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Death - Scream Bloody Gore review




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Reviewer:
7.7

1186 users:
8.15
Band: Death
Album: Scream Bloody Gore
Release date: 1987


01. Infernal Death
02. Zombie Ritual
03. Denial Of Life
04. Sacrificial
05. Mutilation
06. Regurgitated Guts
07. Baptized In Blood
08. Torn To Pieces
09. Evil Dead
10. Scream Bloody Gore
11. Beyond The Unholy Grave [bonus]
12. Land Of No Return [bonus]
13. Open Casket [live] [1998 remastered bonus]
14. Choke On It [live] [1998 remastered bonus]
15. Denial Of Life [live] [2008 remastered bonus]

You know I really love albums on which I can hear the bass really distinctly. Well, Scream Bloody Gore is one of those albums. There are a couple of things about reviewing this album and the album itself that I think are funny. First, I have never paid attention to that distinct bass sound before I decided to review this album. Second, I started this review from this exact point, with no introduction. And third, this great raw bass sound comes from the band that used to rehearse, record, and play shows without a bassist in the early days. As Chuck once said, "Two guitars and drums, no bass...just complete raw metal." Well, fortunately bass is present on this one, and it's actually a very important feature, which adds some extra heaviness that young Chuck definitely wanted to hear on his first record.

Scream Bloody Gore is not going to impress you very much, if you (like me) prefer melodic metal or melodic types of Death Metal, e.g. progressive/melodic/technical. Still the record has a lot of riffs that are not boring and played at different tempos making the songs rather varied and interesting. It doesn't have a lot of those great solos and melodies heard on the later records, but one can see their roots right here on this album. For example, the intro to "Zombie Ritual" and "Evil Dead" are just too beautiful to enter a brutal album like that and the solo on "Scream Bloody Gore" sounds like a lead you would hear on Individual Thought Patterns or Symbolic. If, on the other hand, you are a fan of classic Death Metal like Possessed, Morbid Angel or Obituary, you should like this album because it does offer that power of raw Death. The production is amazingly good, and I dare to say it's by-the-book Death Metal production, quite dark that is, and this actually might be one of the best produced albums I've heard. And forget the bass mentioned before. So all this combined gives a classic record by one of the pioneers of Death Metal, setting standards of the genre.

As I listen more to Scream Bloody Gore, I realize that no matter how much it meant for the development of Death Metal, musically it still doesn't offer anything ground-breaking mainly because the songs sound pretty alike. It is very thrash-influenced, but taken to the extreme resulting in a pretty good Death Metal album. It's definitely recommended for every fan of the aforementioned style.

Highlights (I never do this, but I'll give it a shot): Zombie Ritual, Baptized in Blood, Scream Bloody Gore.

Written by K✞ulu | 05.10.2008




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.

Guest review by
Yanko
Rating:
10
The year is 1987, thrash metal is in its heyday, Metallica are preparing to release "?And Justice For All" and Chuck Schuldiner is about to put the beginning of his glorious career as a musician. This is the man, who decided that metal should take a deadly shape, crating an album of not only musical, but of historic value. This is considered by many the first death metal album and I would pretty much agree with them. For the first time the lyrical concept deals with desecrating, brutal killing, a lot of blood and a lot of death.

Read more ››
published 15.09.2003 | Comments (22)


Comments

Comments: 12   Visited by: 144 users
07.10.2008 - 06:21
Oo I Voyager oO

Well, if your a smart fellow, DON'T WRITE REVIEWS ON A DEATH METAL ALBUM. If your into melodic death, go review an Arch Enemy, Soilwork, Dark Tranquility, or Sonic Syndicate record. Your biased towards the genre because your not a fan. This happens to be one of Chuck's finest's work, how dare you de-grade it based on your opinions!
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07.10.2008 - 06:35
Rating: 8
totaliteraliter

Musically speaking I think this is probably the most groundbreaking Death album. This is one album where they were really pushing the solidification of the genre forward and actually defining what death metal would come to be. Their later "progressive" stuff is sometimes more interesting from a technical or compositional standpoint, but as far as groundbreaking goes they were more just going along with the Cynic/Atheist crowd at that point.
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07.10.2008 - 07:07
Introspekrieg
Totemic Lust
Why aren't you allowed to write reviews on a genre you don't like? However I do feel the review was a bit circular... ZOMBIE RITUAL ZOMBIE RITUAL ZOMBIE RITUAL
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07.10.2008 - 10:32
Rating: 8
K✞ulu
Seeker of Truth
Quote:
Written by Oo I Voyager oO on 07.10.2008 at 06:21

Your biased towards the genre because your not a fan. This happens to be one of Chuck's finest's work, how dare you de-grade it based on your opinions!

