It beats the shit out of Scream Bloody Gore.

Whoa, whoa, WHOA!

Let’s not be hasty, Col.

Now Playing:

Another warm day outside. Feeling a bit out of it, and just wanted something with some big, dumb, anthemic choruses. Easy to tell that it’s the same production team as The Shape of Punk to Come.

I'm not entirely sure that it's a better album. I probably prefer it to SBG, though.

I’ve always preferred Scream Bloody Gore personally, but in fairness I didn’t hear Seven Churches for many, many years, other than by reputation (pre-internet, you could only trust the opinions of writers, and the justice they could do in describing what they were hearing). Death went on to do far better, even by Leprosy than either of those albums, and the South Americans (and maybe even the Teutonic thrash bands) were crushing as far as a proto-DM sound was concerned, and the rawness on those releases works better than it does on Seven Churches (and that drumming really is a love/hate proposition).

Now Playing:



A great comeback full length. The production is dense and great. The bass tone is killing it.

Scream Bloody Gore is fun, but it also sounds very stiff and despite being the most vicious Death album I can't help but think it's lacking some punch compared to the death metal albums that were released even earlier (being Bestial Devastation, Seven Churches, Morbid Visions and Bloody Vengeance)

NP:

I love all those records and I suppose I agree to an extent. I remember getting Death demos and being fucking floored by how heavy I thought they were...The album was a bit of an afterthought when it finally showed up. As blatantly pioneering as Death were, there was more going on with Seven Churches (at least to me), and that was 2 years ahead of it. And the same year as Hell Awaits. Both of which arguably influenced the fledgling DM 'scene' more than Death did...

I think Death peaked with Human, but obviously the bandmembers Chuck hired had a huge impact on Death's sound thorough the years. Cynic was playing this sort of stuff on their 1990 demo.

NP:

I don't know if I would say Scream Bloody Gore lacked 'punch', I think it has that in spades for mine, but it is definitely not as unhinged or primal as Seven Churches, or the other albums mentioned. Death kinda took some lessons from Reign In Blood, at least sound and production-wise, which a lot of the other albums didn't, having either come earlier, or not having the know how. Seven Churches is more like Hell Awaits in that respect. At any rate, you probably don't get Death sounding the way they do in 1987 without Possessed doing the business prior (that includes the underrated follow-up Beyond the Gates too).

Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow

Like Hell Awaits, Seven Churches is too sloppy, poorly produced and lacking in particularly decently written songs to enjoy. Scream Bloody Gore pisses all over it in every respect, though it took 'til Leprosy for Death to perfect their sound.

Mweh, Chuck never wrote something as vicious and captivating as ''The Exorcist'' or ''Burning in Hell''.

NP:

Hell Awaits is 'sloppy' now?
Wacky Sol...

I hate to break it to you but it always has been. I bought it on CD over christmas (while filling the gaps in my collection), first time I'd listened to it in about 10 years. Apart from the title track, it's quite poor in terms of the songs, playing, production etc. It's on a par with Diabolus, really, and that places it just above the abysmal covers album.

Oh fuck off.

I’m revisiting some albums in my collection that I haven’t heard in a long time. I recall really enjoying this at the time it was released despite preferring their earlier releases. It is perhaps a bit too clinical for my tastes going back to it though - which I don’t mind in small doses, but it starts to blur together after a while. Starts really strong with ‘Kafir’, ‘4th Arra of Dagon’ is your prerequisite Nile epic, and I enjoy the guitar pyrotechnics of ‘Kem Khefa Kheshef’ and ‘Iskander Dhul Kharnon’ (because I’m a simple lad).

There are times that I can convince myself that this is better than The Key. Better production, better vocals, less noodley bits that pop up out of nowhere to fill space. It’s definitely more understated, so I guess that depends how you like your music. That cover is great as well. My inner younger self wants a poster.