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Death By Metal - A História de Chuck Schuldiner
Estados Unidos, meados dos anos 80. Após a ascensão do thrash metal, outra revolução começou a perturbar a cena pesada: o nascimento do feroz death metal. E bem no coração dessa tempestade, um grupo se moveu ao ponto de praticamente batizar o gênero – DEATH, guiado pela tenacidade e perseverança de um garoto que não abriria mão dos seus sonhos com facilidade.
Seu nome é CHUCK SCHULDINER.
Graças a Chuck, com o passar dos anos o DEATH se tornou uma complexa máquina de guerra. Longe dos estereótipos e clichês da corrente musical que a banda ajudou a criar, a banda elevou a própria ideia de heavy metal a um nível superior que poucos ousaram tocar.
Traçando os eventos mais importantes da vida e carreira de Chuck, extraindo detalhes daqueles que o conheciam de perto e examinando todos os seus álbuns do ponto de vista musical e lírico, este livro celebra a vida e obra de um grande artista, cuja contribuição tem importância seminal na história do heavy metal. Um garoto que sempre gostou de pensar com a própria cabeça e que vivia pela música, mas cujo sonho foi prematuramente interrompido, aos trinta e quatro anos de idade, por uma doença cruel que levou sua vida.
Lançada em maio de 2020, a primeira edição do livro DEATH BY METAL se esgotou em apenas 4 meses, deixando centenas de fãs frustrados por não terem conseguido adquirir a obra. Para celebrar o absoluto sucesso de vendas, a editora Estética Torta traz ao mercado uma nova edição limitada, novamente em capa dura, dessa vez com ilustração de capa desenhada pelo artista colombiano Alejandro Ariza Rosales, que emula a estética das cassetes primitivas de death metal, miolo com corte trilateral preto, além de alguns ajustes internos, acréscimos e melhoramentos em relação à primeira edição.
Seu nome é CHUCK SCHULDINER.
Graças a Chuck, com o passar dos anos o DEATH se tornou uma complexa máquina de guerra. Longe dos estereótipos e clichês da corrente musical que a banda ajudou a criar, a banda elevou a própria ideia de heavy metal a um nível superior que poucos ousaram tocar.
Traçando os eventos mais importantes da vida e carreira de Chuck, extraindo detalhes daqueles que o conheciam de perto e examinando todos os seus álbuns do ponto de vista musical e lírico, este livro celebra a vida e obra de um grande artista, cuja contribuição tem importância seminal na história do heavy metal. Um garoto que sempre gostou de pensar com a própria cabeça e que vivia pela música, mas cujo sonho foi prematuramente interrompido, aos trinta e quatro anos de idade, por uma doença cruel que levou sua vida.
Lançada em maio de 2020, a primeira edição do livro DEATH BY METAL se esgotou em apenas 4 meses, deixando centenas de fãs frustrados por não terem conseguido adquirir a obra. Para celebrar o absoluto sucesso de vendas, a editora Estética Torta traz ao mercado uma nova edição limitada, novamente em capa dura, dessa vez com ilustração de capa desenhada pelo artista colombiano Alejandro Ariza Rosales, que emula a estética das cassetes primitivas de death metal, miolo com corte trilateral preto, além de alguns ajustes internos, acréscimos e melhoramentos em relação à primeira edição.
- GenresMusic
261 pages, Hardcover
First published October 3, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 28, 2014
Devo ammettere che questo biografia scritto dal giovane Rino Gissi è davvero un ottimo lavoro. Sebbene, l'autore non abbia l'età anagrafica per aver vissuto l'epopea del grande musicista americano, è riuscito a ricostruire nei dettagli tutti i retroscena ed approfondire senza fanboysmo di sorta la complicata figura di Chuck. Partendo dagli esordi con i Mantas per finire con la tragica morte e le successive dispute legali tra la famiglia e la Hammerheart per i diritti sul secondo ed incompiuto lavoro dei Control Denied, Gissi affronta i vari eventi con una scrittura fluente e mai banale, addentrandosi anche con intelligenza in rapide interpretazioni dei testi della canzoni. Un libro che ogni amante dei Death dovrebbe leggere.
September 22, 2021
4/5
Sobre o que Rino Gissi escreveu: não tem como ser fã de Death/Control Denied e não curtir. O livro foi "direto ao ponto" sem ser superficial. Gostei muito da abordagem ter sido feita em ordem cronológica, de acordo com o lançamento dos discos, e a análise das principais músicas de cada disco também foram bem legais. Também gostei de não focar em fofocaiadas e especulações sobre o comportamento "peculiar" do nosso Chuck. Agora, o que me impediu de dar 5 estrelas foi o fato de que nenhuma das citações do Chuck e de outras pessoas tem as respectivas fontes. Claro que muita coisa é fonte oral, mas ainda assim gostaria de mais detalhes sobre cada uma das aspas do que apenas "sobre isso, ele disse:". Ok. Quando? Para quem? Eu, como uma fã mais avançada (perdão rs), reconheci muitas das declarações, mas tudo porque sou curiosa e fico fuçando há anos. Ainda assim encontrei declarações que nunca tinha lido, especialmente dos early years (já que nasci 20 anos depois do Chuck e evidentemente só fui curtir sua arte de forma póstuma) e que devem ser de revistas/fontes locais menores.
