man for us", Schuldiner told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . [11]

The final years (1993–2001) [ ]

In 1993, Reinert and Masvidal left the group to continue with Cynic , as they were working on a full-length album at the time. Schuldiner, unable to persuade them otherwise, replaced them with drummer Gene Hoglan of the recently dissolved thrash metal band Dark Angel , [12] and guitarist Andy LaRocque from King Diamond for Individual Thought Patterns . Since LaRocque was obligated to his band, Schuldiner hired a then-unknown Ralph Santolla as touring guitarist. Death was arguably at the peak of their commercial and popular culture success, and the video for the track The Philosopher even made it on to an episode of Beavis & Butt-head in 1994 (Beavis also parodies Schuldiner's vocals in a mock 'drive-thru' order of 'tacos, to go!' in death-metal style). Also in 1994, Death abandoned its eight-year relationship with Relativity and signed with Roadrunner Records , their European distributor. For 1995's Symbolic , Santolla and DiGiorgio were exchanged for underground Florida musicians Kelly Conlon and Bobby Koelble. For the Symbolic tour Brian Benson was brought in on bass (Conlon having left the band prior to the tour due to conflicts with Schuldiner).

After Symbolic , Schuldiner and Roadrunner mutually agreed not to pursue an album option and he began writing songs for his progressive metal band Control Denied . Schuldiner entered into a licensing agreement with Nuclear Blast for both Death and Control Denied, and subsequently started writing material for the seventh Death release, The Sound of Perseverance . The new roster for Death included Florida musicians Richard Christy , Shannon Hamm and Scott Clendenin, and The Sound of Perseverance was completed at Morrisound Recording in Tampa and released on Nuclear Blast in 1998.

After the album and two supporting tours, Schuldiner put Death aside to pursue Control Denied with Christy and Hamm. Clendenin was dropped in favor of Steve DiGiorgio , who was once again available, and an underground power metal singer named Tim Aymar. Though the line-up and writing style was largely the same, Schuldiner created Control Denied in large part because he was displeased with the harsher vocals for Death. However, rather than betray what the band Death meant and sounded like to the fans, he opted to create a new band: "For me, it is just a matter of evolving, doing it the right way. I didn't put out a Death record with this stuff on it. I made the right choice and changed the name of the band. I tried to do everything the right way." [13] As Schuldiner finished Control Denied's debut album, he was diagnosed with brain cancer, forcing the band to scrap plans for a U.S. and Canadian tour. As he worked on the second release, Schuldiner's condition improved, but the tumor left him in a weakened, vulnerable state. He contracted pneumonia and was placed in the hospital. On December 13, 2001, Schuldiner was released and returned home an hour later, where he passed away.

The aftermath (2001–onwards) [ ]

The second Control Denied release has yet to be completed and was mired in legal problems involving its Dutch label, the musicians and Schuldiner's sister Beth, the former of whom have publicly stated their desire to complete the album, and former manager Eric Greif representing the Estate. In 2004, Hammerheart Records released a two-part bootleg made up of old, pre- Scream Bloody Gore demos, along with partial demos of the unfinished album and live Death recordings from 1990. This was issued under the name Chuck Schuldiner, not Death or Control Denied, but its markedly unfinished state and lack of vocals led to the release not being successful, aided by Schuldiner's mother Jane's pleas for fans to stay away from it. In October 2009, Greif litigated against Hammerheart, representing Schuldiner's Estate, and all matters were settled by December, theoretically allowing for the Control Denied album to be completed by the other musicians.

