HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: The Sound Of Perseverance – Death
DEATH may be one of the most enigmatic, tumultuous, revolutionary entities to grace metal music. DEATH was a volatile, fluid manifestation, the brainchild of Chuck Schuldiner. Despite being unanimously difficult to work with, resulting in a fresh line-up with almost every album, Schuldiner was equally held as a visionary in the eyes of his peers. Ruthlessly creative and never satisfied to rest on his laurels, his untimely death in the early 2000s leaves his legacy, and untapped potential, as death metal’s biggest what-if?s. DEATH’s final album, The Sound Of Perseverance is the best expression of the group’s nature – a mysterious origin, a new standard set for the genre, and an everlasting legacy from which progressive death metal could grow. On its 25th anniversary, we dive into the story behind a true legend’s unintentional swan song.
The Sound Of Perseverance’s inception, from ideation to release, came at a seminal point for the band. Tensions between Schuldiner and their concurrent backers, Roadrunner Records, were at a breaking point – with the frontman prepared to die on his sword than loosen his grip on DEATH’s creative reins. Six albums in, with each growing more inextricable than the last, Schuldiner was ready to move on from DEATH and breathe life into something new. That something was CONTROL DENIED, a new project encapsulating more progressive, more melodic touches. While this new entity’s first album, The Fragile Art Of Existence, would eventually see the light of day one year after The Sound Of Perseverance’s own release; an unresolved web of allegations and denial remains of whether DEATH’s last hurrah was a begrudging rebrand of material cut from that very project.
Alas, the spark that stoked the flame of The Sound Of Perseverance could be speculated for eternity. What matters is that those furtive embers grew into the engulfing plume from which this volcanic record ignites. Since 1987’s Scream Bloody Gore, it was clear that the band and its journey would not be ruled by its namesake. Death metal formed the core of Schuldiner’s work, no doubt, but elements of thrash prevailed from the get-go, which, by the time we reach 1995’s Symbolic, soon gave way to more progressive influences until the stems of three-minute neck-jerkers bloomed into immeasurable labyrinths. Symbolic is widely touted as DEATH’s finest hour, but The Sound Of Perseverance, an ode to fearless and destructive progression, is arguably the best example of its creator’s vision. Already considered the Godfather of the genre, despite not being overly fond of such reverence, DEATH had little to prove but, in writing its unintentional finale, still persisted in closing one eye and rolling the dice; great ambition in the face of risk. It’s fitting that, after almost being pigeonholed into making “just another DEATH album” Schuldiner and Co. produced by and large the most divergent record in the band’s discography.
Even from its opening moments, Schuldiner’s vocals mark the sound of a new era. Where three years previous Schuldiner would lead with a rasped growl, The Sound Of Perseverance is punctuated by hideous shrieks and piercing shrills that bring a gratifying, genuine sense of horror to a band that was built on B-movie horror tropes. The songs themselves were also something to marvel at. To give a sense of scale, the only song that dropped beneath the four-minute mark was the delicate instrumental Voice Of The Soul, while the eight remaining unravelling torture chambers took pleasure in a less simplistic way forward. Spirit Crusher was the record’s only single but each track of this hour-long descent to hell is worthy of a lofty pedestal. Each is its own expressive and elaborate journey through light and dark, boasting standout sequences like Bite The Pain’s schizophrenic chorus instrumentals, Flesh And The Power It Holds‘ galloping riff assault, and the aforementioned Spirit Crusher’s unforgettable pre-chorus rip and tear frenzy. What stands heads and shoulders above all, however, remains Schuldiner’s virtuosity as a guitarist. His skills upon the strings have always been a standout but The Sound Of Perseverance is where his instrument is truly given a voice – his control of melody, tone, and emotion all perfectly channeling the frontman’s frustration and pain for the world around him. Even amongst standout lyrical entries throughout, truer words are spoken through that striking B.C Rich than any pen could aspire to.
It’s fast, demanding, unyielding and yet, delicate, pensive, and peaceful. DEATH has never aspired to be anything other than what it was and needed to be. In 1998, DEATH needed to go beyond the limits of external preconceptions, tear down the boundaries of how others would define them and show the world that there is far more life in DEATH beyond what was thought possible. It’s warming that, in light of Schuldiner’s passing, DEATH can still be heard in many monikers in metal, be it death metal, progressive, thrash and beyond; an undying legacy that lives up to its name and refuses to fade. Chuck Schuldiner was a man of great ambition and even greater conviction, and 35 years since its release, there’s no doubt that he would be proud that his final work remains loved, decorated and, above all else, alive.
The Sound Of Perseverance was originally released on August 31 1998 via Nuclear Blast.
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