Sobre a tradução/revisão: essa é a segunda edição e aparentemente houve "melhoramentos" em relação à primeira, mas ainda há muitos erros de revisão e até mesmo de tradução nas letras das músicas. A nova capa, no entanto, é belíssima e muito mais impactante do que a primeira (ainda que esta tenha uma foto maravilhosa do Chuck).
Sobre o que Rino Gissi escreveu: não tem como ser fã de Death/Control Denied e não curtir. O livro foi "direto ao ponto" sem ser superficial. Gostei muito da abordagem ter sido feita em ordem cronológica, de acordo com o lançamento dos discos, e a análise das principais músicas de cada disco também foram bem legais. Também gostei de não focar em fofocaiadas e especulações sobre o comportamento "peculiar" do nosso Chuck. Agora, o que me impediu de dar 5 estrelas foi o fato de que nenhuma das citações do Chuck e de outras pessoas tem as respectivas fontes. Claro que muita coisa é fonte oral, mas ainda assim gostaria de mais detalhes sobre cada uma das aspas do que apenas "sobre isso, ele disse:". Ok. Quando? Para quem? Eu, como uma fã mais avançada (perdão rs), reconheci muitas das declarações, mas tudo porque sou curiosa e fico fuçando há anos. Ainda assim encontrei declarações que nunca tinha lido, especialmente dos early years (já que nasci 20 anos depois do Chuck e evidentemente só fui curtir sua arte de forma póstuma) e que devem ser de revistas/fontes locais menores.
Sobre a tradução/revisão: essa é a segunda edição e aparentemente houve "melhoramentos" em relação à primeira, mas ainda há muitos erros de revisão e até mesmo de tradução nas letras das músicas. A nova capa, no entanto, é belíssima e muito mais impactante do que a primeira (ainda que esta tenha uma foto maravilhosa do Chuck).
August 6, 2024
Biography of Chuck Schuldiner.
What the book is about:
1. Biography (and slight idolization) of Chuck Schuldiner, founder of two bands: Death and Control Denied.
2. Album by album review (very much in the style of Martin Popoff, but even more descriptive), including songs, production details, and album artwork.
3. Discussion of Death’s constantly evolving member line up.
4. Overview of Death’s different tours, opening acts, and cancelled shows.
5. Death’s contributions to the evolution of heavy metal.
6. Rivalries with other metal bands.
7. The importance of musicians buying health insurance.
What the book is not about:
1. How to properly manage and promote a talented band.
2. A clear or concise overview of the different sub-genres of heavy metal.
3. Uber duschebags, Floyd Frazier and Paul Odea from Cedar Sinai, Thom Hazaert, DJ and presumed Allbeat fraudster and Anton Hefele and Ian Macdonald from Sick Drummer Magazine.
Words I had to look up:
1. Phantasmagoric
This version of the book is unique because it is a translation of a translation (Italian to Brazilian Portuguese to English). The result is an amazing alchemy that contains some of the most vivid and accurate song descriptions I have ever read.
The digital version of the book while richly translated, still contained a few editing and typographic errors.
Formed in Orlando, Florida, Mantas was the predecessor to Death.
Schuldiner lost his older brother Frank due to an accident which affected him greatly. Loss of his older brother occurred when Chuck was still a relatively young man.
Some argue the death metal scene was born in San Francisco by a band called Possessed. Some say Death kicked it off, also from San Francisco, in 1985.
Dropped out of High School his senior year. His parents were supportive but said Schuldiner had one year to get a record contract or he had to go back and finish.
Tape trading and Fanzines helped create an underground cult following.
Schuldiner moved to San Francisco. Played at Ruthie’s Inn.
Landed a five (5) record deal with Combat Records, a two employee label at the time.
Chris Reifert, drummer on Death’s first album was from Concord, California.
Duo first recorded a short demo in 1984 in Lafayette, California.
Death’s first album, Scream Bloody Gore, ‘sparked the beginning of the death metal phenomenon’ internationally. The author argues San Francisco was death metal’s birthplace.
Different sub-genres of metal mentioned in the book:
Progressive Metal: Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that combines the powerful, aggressive elements of metal with the complex structures, intricate rhythms, and sophisticated musical techniques of progressive rock. It often features:
1. **Complex Song Structures**: Progressive metal songs frequently have unconventional, non-linear arrangements with multiple sections, time signature changes, and extended instrumental passages.
2. **Technical Proficiency**: Musicians in this genre are often highly skilled, incorporating intricate guitar riffs, solos, and elaborate drum patterns.
3. **Conceptual Themes**: Many progressive metal bands explore deep, often philosophical or conceptual themes in their lyrics, creating concept albums that tell a story or explore a particular idea.