Members of Death have since stayed active as musicians. Gene Hoglan from Dark Angel and Andy LaRocque from King Diamond had already made a name for themselves, with LaRocque continuing to work with King Diamond while Hoglan has done stints with a wide variety of bands including Strapping Young Lad , Old Man's Child , Opeth , Zimmers Hole , Unearth , Pitch Black Forecast , Dethklok , Fear Factory , and most recently, Testament . Paul Masvidal found success with Cynic alongside fellow Death member Sean Reinert , who continue to release albums and tour in the present. Richard Christy went on to gigs with Acheron and Iced Earth before joining The Howard Stern Show , though he has recently resurfaced on the metal scene with Charred Walls of the Damned and guesting on a Crotchduster album. Ralph Santolla has also played with Iced Earth, as well as Sebastian Bach ; both are bands which Steve DiGiorgio played in as well. While Santolla is now in Obituary , he was previously in Deicide . DiGiorgio also played for Testament and is still active with his original band Sadus . Bobby Koelble founded the Orlando rock-funk-Latin fusion group JunkieRush in 2000. James Murphy was also in Testament , formed projects such as Disincarnate , as well as having stints with death metal bands Obituary and Cancer . Murphy was also stricken with cancer, for which he received treatment, and, along with Deron Miller of CKY, attempted to organize a Death tribute album. Kam Lee formed the band Denial Fiend with Terry Butler , who has also found success in Six Feet Under . Scott Clendenin resides in Central Florida and works in production.

On May 10, 2010, it was announced that Perseverance Holdings Ltd. and the Schuldiner family had partnered with Relapse Records to re-master and re-issue the Death and Control Denied releases. On December 13 of the same year, it was announced that The Sound of Perseverance would be the first Death album to receive this treatment, and was released February 2011 in a 2-CD and 3-CD format. [14] The Human album has been remixed, with Schuldiner's intellectual property lawyer Eric Greif stating that Sony had lost the tapes of the original mixes, [15] and was reissued in 2-CD and 3-CD formats as well as a digital release. Shortly after, the Individual Thought Patterns album was reissued. In February 2012, Relapse Records released a 2 CD live album entitled Vivus! that included the previously released 1998 concerts Live in L.A. and Live in Eindhoven , including liner notes by drummer Christy and manager/lawyer Greif. The Relapse deal does not include Death's acclaimed 1995 album Symbolic , whose rights are still retained by Roadrunner Records as of 2008.

On March 16, 2012, it was announced by Sick Drummer Magazine and the Schuldiner's corporation, Perseverance Holdings Ltd, that musicians who previously played in Death would take part in a benefit tour titled "Death to All" for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund . [16] The former Death members slated to participate were drummers Gene Hoglan and Sean Reinert , bassists Steve DiGiorgio and Scott Clendenin , guitarists Paul Masvidal , Shannon Hamm and Bobby Koelble. It was later announced that Obscura vocalist Steffen Kummerer and Abysmal Dawn /Bereft frontman Charles Elliott would assume vocal and guitar duties for the tour, [17] but visa issues made Kummerer's participation impossible and he was replaced by Exhumed vocalist/guitarist Matt Harvey. After the tour, Eric Greif, acting as President of Perseverance Holdings Ltd. (PHL), alleged that the owners of Sick Drummer Magazine, Ian Macdonald and Anton Hefele, had not paid the charity, the musicians, PHL, the crew or the booking agency despite the five shows of the tour being successful. [18] However, dates for a second edition of the tour were announced in February 2013, with no involvement from Sick Drummer Magazine, [19] and a successful tour of North America in April 2013 was followed by a sold out three week European tour in November 2013, featuring Masvidal, Reinert, DiGiorgio and young vocalist/guitarist Max Phelps. The Death To All moniker was altered to Death (DTA). [20]

The original Death logo was created by Chuck Schuldiner. This is the last logo used by the band (The Sound of Perseverance)

Music biographer Garry Sharpe-Young considered Death "a genre-breaking band centered upon frontman Chuck Schuldiner" and that the band "would become one of the prime instigators of the death metal movement". [21] However, Schuldiner dismissed such attributions by stating, in an interview with Metal-Rules.com, "I don't think I should take the credits for this death metal stuff. I'm just a guy from a band, and I think Death is a metal band". [22] In January 2001, Mahyar Dean , an Iranian musician, wrote Death , a book about Death and Schuldiner and released it in Iran. The book includes bilingual lyrics and many articles about the band. The book was sent through the site keepers of emptywords.org to Schuldiner, who in his words was "truly blown away and extremely honored by the obvious work and devotion he put into bringing the book to life". [23]

Band logo [ ]

Schuldiner designed the Death logo and its various incarnations during the length of his career. In 1991, before the release of Human , he cleaned up the logo taking out more intricate details and the "T" in the logo was swapped from an inverted Cross to a more regular looking "T", one reason being to quash any implication of religion. The logo was changed again, between Symbolic and The Sound of Perseverance , with a more streamlined look and the removal of the hooded reaper above the "H", among other changes (shown right)

Musicians [ ]

Final lineup [ ].

