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Death - Scream Bloody Gore review




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Reviewer:
10

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]

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.

Chuck and company use a lot of thrash elements in creating "Scream?", but what is different is the blaring sound of the bass, the overall booming and dark sound and the constant double-bassing. The main change from thrash, though, are the vocals, in fact they are the most distinct feature of death metal. I have to say that Chuck's vocal performance is not so typical of the most brutal of styles, but at that time there is no Cannibal Corpse, no Sinister, no Morbid Angel. This was the most brutal and raw sound produced up to then.

Despite this album being the father of all other death metal albums, we can hear the very technical and full of ideas solos of Chuck and make a comparison to the absent-minded grunting albums of brutalizers like Rot. This becomes an album, displaying a meaning, which is about to be forgotten and be rarely rediscovered by some bands - namely, the meaning of technical death metal. In the following years we are to be distorted by the voice of Chris Barnes, but his band showing no quality, apart from brutality. It will take Cannibal Corpse about five years to come to "The Bleeding", blending death metal with technical guitars.

The father of all fathers, the starting point of all death metallers, the one and only death metal album in the discography of the one and only band Death. If you don't have it, you shouldn't be reading this review, if you still don't have it, buy it. It is a must!

Written by Yanko | 15.09.2003




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
K✞ulu
Rating:
7.7
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.

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published 05.10.2008 | Comments (12)


Comments

Comments: 22   Visited by: 232 users
08.07.2006 - 10:04
Bloody Rain
I Am The Night
Good review. Although Scream Bloody Gore was not the first death metal album out there, it was Seven Churches by Possessed.
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28.07.2006 - 08:38
Mega-Slayer

Whoa,what can I say this cd is one of the finest Death metal albums ever!So the production is a bit off,but I like the old raw sound.There isn't really a song that doesn't kick ass,this is one of the most raw and brutal cds you'll ever hear.Chuck's violent and gory lyrics are great,his brutal vocals are great,the guitar work is great and so is the drum work.So if you want something you and enlightning in your life Drink From the Goblet Of Gore,and buy this album.
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Intestinally Punctured Smurf
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24.04.2007 - 23:40
Rating: 8
Sunioj

This album is sick, I think this album is going to on my classic fav. list with Dismember's Like an Everflowing stream and entombed's clandestine! My favorite songs are evil dead, regurgitated guts, zombie ritual, and the bonus beyond the unholy grave.
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27.04.2007 - 08:56
Spirit Crusher.
Account deleted
Wonderful spawn to a band that will remain in my brain forever and ever

R.I.P Chuck
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27.09.2007 - 01:58
Mad Laughter
Account deleted
Great album, an absolute classic; though not the first death metal album. SBG is a thrash album (what would be considered death/thrash today) with gore themes and harsh vocals. That doesn't make it the first death metal album. Reign in Blood had gore themes. Kreator had harsh vocals, as did Possessed and Slaughter....all of these are thrash bands, as is Death (on this album, anyway). What was the first Death Metal album, then, you ask? Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness. The first album who took put death-style riffing (suggested, invented but not completely displayed by Slayer and Kreator) to use. SBG is still a great album though.
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27.09.2007 - 03:16
Rating: 10
Syk
myspace/bonerama
Heh, people are never gonna agree on the genre but that doesn't matter, this album is totally essential. I love every track but 2-5 & 8-11 are my favourites (+ the live tracks). 10/10
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death ? thrash ? death/doom/prog ? Hail Zoldon!

he's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays
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27.09.2007 - 04:31
4look4rd
The Sasquatch
This is one of the very few Death Metal albums that I actually enjoy, Death is indeed a great band, although this is not my favorite Death album
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27.09.2007 - 04:40
Mad Laughter
Account deleted
Written by 4look4rd on 27.09.2007 at 04:31

This is one of the very few Death Metal albums that I actually enjoy, Death is indeed a great band, although this is not my favorite Death album

Of course it's not, because you don't like death metal...even though this is not death metal (which I explained about in my last comment) it is raw enough for someone who finds brutal music unlistenable not to like. You probably like the progressive stuff, am I right? There's nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying...
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27.09.2007 - 04:50
4look4rd
The Sasquatch
Written by Guest on 27.09.2007 at 04:40