4. **Diverse Influences**: Progressive metal draws on a wide range of influences, including classical music, jazz, and various forms of rock, leading to a rich and varied sound.
Notable bands in this genre include Dream Theater, Opeth, Symphony X, and Tool.
Melodic Metal: Melodic metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that emphasizes strong, memorable melodies, often incorporating elements of traditional heavy metal, power metal, and sometimes even melodic rock. Key characteristics of melodic metal include:
1. **Emphasis on Melody**: The music focuses on catchy, tuneful melodies in both the vocals and instrumental sections.
2. **Harmonized Guitar Lines**: Twin guitar harmonies are common, creating rich, melodic layers within the music.
3. **Clean and Melodic Vocals**: Vocals in melodic metal are usually clean and melodic, often featuring harmonies and sometimes operatic elements.
4. **Polished Production**: The production quality is typically high, with a clear and polished sound that highlights the melodic aspects.
5. **Incorporation of Other Metal Subgenres**: Melodic metal often blends elements from other metal subgenres, such as power metal, symphonic metal, and sometimes even elements of melodic death metal.
Notable bands in this genre include Iron Maiden, Helloween, Nightwish, and Sonata Arctica.
Speed Metal: Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its fast tempos, aggressive guitar riffs, and high-energy performances. It emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s, influenced by the rapid pace of punk rock and the technical proficiency of traditional heavy metal. Speed metal often features intricate guitar solos, double bass drumming, and lyrics that can range from dark and serious themes to more fantastical and mythical subjects. Bands like Motörhead, Judas Priest, and early Metallica are considered pioneers of the speed metal genre.
Power Metal: Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its uplifting, anthemic sound, fast tempos, and melodic instrumentation. It often incorporates elements of classical music and symphonic arrangements. Power metal lyrics typically focus on fantasy themes, such as epic battles, mythology, and heroism. The vocal style is usually clean and high-pitched, with an emphasis on powerful, soaring melodies. Keyboards are also frequently used to add a symphonic and atmospheric layer to the music. Notable bands in the power metal genre include Helloween, DragonForce, Blind Guardian, and Stratovarius.
Thrash Metal: Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its fast tempo, aggressive guitar riffs, and overall intensity. It emerged in the early 1980s, combining the speed and attitude of punk rock with the technicality of heavy metal. Thrash metal features intricate guitar solos, powerful drumming with a strong emphasis on double bass, and often shouted or screamed vocals. Lyrics typically address social issues, personal struggles, and themes of rebellion. Prominent thrash metal bands include Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, often referred to as the "Big Four" of thrash metal.
Grindcore Metal: more extreme than death metal; no melodies. Often times employ very short tracks. Grindcore is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal and hardcore punk characterized by its very fast tempos, short song durations, heavily distorted guitars, blast beat drumming, and harsh vocals. It emerged in the mid-1980s, blending the raw aggression of hardcore punk with the brutality and speed of death metal.
Key characteristics of Grindcore metal include:
1. **Song Length**: Grindcore songs are typically very short, often lasting less than two minutes. Some songs can be just a few seconds long.
2. **Speed and Intensity**: The genre is known for its incredibly fast tempos and high-energy performances. Drummers frequently use blast beats and fast double bass patterns.
3. **Vocals**: Vocals in grindcore are usually harsh, ranging from guttural growls to high-pitched screams. The lyrical content often deals with themes of social and political issues, violence, and sometimes humorous or absurd topics.
4. **Guitar and Bass**: The guitar work is heavily distorted, featuring fast riffing and power chords. Bass lines are often equally distorted and follow the aggressive pace of the music.
5. **Production**: Early grindcore often had a raw, lo-fi production quality, similar to early black metal, to capture the raw energy of the music.
6. **Lyrics and Themes**: Lyrical themes in grindcore often include anti-authoritarian and anti-establishment messages, social criticism, and dark humor. Some bands also explore gore and horror themes.
Notable grindcore bands include Napalm Death, Carcass, Terrorizer, and Pig Destroyer. Napalm Death is often credited with pioneering the genre with their early albums like "Scum" and "From Enslavement to Obliteration." Carcass, while also influential in grindcore, later helped shape the subgenre of goregrind with their medical-themed lyrics and album art.
Doom Metal: Doom metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its slow tempos, heavy riffs, and generally dark, melancholic atmosphere. It emphasizes a sense of despair, dread, and melancholy, often drawing inspiration from the sound and themes of early Black Sabbath, who are considered pioneers of the genre.
Key characteristics of doom metal include:
1. **Tempos**: Unlike many other metal subgenres, doom metal typically features slow to mid-tempo songs, creating a sense of weight and gravity.
2. **Guitar Riffs**: Guitars in doom metal are heavily distorted and down-tuned, producing thick, crushing riffs. The music often relies on repetitive, sustained chords to build a somber atmosphere.
3. **Vocals**: Vocal styles can vary, ranging from clean and melodic singing to deep, growling vocals. Some doom metal bands also use ethereal or mournful singing to enhance the emotional impact of the music.