• Chuck Schuldiner – guitar (1983–2001) , lead vocals (1984–2001) , bass (1987–1988)
• Shannon Hamm – guitar (1996–2001)
• Scott Clendenin – bass (1996–2001)
• Richard Christy – drums (1996–2001)

Previous musicians [ ]

Guitarists [ ].

• Rick Rozz (1983–1985, 1987–1989)
• Matt Olivo (1985)
• Paul Masvidal (1989, 1990, 1991–1992)
• Albert Gonzalez (1990)
• James Murphy (1989–1990)
• Andy LaRocque (1993)
• Ralph Santolla (1993)
• Bobby Koelble (1995)

Bassists [ ]

• Dave Tett (1984)
• Scott Carlson (1985; also vocals)
• Erik Meade (1985)
• Terry Butler (1987–1990)
• Steve DiGiorgio (1986, 1991, 1993–1994 (on the Symbolic demos), 1997–1998 (only on The Sound of Perseverance demos))
• Kelly Conlon (1995)

Drummers [ ]

• Kam Lee (1983–1985) vocals (1983–1984)
• Eric Brecht (1985)
• Chris Reifert (1986–1987)
• Bill Andrews (1987–1990)
• Sean Reinert (1991–1992)
• Gene Hoglan (1993–1995)

Live musicians [ ]

• Skott Carino - bass (1991–1992)
• Ralph Santolla - guitar (1994)
• Craig Locicero - guitar (1993)
• Brian Benson - bass (1995)

Discography [ ]

• Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
• Leprosy (1988)
• Spiritual Healing (1990)
• Human (1991)
• Individual Thought Patterns (1993)
• Symbolic (1995)
• The Sound of Perseverance (1998)
• Live in L.A. (Death & Raw) (2001)
• Live in Eindhoven (2001)
• Live in Cottbus '98 (2005)
• Vivus! (2012)
• Fate: The Best of Death (1992)
• Death by Metal (demo as Mantas, 1984)
• Live in Tampa (live-demo, 1984)
• Reign of Terror (demo, 1984)
• Live at Ruby's Pub (live-demo, 1985)
• Infernal Death (demo, 1985)
• Rigor Mortis (demo, 1985)
• Back from the Dead (demo, 1985)
• Infernal Live (live-demo, 1985)
• Mutilation (demo, 1986)

See also [ ]

• Control Denied - The band Chuck Schuldiner performed with after the dissolution of Death.
• Voodoocult - A supergroup in which Chuck Schuldiner played guitar.

References [ ]

• ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/death-mn0000228323
• ↑ Mancini, Robert (December 18, 2001). Death Frontman Chuck Schuldiner Dies . MTV. Retrieved on August 7, 2008 .
• ↑ (2006) Heavy Metal Thunder . San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0-8118-5353-5 .  
• ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Rivadavia, Eduardo. Death Biography . Allmusic. Retrieved on February 21, 2014 .
• ↑ Sutherland, John. The Blueprint For Modern Metal . EmptyWords. Retrieved on August 8, 2008 .
• ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Grayson, Perry M. (April 11, 2002). Precious Memories of Chuck Schuldiner . EmptyWords. Retrieved on June 21, 2009 .
• ↑ Tim Aymar Speaks Out . Empty Words (December 2010). Retrieved on December 7, 2010 .
• ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/spiritual-healing-mw0000204121
• ↑ Clymo, Rob (February 1992). Keeping Death On The Road . Thrash 'n Burn . Empty Words. Retrieved on October 26, 2011 .
• ↑ ''Keeping Death on the Roads!'', Thrash 'n Burn, February 1992 . Emptywords.org ( 2001-09-14 ). Retrieved on 2011-10-26 .
• ↑ Higgins, Terry (November 22, 1991), " Greif Thrives On Death Metal  ( Script error: No such module "Separated entries". ) ", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , < http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19911122&id=9EUbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6U4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4575,5564354 > . Retrieved on 22 June 2014  
• ↑ Gene Hoglan Interview Death Drummer on Slayer and James Hetfield . Music Legends. Retrieved on July 3, 2013 .
• ↑ Gargano, Paul (February 2000). Interview With Chuck Schuldiner . Metal Edge . Empty Words. Retrieved on December 15, 2009 .
• ↑ 12th Anniversary of Chuck's Passing, Day Of Remembrance . Empty Words (December 13, 2013). Retrieved on December 26, 2013 .
• ↑ Extreme Metal Television Episode 2: Death Tribute Show . YouTube. Retrieved on June 8, 2011 .
• ↑ Chuck's 46th Birthday . Empty Words (May 13, 2013). Retrieved on May 19, 2013 .
• ↑ Rosenberg, Axl (March 23, 2012). Death To All Tour: Obscura's Steffen Kummerer Announced As Second Vocalist . MetalSucks . Retrieved on May 7, 2012 .
• ↑ Harris, Chris (September 12, 2012). Eric Greif Issues Statement Following Sick Drummer Claims . Gun Shy Assassin. Retrieved on September 16, 2012 .
• ↑ Harris, Chris (February 25, 2013). We've Got The Death To All Tour Dates For You . Gun Shy Assassin. Retrieved on March 1, 2013 .
• ↑ Death to All Tour Dates . Facebook. Retrieved on December 5, 2013 .
• ↑ Sharpe-Young, Garry (2008). Death Metal . Zonda Books Limited. ISBN 0-9582684-4-4 .  
• ↑ Renda, Patricia (1999). Chuck Schuldiner: The Pain Of A Genius . Metal Rules . Retrieved on August 5, 2008 .
• ↑ Voices From Iran . Empty Words (April 2001). Retrieved on December 5, 2013 .

External links [ ]

• Official Website
• Official Facebook page
• 1 Pelle "Dead" Ohlin
• 3 Disinterment

• Music Reviews
• Live Reviews

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BY STEPHANIE JENSEN

On May 13th of this year, Chuck Schuldiner would have been 52-years-old. Even though his physical presence is no longer with us, his memory lives on with his legendary band Death and the music they created.

Death’s discography is one of the most complex and unique of any extreme metal bands. Their first three albums— Scream Bloody Gore , Leprosy , and Spiritual Healing —used the harsh and fast stylings of death metal bands during that era. But Death transformed their sound with the band’s fourth album Human , evolving even more with their next releases, Individual Thought Patterns , Symbolic , and The Sound of Perseverance .

From the animosity of Death’s earlier material to the intricate musicianship heard in their later work, Schuldiner needed the right musicians for Death’s evolution. Here, we pay homage to those who played on every Death album and learn what they’re doing now.

SCREAM BLOODY GORE (1987)

Death’s horror themed debut is nothing short of a masterpiece. It embodies the energy from the growing thrash movement and adds crushing riffs and solos so brutal they put you in a chokehold. Chuck not only played all guitar parts, but he also played bass on the album. However, he couldn’t create this iconic album alone. He had the help from one musician whose name is just as recognizable as Chuck’s.

CHRIS REIFERT

When Chris Reifert recorded drums for the album that’s now a staple in death metal history, he was only 17-years-old. The recording perpetually left a mark on him, and after he left Death, he formed Autopsy. Their debut, Severed Survival, embodies the violence and gore of horror. Genius tracks such as “Charred Remains” leave a scar on your flesh, compelling you to come back for more.

The album is also famous for featuring bassist Steve Di Giorgio (who we will mention later). His perfect bass tone cuts like a sharpened blade on each song.

Since their debut, Autopsy has grown to release successful albums such as Mental Funeral and newer albums such as Tourniquets, Hacksaws, and Graves , which have received praise. Reifert also helped formed Abscess, and that band gained success before its disbandment.

