Just a day has passed since someone lent me a cassette with the words "Death Symbolic" written on it. And I've only one impression of it: awesome. I've heard some of Death's earlier material, but this is definitely the best. Technical death metal, really well done, the guitars are very well executed, with melodic lead parts, and a great and solid rhythm part. No string is overmuted, and all the notes are perfect and clean. The drums and bass are amazing too (I'm glad to hear a bass that is not doing exactly the same shit as the rhythm guitar), but the most amazing thing about this record are the song themselves, really well done. This is not a chord-bashing-guitar- masturbation scheme, this is MUSIC, and that's the bottom line. The songs are some of the most fast and brutal and, at the same time, the most beautiful and armonious songs I've heard. If Beethoven, or Bach, or any of those guys were alive today, they'll be doing this kind of music. Another interesting part of this work are the vocals, Chuck is singing really high pitched, and the lyrics are really poetic (The lyrics to "Perennial Quest" are my favorites) concerning man's worst fears and paranoiac dreams.

I've heard that the band's latest work "The sound of perseverance" is even better than this one. If that is true, then I must buy that album and immediately make a good review out of it!

© 2000 phelo