4. **Atmosphere**: The genre focuses on creating an oppressive, bleak atmosphere. This is often achieved through the combination of slow tempos, heavy riffs, and lyrical themes.
5. **Lyrics and Themes**: Doom metal lyrics often explore themes of despair, depression, death, and existential dread. Some bands also incorporate elements of gothic and occult imagery.
6. **Influence**: While traditional doom metal maintains a more classic heavy metal influence, several subgenres have emerged, including stoner doom, sludge metal, and funeral doom, each adding unique elements to the core doom sound.
Notable doom metal bands include Black Sabbath (early works), Candlemass, Saint Vitus, My Dying Bride, and Electric Wizard. Candlemass, in particular, is credited with defining the sound of traditional doom metal with their seminal album "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus."
Death Metal: throaty, but discernible vocals. Typically homophobic. Death metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its extreme intensity, aggressive sound, and complex song structures. It typically features heavily distorted guitars, fast drumming with blast beats, and deep, guttural growling vocals. The lyrics often explore themes such as death, violence, and the macabre, sometimes with philosophical or existential undertones. The genre originated in the mid-1980s and evolved from thrash metal and early black metal influences. It emphasizes technical proficiency and often includes intricate guitar solos and complex rhythms. Notable bands in the death metal genre include Death, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, and Obituary.
Technical Death Metal: Technical death metal (often abbreviated as tech death) is a subgenre of death metal that places a stronger emphasis on complex song structures, advanced instrumental proficiency, and intricate compositions. While traditional death metal focuses on raw aggression and intensity, technical death metal incorporates elements of progressive metal and jazz, leading to highly sophisticated and often unpredictable musical arrangements.
Key differences between death metal and technical death metal include:
1. **Instrumentation**: Technical death metal features more intricate guitar work, including advanced techniques like sweep picking, tapping, and frequent tempo changes. Bass lines are often more prominent and complex, and drumming includes intricate patterns and time signatures.
2. **Composition**: Songs in technical death metal often have non-linear structures, incorporating abrupt changes in tempo, key, and rhythm. This contrasts with the more straightforward and repetitive structures commonly found in traditional death metal.
3. **Technical Proficiency**: Technical death metal musicians are known for their high level of skill and precision, often pushing the boundaries of their instruments' capabilities.
4. **Production**: The production quality of technical death metal is typically cleaner and more polished to ensure the clarity of the complex musical passages, whereas traditional death metal can have a rawer, more abrasive sound.
Notable bands in the technical death metal genre include Necrophagist, Obscura, Origin, and Beyond Creation. These bands are known for their virtuosic performances and innovative approaches to the death metal genre.
Black Metal: satanic, anarchic, into the actual pain and suffering of others. Homophobic, Amit-Semitic. Black metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its fast tempos, shrieking vocals, heavily distorted guitars, and atmospheric elements. It often incorporates lo-fi production to create a raw, cold sound. The genre emerged in the early 1980s and gained prominence in the early 1990s, particularly in Norway.
Key characteristics of black metal include:
1. **Vocals**: High-pitched, shrieking vocals are a hallmark of black metal, differing from the growls and grunts of death metal.
2. **Guitars**: Tremolo picking (rapid strumming of a single note) and highly distorted, buzzing guitar tones are common. The guitar work often focuses on creating an eerie, atmospheric sound rather than technical complexity.
3. **Drumming**: Fast drumming, including blast beats and double bass, is typical. However, the drumming often serves to support the overall atmosphere rather than showcasing technical prowess.
4. **Production**: Early black metal is known for its deliberately lo-fi production, which adds to the raw, unpolished sound of the music. This approach contrasts with the more polished production found in other metal genres.
5. **Themes**: Lyrics often explore themes of darkness, nihilism, anti-religion (particularly anti-Christianity), nature, and paganism. Some bands also incorporate elements of mythology and folklore.
6. **Imagery**: Black metal bands often use corpse paint (black-and-white face paint) and adopt pseudonyms to create an otherworldly, mysterious image. Their stage performances and album artwork frequently feature dark, macabre, or occult imagery.
Notable black metal bands include Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Emperor, and Immortal. These bands are often associated with the second wave of black metal, which originated in Norway and solidified
Homophobia was rampant in the Thrash and Death metal scenes.
Second album was called Leprosy.
Ed Repka, illustrator for Death’s first three albums. Repka also did Megadeath’s albums.
Eric Greif, a Canadian, was Death’s on again, off again manager. He also managed Motley Crue.
Performing live helped build Death’s fan base.
High turnover in the band’s line up used as evidence that Chuck was extremely hard to work with. Accused of being authoritarian.
Had a nervous breakdown while touring the Spiritual Healing album.
Lots of drama with touring in Europe. Cancelled events. The band even toured there without their lead singer.
Schuldiner later sues and becomes the sole owner of Death.
Why did death metal thrive in Florida?