Reifert currently plays in Autopsy and also has punk influenced band Violation Wound and psychedelic rock band Painted Doll. He’s also in the supergroup Siege of Power.

LEPROSY (1988)

In the one year after Scream Bloody Gore ’s release, Death emerged with Leprosy . Even though this album still holds the gritty sound and brutality of Scream Bloody Gore , the album itself is better composed. The songs have more progression, the solos are more technical, and you can hear the maturity in this second release.

We may never know the real reason behind this quick advancement, but we do know Leprosy featured core players that highly influenced this album.

RICK “ROZZ” DELILLO

This isn’t Rick Rozz’ first contribution to Death. He was a member of Chuck’s earlier band, Mantas, and appeared on Death’s early demos and EPs ( Reign of Terror and Infernal Death ). Once Chuck moved back to Florida after recording Scream Bloody Gore , Rick Rozz was one of the members he brought back for the recording of Leprosy . Rozz also toured with Death during their Leprosy runs in North America and Europe.

During the recording of the earlier Death demos, Rick Rozz helped form Massacre along with guitarist Allen West, drummer Bill Andrews (who we will mention later on), and vocalist Kam Lee. Bassist Terry Butler also later joined.

Massacre is famous for their debut album From Beyond . This crushing release is known for being a major death metal influential album and is one of the albums that put Florida on the map for its legendary death metal scene.

Massacre has had a rugged road with consistent breakups and reunions. However, their 2011 reunion proved they’re in it for good. They released Back from Beyond in 2014, which also earned praise.

BILL ANDREWS

Bill Andrews is another member who helped form Massacre and appeared on From Beyond . He left Massacre in 1993.

Andrews not only recorded drums for Leprosy , but also for Death’s third album Spiritual Healing . Andrews also toured with Death for Leprosy ’s North America, Europe, and Mexico tours and for Death’s Spiritual Healing tour. Controversy began when Chuck cancelled a European tour, but Andrews and bassist Butler upheld the contractual duties and continued the tour with replacement musicians. Chuck fired both musicians and took legal action, since they still used Death’s name.

Since his time in Death, Bill Andrews did some session work for the band Metalucifer.

SPIRITUAL HEALING (1990)

Spiritual Healing was the beginning of Death’s turning point. They don’t feature the gore filled lyrics and thrash influenced agility. Instead, you hear impressive guitar work (thanks to Chuck, but also guitarist James Murphy) while still upholding the harsh tone mixed with more melody. This is apparent in songs such as “Living Monstrosity.”

Drummer Bill Andrews is back for this album, but Chuck also recruited Murphy and bassist Terry Butler.

JAMES MURPHY

Spiritual Healing is the crossroads album between advancing Death’s sound and still upholding their previous thrashy death metal influences. Chuck needed a guitar player who was able to play with both influences. James Murphy was that man.

Spiritual Healing saw one of the biggest advancements in guitar work, and James Murphy had a huge influence on this. Murphy played the leads on the album, and every solo is absolutely perfect. Murphy is able to lash out with impressive guitar solos, but his signature style is heavy. However, he left Death soon after the recording.

Spiritual Healing wasn’t the first death metal album Murphy appeared on. Murphy also played guitar on British death metal band Cancer’s second album, Death Shall Rise .

Along with Death, Murphy is most famous for his work with Florida death metal band Obituary and thrash metal band Testament. You can hear his playing on Obituary’s Cause of Death (he really took that album to another level and delivered some of the best solos, such as the one in “Body Bag”) and Testament’s album Low and The Gathering .

In addition, Murphy has contributed a myriad of guest solos. This includes bands like Solstice, The Absence, Broken Hope, Gorguts, Dååth, Malevolent Creation, Gruesome, and Nevermore. He’s also recorded two solo albums.

Today, Murphy operates a recording studio, SafeHouse Production.

TERRY BUTLER

With Death’s maturity, Chuck needed a more advanced and swift rhythm section. Terry Butler was the biggest addition to the lineup. He’s the epitome of classic death metal bass players and will forever go down in death metal history.

Spiritual Healing is the only Death album to feature bassist Terry Butler, and Butler also did the tours in support of the album. But in no way did Terry’s career end here.

