Hails, death metal fans!
In this distorted realm time rift, I want to share a "Masterpiece" album. Pioneer of death metal genre. Yes! It was Death. Well, I think "god of death metal" belongs to Death. Hails, Chuck!!! Rest in peace, mate.
As I quoted from dismember_marcin on metal-archives - This is a timeless release. This is a fundamental death metal album. This is also the FIRST death metal album that was ever released (yes, I consider “Seven Churches” more thrash metal, if any of these genre tags matter at all). And if there are albums that really – and I mean REALLY – deserve being called “classics” or “cult”, then “Scream Bloody Gore” is among them. These are indisputable facts. It may not be the best album of all time, it’s not even my favourite Death record (as I prefer “Leprosy” and “Spiritual Healing” way more), but it had an enormous influence on the entire scene and belongs to genre defining albums.
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I can only imagine how strange it had to be to see these 20 years old kids recording such filth and singing about cunts, zombie rituals and other disgusting, repulsive things. But they did it! It was 1987 when two youngsters – Chuck Schuldiner and Chris Reifert – recorded “Scream Bloody Gore”. There was also a third band member, John Hand, but his place in history of extreme music is limited only to the photo on back of the vinyl, as he didn’t record even one part of bass or guitar. What an unlucky dude haha!
“Scream Bloody Gore” was released by Combat Records in 1987. Personally, I’ve heard it for the first time in 1991. It was actually quite funny, but I bought a cassette with the “Spiritual Healing” cover, but the tape was mistaken with “Scream…”, so for some months I didn’t even realize that what I listened to was “Scream Bloody Gore” haha! One of the things for which I love this record is the fantastic artwork. It’s superb and one of the most classic artworks in metal history! Obviously the lyrics are something a lot of people moan about. They hate their primitive and vulgar nature, they hate this gory style and for them it’s just stupid, childish and nonsense crap. Well, who cares. “Revengeful corpses out to kill. Smell the stench, your guts will spill. Vomit for a mind, maggots for a cock. With his axe the corpse will chop…” Ha, what nice stuff. Death metal is not a place for romantic poetry, so I don’t understand people moaning about brutal, gory lyrics. I actually prefer them over the philosophical or social topics, which you can find on some other Death albums.
Now the music. First I have to say that I love the production of “Scream Bloody Gore”. If we have to compare this record to “Seven Churches”, then Death’s debut kicks the shit out of Possessed, not only musically, but also due to much better, heavier, more aggressive and darker production. It had to be tricky to come up with a sound which would be proper for such brutal music. But it had to be done, because this music would not work with a simple thrash metal production. It required something different and the band succeeded fully. And the songs are superb. This is Death and death metal in its infancy, so don’t expect it to sound technical, clean and progressive. Do not expect that “Scream Bloody Gore” will have much in common with “Human” or “Symbolic”. If you’re a fan of the latter Death albums, this debut may be difficult for you to get into, as it’s way more primitive, harsh and just nasty sounding death metal. It’s full of gore and horror, dark and almost macabre atmosphere. And for me personally it all sounds super fantastic. I love many of these songs and no matter how many times I’ve listened to them, they just don’t get old and boring. I still get thrills when some of these riffs mutilate and cut deep and some of these songs belong to the most recognizable death metal tracks of all time. We have here such killers as “Zombie Ritual”, “Evil Dead”, “Sacrificial”, “Regurgitated Guts” or “Mutilation”. Some of them are very vicious and quite fast sounding, others may have slower riffage and even some harmonies, which will later become trademark for Schuldiner's style of playing and Death. For example the opening melodies for “Zombie Ritual” and “Evil Dead” – they are so memorable and fantastic sounding!
Despite this album being the father of all other death metal albums, we can hear the very technical and full of ideas solos of Chuck and make a comparison to the absent-minded grunting albums of brutalizers like Rot. This becomes an album, displaying a meaning, which is about to be forgotten and be rarely rediscovered by some bands - namely, the meaning of technical death metal. In the following years we are to be distorted by the voice of Chris Barnes, but his band showing no quality, apart from brutality. It will take Cannibal Corpse about five years to come to "The Bleeding", blending death metal with technical guitars. (Yanko on metalstorm.net)
Yanko also said Death was the father of all fathers, the starting point of all death metallers, the one and only death metal album in the discography of the one and only band Death. If you don't have it, you shouldn't be reading this review, if you still don't have it, buy it. It is a must!
TRACKS
- Infernal Death
- Zombie Ritual
- Denial Of Life
- Sacrificial
- Mutilation
- Regurgitated Guts
- Baptized In Blood
- Torn To Pieces
- Evil Dead
- Scream Bloody Gore
- Beyond The Unholy Grave
- Land Of No Return
If you like the album, please buy it on their officall website/merch.
References:
- Cactus Slaughter, Death - Scream Bloody Gore, www.metal-archives.com
- Yanko, Death - Scream Bloody Gore Review, www.metalstorm.net
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