1. Cultural - highly conservative.
2. Proximity to a death metal focused recording studio - Morrisound Recording Studio
3. Heat/weather
4. Low cost of living
5. Schuldiner
Human was the next record and had once again a completely new line up. It was the most technical Death album yet. It is considered by many Death’s creative peak. By this point, Chuck is basically just a one man band that hired out each musician.
‘Lack of Comprehension’ was the first song for which Death did a video. It was also on their best selling record, Human. Schuldiner would go on to only film one other official video during his lifetime (for ‘The Philosopher’ from the album Individual Thought Patterns).
BTW, I like Death’s cover of Priest’s Painkiller better than Priest’s version. Have not listened to their other covers, such as KISS’s God’s of Thunder, Iron Maiden’s Killers, or Slayer’s Black Magic.
Anyone think Death’s sound evolved to sound a bit like Megadeath with more guttural vocals?
Chuck’s record company issued a compilation record without his involvement before his fifth studio album, Individual Thought Patterns, was released in 1993.
Lyrically, Schuldiner continually improved as he matured.
Chuck shared a similar pursuit of musical growth and perfection as many other accomplished musicians. He also shared a sense of struggle with the partying lifestyle on the road.
Schuldiner was self conscious of his singing and his singing style’s (commercial?) limitations and went so far as to express that he was interested in starting a different band with a more melodic singer.
The author claims death metal reached its peak in 1993 with Morbid Angel’s third album, Covenant. Death metal would soon be dethroned Black metal.
Joined super group Voodoocult with Mille Petrozza and Dave Lombardi (Slayer).
Death’s next studio album was called Symbolic, which was released in 1995. Jim Morris of Morrisound produced it. It was a commercial failure.
Schuldiner intentionally sings in a clearer voice on this record. He is now 27 years old.
When the popularity of metal started to wane in the 1990’s in the United States, the author claims that it continued to remain more popular in Europe.
In 1996, fresh off touring Aymbolic, Chuck set aside Death and started a new band called Control Denied. For this endeavor, Schuldiner would set up his own studio in his house called Black Diamond Studios and hire a vocalist named Tim Aymar.
This effort in turn was put on hold because Chuck’s new label, Nuclear Blast, required one more Death record before green lighting Control Denied (ironic, right?). That album, Death’s seventh studio album, was The Sound of Perseverance.
‘Support music, not rumors.’
‘Let the metal flow!’
Diagnosed with brain cancer in 1998, Schuldiner was just 32.
Control Denied did one album called The Art of Perseverance. The second one was supposed to be called When Machine and Man Collide. He didn’t live long enough to complete it.
Nuclear Blast subsequently launched two live albums from previous Death concerts, one of which benefited Chuck’s medical fund.
Chuck Schuldiner died December 13, 2001.
Controversy over ownership of Chuck’s intellectual property ensued for years after his death.
Odd that he never married and that there is apparently no grave, tombstone, or monument to him anywhere?
What the book is about:
1. Biography (and slight idolization) of Chuck Schuldiner, founder of two bands: Death and Control Denied.
2. Album by album review (very much in the style of Martin Popoff, but even more descriptive), including songs, production details, and album artwork.
3. Discussion of Death’s constantly evolving member line up.
4. Overview of Death’s different tours, opening acts, and cancelled shows.
5. Death’s contributions to the evolution of heavy metal.
6. Rivalries with other metal bands.
7. The importance of musicians buying health insurance.
What the book is not about:
1. How to properly manage and promote a talented band.
2. A clear or concise overview of the different sub-genres of heavy metal.
3. Uber duschebags, Floyd Frazier and Paul Odea from Cedar Sinai, Thom Hazaert, DJ and presumed Allbeat fraudster and Anton Hefele and Ian Macdonald from Sick Drummer Magazine.
Words I had to look up:
1. Phantasmagoric
This version of the book is unique because it is a translation of a translation (Italian to Brazilian Portuguese to English). The result is an amazing alchemy that contains some of the most vivid and accurate song descriptions I have ever read.
The digital version of the book while richly translated, still contained a few editing and typographic errors.
Formed in Orlando, Florida, Mantas was the predecessor to Death.
Schuldiner lost his older brother Frank due to an accident which affected him greatly. Loss of his older brother occurred when Chuck was still a relatively young man.
Some argue the death metal scene was born in San Francisco by a band called Possessed. Some say Death kicked it off, also from San Francisco, in 1985.
Dropped out of High School his senior year. His parents were supportive but said Schuldiner had one year to get a record contract or he had to go back and finish.
Tape trading and Fanzines helped create an underground cult following.
Schuldiner moved to San Francisco. Played at Ruthie’s Inn.
Landed a five (5) record deal with Combat Records, a two employee label at the time.
Chris Reifert, drummer on Death’s first album was from Concord, California.
Duo first recorded a short demo in 1984 in Lafayette, California.
Death’s first album, Scream Bloody Gore, ‘sparked the beginning of the death metal phenomenon’ internationally. The author argues San Francisco was death metal’s birthplace.