After his time in Death, Terry went on to continue his work with Massacre. He’s featured on From Beyond , the EP I nhuman Condition , and Back from Beyond .

From here, Terry joined Chris Barnes’ band Six Feet Under on bass. He recorded a large part of their discography and toured with them until his departure from the band.

Today, Terry is in the band Obituary. He appeared on their most recent albums ( Inked in Blood , Ten Thousand Ways to Die , and Obituary ). He’s also in the supergroup Hideous.

HUMAN (1991)

Human propelled Death forward to unknown territories in the realm of death metal. Death moved away from the graveling death metal sound, embossing their music with progressive songwriting. This is why Human is one of the most iconic releases in Death’s discography.

Human was also a turning point in Death’s lineup. Chuck decided to not hire full-time members and instead recruited session musicians. The lineup featured on Human is one of Death’s most famous—Cynic members Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert, along with bassist Steve Di Giorgio.

PAUL MASVIDAL

Paul Masvidal is one of the most unique guitarists in death metal and still upholds and individualistic playing style with heavy jazz and fusion influences. This versatility made him the perfect match for the Human album.

After recording the album and touring with Death for awhile, he declined more writing and tour offers to focus on Cynic. In 1993, Cynic released the debut Focus . Cynic was a band that death metal fans at the time couldn’t conceive. Instead of harsh and aggressive, Cynic’s almost dream-like sound embodies Masvidal’s and Sean Reinert’s expert playing with Sean Malone’s serpentine bass. This dynamic trio with their unique sound makes Cynic an impossible band to replicate.

After the release of Focus , Cynic disbanded, and Masvidal worked on side-projects such as Aeon Spoke. Cynic reformed and released the album Traced in Air in 2008 and went on to achieve even more success with the 2011 EP Carbon-Based Anatomy and the 2014 album Kindly Bent to Free Us . Masvidal also made guest appearances for bands such as Persefone.

Drummer Sean Reinert left the band in 2015, and Cynic gained Trioscape’s drummer Matt Lynch. Cynic is still active and so far has released one new song, “Humanoid.” Masvidal is also making grounds as a solo artist and recently released the song “Parasite.” The song will appear on the EP Mythical , due out on May 31.

STEVE DI GIORGIO

If we had to name the king of extreme metal bass, that title has to go to Steve Di Giorgio.

What isn’t there to say about Di Giorgio’s bass playing? Can we not elaborate on his skill, his technicality, and how he can even play with a three stringed bass? Can we not elaborate on his absolutely perfect tone?

Di Giorgio is a founding member of the California thrash metal band Sadus and played in Autopsy as a session musician for a brief time. But in 1991, he was crowned the next bassist of Death. His perfect bass lines first appeared on the Human album. Unfortunately, we can barely hear his bass (but the bassy goodness in the next album, Individual Thought Patterns , makes up for it). Di Giorgio also played in Control Denied, Chuck’s other band.

After Death and Control Denied, Di Giorgio is most famous for playing in Testament and Iced Earth. But he has played in a slew of bands, as an official member, a session musician, and as a touring musician. Some of those bands include Sebastian Bach, Obscura, Charred Walls of the Damned, and Obituary. He was also one of the touring members of the Death to All (later changed to DTA) Tour.

Today, he still plays in Testament and is in the supergroup Spirits of Fire. He also balances these bands with session work and other projects.

SEAN REINERT

Think of the backbone of modern extreme metal drumming. A few names may come to mind. Well, Sean Reinert better be one of them. Chuck also brought Reinert in for the Human album. From the blastbeats to his insane drum fills, Reinert was doing things on drums that no other extreme metal drummer was doing.

Reinert is also famous for being a founding member of Cynic along with Masvidal, and he and Masvidal were in Aeon Spoke together. Reinert is also known for other bands such as Gordian Knot. Sean departed Cynic in 2015, but didn’t officially announce his exit until 2017, and he then joined the progressive rock band Perfect Beings.

