Death is a legendary band, credited with creating the ‘Death Metal’ genre, which unfortunately had a relatively short career due to the tragic death of their frontman Chuck Schuldiner, caused by a brain tumor, at the young age of 34. Schuldiner left behind a legacy of significant albums, including the marvelous ‘Symbolic,’ the cradle of Technical Death Metal and Melodic Death Metal.
An album that achieved perfection in balancing aggression, virtuosity, and melodies, resulting in a masterpiece that, in our opinion, stands as the band’s finest work.
What can we hear?
Guitars filled with technical prowess featuring impressive riffs and solos full of melodies, a prominent bass providing strength and shining in moments when given space, a powerful drumming that marks the constant and intricate rhythm changes, and finally, a voice that Chuck Schuldiner modified in this work to make it sharper, a factor that would later influence hundreds of bands in the genre.
We hear a very balanced album that traverses brutality but sweetens it through harmonies in the guitars. The guitars transition from dark to enjoyable respites, where even clean passages are heard, as in ‘Empty Words.’ ‘Symbolic’ is a series of chiaroscuros filled with incredible musicality, laden with small gestures akin to Progressive Rock: sudden tonal shifts, unconventional time signatures, and well-crafted structures.
The drumming is another standout factor, handled by the acclaimed Gene Holgan, who has also collaborated with bands like Testament, Fear Factory, Dark Angel, among others. A true powerhouse, where each strike resonates with the immense force attacking his instrument, all with truly perfect timing.
The guitar of Chuck Schuldiner
A guitarist/vocalist ahead of his time, it’s incredible to see how he plays and sings simultaneously with the complexity that each of the songs demands. At times, we can hear neoclassical passages in his guitar style, especially in his solos, such as the intro of ‘Without Judgement,’ something similar to the style of Uli Jon Roth from Scorpions, who fuses classical music with the electric guitar, making it very interesting to appreciate in detail.
As mentioned earlier, clean guitars also play a significant role in the work, as seen in some passages of ‘Crystal Mountain,’ where the undistorted guitar provides an incredible break in the song’s dynamics, making way for the bass to take control of the rhythm.
The harmonies in the guitars are important to highlight, as they depart from the traditional to create a distinctive signature, much like Iron Maiden does with their third harmonies on the guitar. Death does it in a unique way, experimenting with different tones.
Masterpiece of Death Metal
To tell the truth, thanks to Death, we know about ‘Death Metal,’ as they were a band that broke all possible molds, starting with the guttural vocals. The band is credited as the first to employ this technique, inspiring great vocalists like George Fisher of Cannibal Corpse. On the other hand, their musical intelligence made them clear reference points of inspiration for practically all Death Metal bands and their subgenres, from the extreme to the more melodic, such as Children Of Bodom, or more contemporary bands focused on Technical Death Metal like Obscura.
We can categorize Symbolic as one of the first albums of Technical Death Metal and Melodic Death Metal, being very disruptive for its time, purposeful, and unparalleled.
Undoubtedly, a work you must listen to at least once in your life, especially if you are interested in exploring this rich stream of musicality taken to its highest level.
What’s your opinion? Leave us your comments!