  • I'm not biased at all. I can enjoy some Death Metal records; they just should have good songwriting, which this album lacks.
  • A review is an opinion, and if properly backed up, has to be accepted. And by the way, how dare you say that "this happens to be one of Chuck's finest work[s]" based on your opinions?
  • I'm actually pretty sure, Chuck himself wouldn't rate this album very high. Well, look at their live sets during the late 90's and later. In one of the interviews, Chuck said, "We don't even play any of that shit anymore except for a few songs." - he is referring to the early days albums.


  • Written by totaliteraliter on 07.10.2008 at 06:35

    Musically speaking I think this is probably the most groundbreaking Death album. This is one album where they were really pushing the solidification of the genre forward and actually defining what death metal would come to be. Their later "progressive" stuff is sometimes more interesting from a technical or compositional standpoint, but as far as groundbreaking goes they were more just going along with the Cynic/Atheist crowd at that point.

    Well, I can't agree more on the fact that this is a groundbreaking Death (and Death Metal) album, but again... the songwriting... Plus, I just had to compare it with their later works, which are far superior to this one. And as far as Cynic/Atheist comparison, Death still had their own unique sound.
    ----
    Savor what you feel and what you see
    Things that may not seem important now
    But may be tomorrow

    R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner

    Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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    07.10.2008 - 12:40
    routa
    Account deleted
    Written by Oo I Voyager oO on 07.10.2008 at 06:21

    -- how dare you de-grade it based on your opinions!


    That made me chuckle.

    Still, the best Death album for me.
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    07.10.2008 - 19:12
    Rating: 8
    totaliteraliter

    Written by K✞ulu on 07.10.2008 at 10:32
    Well, I can't agree more on the fact that this is a groundbreaking Death (and Death Metal) album, but again... the songwriting... Plus, I just had to compare it with their later works, which are far superior to this one. And as far as Cynic/Atheist comparison, Death still had their own unique sound.

    The first album where most all of the elements of death metal were combined in one ultimate form - what many would call the first true death metal album - and you don't think it's groundbreaking? Don't be distracted by pretty guitar solos...
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    07.10.2008 - 20:08
    Rating: 8
    K✞ulu
    Seeker of Truth
    Written by totaliteraliter on 07.10.2008 at 19:12

    Written by K✞ulu on 07.10.2008 at 10:32
    Well, I can't agree more on the fact that this is a groundbreaking Death (and Death Metal) album, but again... the songwriting... Plus, I just had to compare it with their later works, which are far superior to this one. And as far as Cynic/Atheist comparison, Death still had their own unique sound.

    The first album where most all of the elements of death metal were combined in one ultimate form - what many would call the first true death metal album - and you don't think it's groundbreaking? Don't be distracted by pretty guitar solos...

    I think you misunderstood me. I do agree that it's a groundbreaking album...
    ----
    Savor what you feel and what you see
    Things that may not seem important now
    But may be tomorrow

    R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner

    Satan was a Backstreet Boy
    Loading...
    07.10.2008 - 20:41
    Rating: 8
    totaliteraliter

    Yep, misread the first sentence.
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    20.10.2008 - 18:34
    Rating: 9
    Deadmeat
    Necrobutcher
    When reviewing an album it's logical to compare it with past releases of the artist but not with future! Surelly Death's next albums are absolutely perfect but that album also is way forward from it's time. It's Death metal. One of the fue in that period. To me the only reason why it does not deserve a 10 is the bad production (comparing to Leprosy for example, and all the next stuff by the band) so I give it a 9.
    ----
    Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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    20.10.2008 - 20:59
    Rating: 8
    K✞ulu
    Seeker of Truth
    I didn't compare SBG with their future releases; read the review more carefully.
    I don't care if it was one of the few Death Metal releases for its time. I just review the music objectively. And man, bad production on this album? As I said in my review, the production is almost perfect. Well, man, everybody is entitled for an opinion...
    ----
    Savor what you feel and what you see
    Things that may not seem important now
    But may be tomorrow

    R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner

    Satan was a Backstreet Boy
    Loading...
    15.03.2009 - 13:33
    Rating: 9
    Deadmeat
    Necrobutcher
    Written by K✞ulu on 20.10.2008 at 20:59

    I didn't compare SBG with their future releases; read the review more carefully.
    I don't care if it was one of the few Death Metal releases for its time. I just review the music objectively. And man, bad production on this album? As I said in my review, the production is almost perfect. Well, man, everybody is entitled for an opinion...

    the production is by far better on leprosy. and i mention only that album because these two albums have a bit similar sound. ok, now about the comparison maybe i misunderstood what i've read. but after reading that review again i have to say that imo the guitar work on that album is very good. it is not perfect like all the other Death albums but it is very good.
    ----
    Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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    24.01.2010 - 07:01
    Rating: 10
    thewall30

    A pure death metal classic, its a crime if you call your self a big death metal fanatic and don't own this album...
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