INDIVIDUAL THOUGHT PATTERNS (1993)

With Individual Thought Patterns , Death took a step ahead from Human and made their sound even more progressive and robust. The guitars on this album are relentless with solos and riffs attacking you from all directions. Di Giorgio makes another appearance on this album, whose bass lines mend perfectly with the guitars and drums.

As with all other Death albums, Chuck took another step up and found the perfect guitarist and drummer to ignite the flames on this album.

ANDY LAROCQUE

Unlike the previous album Human , the guitars on Individual Thought Patterns fluctuate from crazy riffs to brutal shredding to impossible solos. Chuck needed a truly dynamic player, and there’s no one better to fit the role than Andy LaRocque. His neoclassical style comes out in songs such as “Overactive Imagination” and the “Individual Thought Patterns” title track. But his playing held so much vigor and aggression that fans had never heard before.

Andy LaRocque wasn’t a new guy to the professional music industry when he joined Death. He already gained success as King Diamond’s guitar player, who he still plays with today.

LaRocque also played as a guest guitarist for several notable bands. He played a guitar solo for the At the Gates song “Cold,” and his guitar work is also featured in bands such as Evergrey, Dimmu Borgir, and Shining.

As well as recording and playing with King Diamond, LaRocque owns Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden, where he has produced bands such as Evergrey, HammerFall, Dragonland, In Flames, Shining, and more.

GENE HOGLAN

Gene Hoglan is a truly unique drummer. Known as “The Atomic Clock,” his drumming is creative but striking enough to be a perfect fit for Death’s Individual Thought Patterns album. Hoglan has worked with just about every legendary band in metal. Today, he’s known as one of the most influential metal drummers.

Like LaRocque, Hoglan wasn’t a new guy when he joined Death. He started his career as Slayer’s lighting engineer and played drums during their soundcheck. This led to Hoglan joining thrash band Dark Angel. After several Dark Angel albums, Hoglan joined Death for Individual Thought Patterns . His progressive drumming style fit the band’s direction flawlessly, and he also joined Death for their next album, Symbolic .

After his time in Death, Hoglan’s career flourished. He worked with bands such as Strapping Young Lad and Devin Townsend’s solo material, Testament, Dethklok, and Fear Factory.

Today, Hoglan still plays in Testament and Dark Angel. In 2017, he also released an art gallery, consisting of psychedelic themed photographs of him playing drums.

SYMBOLIC (1995)

The previous two Death albums aimed to take Death’s music to a more progressive but equally heavy approach. However, there was something missing in those albums. Chuck and his troupe finally found the missing magic and created Symbolic .

Symbolic blends every influence so smoothly—heavy riffs and technical solos that provoke, all joined in unison with skillful drumming from Hoglan. Symbolic uses the best of dexterous composition, as heard in a song such as “Misanthrope.” However, the album isn’t just a shred and drumming fest. There are plenty of songs that convey all of the “feels,” such as “Empty Words.” This not only makes Symbolic one of Death’s most advanced albums, but yields so much passion.

With Symbolic , Chuck brought two fresh faces into the mix—Bobby Koelble (guitar) and Kelly Conlon (bass).

BOBBY KOELBLE

Bobby Koelble’s jazz influenced guitar playing truly gave Symbolic the sentiment it still holds today. His playing is complex but melodious. He plays each note with extreme skill, but you can feel the passion from his fingertips.

Koelble is not only a notorious figure in death metal, but he’s a notable figure in jazz. After his time in Death, he took a break from extreme metal guitar and pursued a career in jazz guitar.

Orlando residents commonly see Koelble on stage, whether he’s playing cover tunes or he’s playing a jazz gig, and he has played with bands such as The Absinthe Trio and The Jazz Professors. Koelble also played guitar for iconic jazz artists such as Dr. Lonnie Smith, Sam Rivers, and Lou Donaldson.

Just because Koelble has had a successful stint in jazz doesn’t mean his heavy metal days are over. Koelble, a longtime metal and rock ‘n’ roll fan, still plays metal to this day. And in 2014, he joined previous Death musicians for the DTA (formerly Death to All) Tour. He has also appeared as a guest guitarist for several bands, including Monotheist and Abysmal Dawn.