Different sub-genres of metal mentioned in the book:
Progressive Metal: Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that combines the powerful, aggressive elements of metal with the complex structures, intricate rhythms, and sophisticated musical techniques of progressive rock. It often features:
1. **Complex Song Structures**: Progressive metal songs frequently have unconventional, non-linear arrangements with multiple sections, time signature changes, and extended instrumental passages.
2. **Technical Proficiency**: Musicians in this genre are often highly skilled, incorporating intricate guitar riffs, solos, and elaborate drum patterns.
3. **Conceptual Themes**: Many progressive metal bands explore deep, often philosophical or conceptual themes in their lyrics, creating concept albums that tell a story or explore a particular idea.
4. **Diverse Influences**: Progressive metal draws on a wide range of influences, including classical music, jazz, and various forms of rock, leading to a rich and varied sound.
Notable bands in this genre include Dream Theater, Opeth, Symphony X, and Tool.
Melodic Metal: Melodic metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that emphasizes strong, memorable melodies, often incorporating elements of traditional heavy metal, power metal, and sometimes even melodic rock. Key characteristics of melodic metal include:
1. **Emphasis on Melody**: The music focuses on catchy, tuneful melodies in both the vocals and instrumental sections.
2. **Harmonized Guitar Lines**: Twin guitar harmonies are common, creating rich, melodic layers within the music.
3. **Clean and Melodic Vocals**: Vocals in melodic metal are usually clean and melodic, often featuring harmonies and sometimes operatic elements.
4. **Polished Production**: The production quality is typically high, with a clear and polished sound that highlights the melodic aspects.
5. **Incorporation of Other Metal Subgenres**: Melodic metal often blends elements from other metal subgenres, such as power metal, symphonic metal, and sometimes even elements of melodic death metal.
Notable bands in this genre include Iron Maiden, Helloween, Nightwish, and Sonata Arctica.
Speed Metal: Speed metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its fast tempos, aggressive guitar riffs, and high-energy performances. It emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s, influenced by the rapid pace of punk rock and the technical proficiency of traditional heavy metal. Speed metal often features intricate guitar solos, double bass drumming, and lyrics that can range from dark and serious themes to more fantastical and mythical subjects. Bands like Motörhead, Judas Priest, and early Metallica are considered pioneers of the speed metal genre.
Power Metal: Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its uplifting, anthemic sound, fast tempos, and melodic instrumentation. It often incorporates elements of classical music and symphonic arrangements. Power metal lyrics typically focus on fantasy themes, such as epic battles, mythology, and heroism. The vocal style is usually clean and high-pitched, with an emphasis on powerful, soaring melodies. Keyboards are also frequently used to add a symphonic and atmospheric layer to the music. Notable bands in the power metal genre include Helloween, DragonForce, Blind Guardian, and Stratovarius.
Thrash Metal: Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its fast tempo, aggressive guitar riffs, and overall intensity. It emerged in the early 1980s, combining the speed and attitude of punk rock with the technicality of heavy metal. Thrash metal features intricate guitar solos, powerful drumming with a strong emphasis on double bass, and often shouted or screamed vocals. Lyrics typically address social issues, personal struggles, and themes of rebellion. Prominent thrash metal bands include Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, often referred to as the "Big Four" of thrash metal.
Grindcore Metal: more extreme than death metal; no melodies. Often times employ very short tracks. Grindcore is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal and hardcore punk characterized by its very fast tempos, short song durations, heavily distorted guitars, blast beat drumming, and harsh vocals. It emerged in the mid-1980s, blending the raw aggression of hardcore punk with the brutality and speed of death metal.
Key characteristics of Grindcore metal include:
1. **Song Length**: Grindcore songs are typically very short, often lasting less than two minutes. Some songs can be just a few seconds long.
2. **Speed and Intensity**: The genre is known for its incredibly fast tempos and high-energy performances. Drummers frequently use blast beats and fast double bass patterns.
3. **Vocals**: Vocals in grindcore are usually harsh, ranging from guttural growls to high-pitched screams. The lyrical content often deals with themes of social and political issues, violence, and sometimes humorous or absurd topics.
4. **Guitar and Bass**: The guitar work is heavily distorted, featuring fast riffing and power chords. Bass lines are often equally distorted and follow the aggressive pace of the music.
5. **Production**: Early grindcore often had a raw, lo-fi production quality, similar to early black metal, to capture the raw energy of the music.
6. **Lyrics and Themes**: Lyrical themes in grindcore often include anti-authoritarian and anti-establishment messages, social criticism, and dark humor. Some bands also explore gore and horror themes.
Notable grindcore bands include Napalm Death, Carcass, Terrorizer, and Pig Destroyer. Napalm Death is often credited with pioneering the genre with their early albums like "Scum" and "From Enslavement to Obliteration." Carcass, while also influential in grindcore, later helped shape the subgenre of goregrind with their medical-themed lyrics and album art.
