THE SOUND OF PERSEVERANCE

This is it, the final album. It was recorded after Nuclear Blast records requested one more DEATH album from Chuck, and even though he was more keen to concentrate on his CONTROL DENIED band, he didn't simply rush this one out. The most striking thing here is that it sounds fantastic, Jim Morris has made everything on this record come straight out of the speakers and every instrument can be heard sharply. This may well have been Chuck's finest line up, with every musician top class including the amazing Richard Cristy behind the drum kit. This is the most overtly technical DEATH album, it sacrifices some of the balance of Symbolic when it goes for all out madness but still contains restrained moments when a comparitavely simple few power chords will suffice to break from the action and provide the needed effect. The chorus of my favourite song here, Spirit Crusher achieves this very well.

This is one of the better albums, and although the technicality feels more for the sake of it this time, it's not off putting. Scavenger of Human Sorrow and Story to Tell feel very much like DEATH, with a complex build up of riffs to form a mutation of the verse/chorus mould and a lengthy instrumental section with both guitarists taking solos. The songwriting is definitely there, but maintaining a constant high starndard of musicianship is paramount on this one. It ends with a furious cover of JUDAS PRIEST's Painkiller in which Chuck gives the vocal performance of his career, simply surpassing what I feel many thought he was capable of. The vocals here are at their most high pitched and are aggressive screams more similar to ATHEIST than the deeper harsh vocals of earlier albums. Cookie Monster vocals were never the order of the day for DEATH but they were a unique developement of the harsher thrash style of bands like KREATOR and SLAYER that a few bands like PESTILENCE certainly took cues from on their Testimony of the Ancients album. There's not much to say at this point, but that DEATH reaches its peak of performance excellent and presentation here and that if you enjoyed all the albums previous this is a very fitting and satisfying last effort. My only wish is that there could have been more...

So, the DEATH discography is all recommended by me, but only Human and after for the prog fan. I feel they were one of the most high quality bands in the scene and although not 100% perfect, every album has something different to offer. R.I.P. Chuck!