Today, Koelble plays in many different bands in the Orlando area and teaches jazz guitar at Rollins College and the University of Central Florida (UCF).

KELLY CONLON

Conlon’s bass perfectly held the speed to keep up with the duo of shredders and with Hoglan. Unfortunately, the bass got lost in these mixes (you hear it a little more in the remastered version, though). But at least we have that incredible opening bass line to “Sacred Serenity.”

After the recording of Symbolic , Conlon played on the Full of Hate Festivals in Europe in support of the album. Not long after, Conlon joined Florida death metal band Monstrosity and played on the albums Millennium and Dark Purity . Conlon also played for other bands such as Sargon and Fires of Babylon.

Today, he’s currently active in the death metal band Pessimist and Shatter Messiah.

SOUND OF PERSEVERANCE (1998)

Unfortunately, our Death list has (almost) come to an end. Here, we’re at the last Death album before Chuck’s death in 2001.

With Sound of Perseverance , Death still continued on with the melodic overtones we heard on Symbolic , but with the vigorous aggression we’ve always experienced in Death’s discography. But the most unique aspect we hear is Chuck’s vocals—he switched to a high-pitched growl, replacing his coined midrange growls. We also hear some falsetto action in their cover of “Painkiller,” proving Chuck had an amazing range that fans never truly got to hear.

With Sound of Perseverance came three new musicians whose careers were forever influenced by this final Death album.

SHANNON HAMM

Shannon Hamm’s guitar playing on the Sound of Perseverance album is of upmost supreme. His work on the track “A Moment of Clarity” is mind-blowing. From every riff to that incredible solo in the middle of the song, each note played prevails until the end of the song.

Hamm was the last guitarist in Death before Chuck’s passing. He also played in Chuck’s other band, Control Denied.

But how did Chuck find this virtuoso player? Hamm was actually a well known guitar player in the Texas metal scene. Hamm was in a band called Metalstorm and he supposedly “out shredded” Dimebag during Pantera’s glam metal days. According to an interview, Hamm said Chuck came across footage of Hamm playing in Metalstorm.

In 2012, Hamm was a guest on the Death to All Tour.

RICHARD CHRISTY

Not sure what’s better—Richard Christy’s drum performance on the Sound of Perseverance album, or his unexpected encounter with Chuck Schuldiner.

Christy moved to Orlando in 1996. A year later, he meets Schuldiner in a bookstore at the Altamonte Springs Mall. He soon discovered Death needed a drummer. He auditioned for the role and was offered the position.

It’s easy to see why Chuck was so impressed with Christy’s drumming. His drum style uses the right amount of force, and his stylistic fills fit in perfectly with Chuck and Hamm’s guitar work.

In addition to performing on the album, Christy toured in Europe with Death in support of Sound of Perseverance . Christy was also the drummer for Control Denied and was a member of Death until Chuck’s death.

But this was only the beginning of Christy’s career. He became a member of Iced Earth and Leash Law. From here, Christy played with other reputable bands, including Demons & Wizards and Incantation. Christy took off a few years of playing music to work for the Howard Stern Show . After his hiatus, Christy formed the supergroup Charred Walls of the Damned with Di Giorgio, Audiohammer’s Jason Suecof, and vocalist Tim “The Ripper” Owens.

In addition to his music career and his work with the Howard Stern Show , Christy is also a filmmaker and even did voiceovers for the cartoon shows Metalocalypse and Rick and Morty .

Today, you can still experience Christy’s crazy antics on the Howard Stern Show . Christy is still making music. However, he’s not making music with humans. His band members are three guinea pigs, and they formed the band Boar Glue.

SCOTT CLENDENIN

Any Death fan can recognize the beginning bass line to the song “Spirit Crusher.” Like many of Death’s albums, the bass is lost in the mixes of most songs. But this doesn’t affect Clendenin’s contributions to the album. Clendenin did the tours in support of Sound of Perseverance and contributed to Control Denied.

After his time in Death and Control Denied, he participated in the Death to All Tour during the years 2012 and 2013. Unfortunately, Clendenin passed away on March 24, 2015 at 47 years old.

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