Doom Metal: Doom metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its slow tempos, heavy riffs, and generally dark, melancholic atmosphere. It emphasizes a sense of despair, dread, and melancholy, often drawing inspiration from the sound and themes of early Black Sabbath, who are considered pioneers of the genre.
Key characteristics of doom metal include:
1. **Tempos**: Unlike many other metal subgenres, doom metal typically features slow to mid-tempo songs, creating a sense of weight and gravity.
2. **Guitar Riffs**: Guitars in doom metal are heavily distorted and down-tuned, producing thick, crushing riffs. The music often relies on repetitive, sustained chords to build a somber atmosphere.
3. **Vocals**: Vocal styles can vary, ranging from clean and melodic singing to deep, growling vocals. Some doom metal bands also use ethereal or mournful singing to enhance the emotional impact of the music.
4. **Atmosphere**: The genre focuses on creating an oppressive, bleak atmosphere. This is often achieved through the combination of slow tempos, heavy riffs, and lyrical themes.
5. **Lyrics and Themes**: Doom metal lyrics often explore themes of despair, depression, death, and existential dread. Some bands also incorporate elements of gothic and occult imagery.
6. **Influence**: While traditional doom metal maintains a more classic heavy metal influence, several subgenres have emerged, including stoner doom, sludge metal, and funeral doom, each adding unique elements to the core doom sound.
Notable doom metal bands include Black Sabbath (early works), Candlemass, Saint Vitus, My Dying Bride, and Electric Wizard. Candlemass, in particular, is credited with defining the sound of traditional doom metal with their seminal album "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus."
Death Metal: throaty, but discernible vocals. Typically homophobic. Death metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its extreme intensity, aggressive sound, and complex song structures. It typically features heavily distorted guitars, fast drumming with blast beats, and deep, guttural growling vocals. The lyrics often explore themes such as death, violence, and the macabre, sometimes with philosophical or existential undertones. The genre originated in the mid-1980s and evolved from thrash metal and early black metal influences. It emphasizes technical proficiency and often includes intricate guitar solos and complex rhythms. Notable bands in the death metal genre include Death, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, and Obituary.
Technical Death Metal: Technical death metal (often abbreviated as tech death) is a subgenre of death metal that places a stronger emphasis on complex song structures, advanced instrumental proficiency, and intricate compositions. While traditional death metal focuses on raw aggression and intensity, technical death metal incorporates elements of progressive metal and jazz, leading to highly sophisticated and often unpredictable musical arrangements.
Key differences between death metal and technical death metal include:
1. **Instrumentation**: Technical death metal features more intricate guitar work, including advanced techniques like sweep picking, tapping, and frequent tempo changes. Bass lines are often more prominent and complex, and drumming includes intricate patterns and time signatures.
2. **Composition**: Songs in technical death metal often have non-linear structures, incorporating abrupt changes in tempo, key, and rhythm. This contrasts with the more straightforward and repetitive structures commonly found in traditional death metal.
3. **Technical Proficiency**: Technical death metal musicians are known for their high level of skill and precision, often pushing the boundaries of their instruments' capabilities.
4. **Production**: The production quality of technical death metal is typically cleaner and more polished to ensure the clarity of the complex musical passages, whereas traditional death metal can have a rawer, more abrasive sound.
Notable bands in the technical death metal genre include Necrophagist, Obscura, Origin, and Beyond Creation. These bands are known for their virtuosic performances and innovative approaches to the death metal genre.
Black Metal: satanic, anarchic, into the actual pain and suffering of others. Homophobic, Amit-Semitic. Black metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music known for its fast tempos, shrieking vocals, heavily distorted guitars, and atmospheric elements. It often incorporates lo-fi production to create a raw, cold sound. The genre emerged in the early 1980s and gained prominence in the early 1990s, particularly in Norway.
Key characteristics of black metal include:
1. **Vocals**: High-pitched, shrieking vocals are a hallmark of black metal, differing from the growls and grunts of death metal.
2. **Guitars**: Tremolo picking (rapid strumming of a single note) and highly distorted, buzzing guitar tones are common. The guitar work often focuses on creating an eerie, atmospheric sound rather than technical complexity.
3. **Drumming**: Fast drumming, including blast beats and double bass, is typical. However, the drumming often serves to support the overall atmosphere rather than showcasing technical prowess.
4. **Production**: Early black metal is known for its deliberately lo-fi production, which adds to the raw, unpolished sound of the music. This approach contrasts with the more polished production found in other metal genres.
5. **Themes**: Lyrics often explore themes of darkness, nihilism, anti-religion (particularly anti-Christianity), nature, and paganism. Some bands also incorporate elements of mythology and folklore.
6. **Imagery**: Black metal bands often use corpse paint (black-and-white face paint) and adopt pseudonyms to create an otherworldly, mysterious image. Their stage performances and album artwork frequently feature dark, macabre, or occult imagery.
Notable black metal bands include Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Emperor, and Immortal. These bands are often associated with the second wave of black metal, which originated in Norway and solidified
Homophobia was rampant in the Thrash and Death metal scenes.
Second album was called Leprosy.
Ed Repka, illustrator for Death’s first three albums. Repka also did Megadeath’s albums.
Eric Greif, a Canadian, was Death’s on again, off again manager. He also managed Motley Crue.
Performing live helped build Death’s fan base.
High turnover in the band’s line up used as evidence that Chuck was extremely hard to work with. Accused of being authoritarian.
Had a nervous breakdown while touring the Spiritual Healing album.
Lots of drama with touring in Europe. Cancelled events. The band even toured there without their lead singer.
Schuldiner later sues and becomes the sole owner of Death.
Why did death metal thrive in Florida?
1. Cultural - highly conservative.
2. Proximity to a death metal focused recording studio - Morrisound Recording Studio
3. Heat/weather
4. Low cost of living
5. Schuldiner
Human was the next record and had once again a completely new line up. It was the most technical Death album yet. It is considered by many Death’s creative peak. By this point, Chuck is basically just a one man band that hired out each musician.
‘Lack of Comprehension’ was the first song for which Death did a video. It was also on their best selling record, Human. Schuldiner would go on to only film one other official video during his lifetime (for ‘The Philosopher’ from the album Individual Thought Patterns).
BTW, I like Death’s cover of Priest’s Painkiller better than Priest’s version. Have not listened to their other covers, such as KISS’s God’s of Thunder, Iron Maiden’s Killers, or Slayer’s Black Magic.
Anyone think Death’s sound evolved to sound a bit like Megadeath with more guttural vocals?
Chuck’s record company issued a compilation record without his involvement before his fifth studio album, Individual Thought Patterns, was released in 1993.
Lyrically, Schuldiner continually improved as he matured.
Chuck shared a similar pursuit of musical growth and perfection as many other accomplished musicians. He also shared a sense of struggle with the partying lifestyle on the road.
Schuldiner was self conscious of his singing and his singing style’s (commercial?) limitations and went so far as to express that he was interested in starting a different band with a more melodic singer.
The author claims death metal reached its peak in 1993 with Morbid Angel’s third album, Covenant. Death metal would soon be dethroned Black metal.
Joined super group Voodoocult with Mille Petrozza and Dave Lombardi (Slayer).
Death’s next studio album was called Symbolic, which was released in 1995. Jim Morris of Morrisound produced it. It was a commercial failure.
Schuldiner intentionally sings in a clearer voice on this record. He is now 27 years old.
When the popularity of metal started to wane in the 1990’s in the United States, the author claims that it continued to remain more popular in Europe.
In 1996, fresh off touring Aymbolic, Chuck set aside Death and started a new band called Control Denied. For this endeavor, Schuldiner would set up his own studio in his house called Black Diamond Studios and hire a vocalist named Tim Aymar.
This effort in turn was put on hold because Chuck’s new label, Nuclear Blast, required one more Death record before green lighting Control Denied (ironic, right?). That album, Death’s seventh studio album, was The Sound of Perseverance.
‘Support music, not rumors.’
‘Let the metal flow!’
Diagnosed with brain cancer in 1998, Schuldiner was just 32.
Control Denied did one album called The Art of Perseverance. The second one was supposed to be called When Machine and Man Collide. He didn’t live long enough to complete it.
Nuclear Blast subsequently launched two live albums from previous Death concerts, one of which benefited Chuck’s medical fund.
Chuck Schuldiner died December 13, 2001.
Controversy over ownership of Chuck’s intellectual property ensued for years after his death.
Odd that he never married and that there is apparently no grave, tombstone, or monument to him anywhere?
February 14, 2022
Curti o livro. Ele é muito mais focado no Death do que particularmente na vida do Chuck. É óbvio que não tem como separar os dois, mas senti falta de mais aprofundamento em sua história fora da banda.
Quanto ao foco na banda o livro é muito completo. Todos as milhares de mudanças em seu lineup e também todos os bastidores de cada álbum são muito bem detalhados.
O livro me fez revistar toda a discografia do Death e redescobrir coisas que não me recordava.
Quanto ao foco na banda o livro é muito completo. Todos as milhares de mudanças em seu lineup e também todos os bastidores de cada álbum são muito bem detalhados.
O livro me fez revistar toda a discografia do Death e redescobrir coisas que não me recordava.
August 7, 2023
Splendida relazione della vita e delle opere di una delle teste più pregiate del panorama metal
October 28, 2021
Chuck is a very intelligent person, who have a very unique way to think about things, no one could be stand between him and his goals.
Not an easy person to be together in a band, his aim was always to build complex and harmonic metal albums.
To Chuck metal is not only about noise and speed, he was always trying to increase the level in extreme music enviroment.
Beside his difficult personality he achieved his goals, each music he made was special in some sense.
Not an easy person to be together in a band, his aim was always to build complex and harmonic metal albums.
To Chuck metal is not only about noise and speed, he was always trying to increase the level in extreme music enviroment.
Beside his difficult personality he achieved his goals, each music he made was special in some sense.
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