Written by 4look4rd on 27.09.2007 at 04:31

This is one of the very few Death Metal albums that I actually enjoy, Death is indeed a great band, although this is not my favorite Death album

Of course it's not, because you don't like death metal...even though this is not death metal (which I explained about in my last comment) it is raw enough for someone who finds brutal music unlistenable not to like. You probably like the progressive stuff, am I right? There's nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying...


haha you are right, Im into prog and power metal. But also I do like some Death Metal. And as I was reading your first post I have to agree with you, this album is more thrash than DM, but I do see some elements of Death Metal in it. This might be perhaps the reason why I like this album that much, its more thrashier than death
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29.01.2008 - 03:07
Rating: 9
Urizen367

i just got this album a week ago (yep), i've been listened to it....a lot! i fuckin love this album!!!
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I will not reason and compare, my business is to create.
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29.01.2008 - 03:53
crimsonoutlaw
Account deleted
its damn good, but their later more, er, progressive stuff, is a bit more "catchy" imho.
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30.03.2008 - 20:27
Samuel550
Account deleted
Gonna have to disagree and say this is not only Death Metal but THE first Death Metal album. No other album before had sounded so raw and dark, Slayer yes but they're extreme metal was more noted in the speed catagory and Possessed were more of a Black Metal band to me with they're 'hail Satan' music. The sound of Scream Bloody Gore sounds far more original then on Seven Churches and it was bands like Morbid Angel and Obituary that took example from the extremeness of SBG and albums like Reign in Blood, Pleasure to Kill among others. Once again, this is the first Death Metal album and no other old school DM band have ever reached something as powerful as this, not even Autopsy.
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06.04.2008 - 05:49
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
agree with the review.. this album is almost perfect, what a great catch. I always found out that the best death metal albuns are the first ones, no matter what band it comes from.
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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06.04.2008 - 17:36
Rating: 8
Sunioj

Written by Uirapuru on 06.04.2008 at 05:49

agree with the review.. this album is almost perfect, what a great catch. I always found out that the best death metal albuns are the first ones, no matter what band it comes from.


Initially I agree with you, but it also depends on preference... Some bands start out really crappy but get better throughout their career... but usually with classic bands, what you say is true...
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23.04.2009 - 08:52
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Written by Sunioj on 06.04.2008 at 17:36

Written by Uirapuru on 06.04.2008 at 05:49

agree with the review.. this album is almost perfect, what a great catch. I always found out that the best death metal albuns are the first ones, no matter what band it comes from.


Initially I agree with you, but it also depends on preference... Some bands start out really crappy but get better throughout their career... but usually with classic bands, what you say is true...


Sure... that's was a pretty unnecessary generalization that I've write.

It really depends on preference, but it applies on my favorite death metal bands: Death, Cannibal, Suffocation, Cryptopsy, Obituary. Vile.
Only Entombed kinda breaks this chain, I prefer their later death'n'roll works.
But the rest just seem to present its best efforts on the debuts or very early releases.
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member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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14.11.2009 - 09:48
Rating: 9
Sleeping Dragon

Actually, the whole concept of who the first death metal band was is still heavily debated... "Seven Churches" by Possessed was really the beginning of the breakaway point from thrash metal played by bands like Slayer and Metallica. But Death's "Scream Bloody Gore" is closer to modern death metal than Possessed's album because of the more rapid drumming, harsher vocals, and overall heavier atmospheric tone the music takes.

It really all depends on where you draw your distinctions on what constitutes death metal.

And as far as how good the album is, I would definitely recommend "Scream Bloody Gore" to anyone that enjoys death metal in particular. The sound quality is rather raw (as are first recordings by many bands), but that doesn't detract from the content quality. Also, SBG is less technical than Death's later works.

"Mutilation" is my favorite track.
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17.12.2010 - 09:42
BloodFireDeath

Written by Bloody Rain on 08.07.2006 at 10:04

Good review. Although Scream Bloody Gore was not the first death metal album out there, it was Seven Churches by Possessed.


THANK YOU. I'm glad someone else agrees with me.
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Goodspeed on the Devils Thunder
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03.06.2011 - 19:09
algirdongas

Written by Guest on 27.09.2007 at 01:58

Great album, an absolute classic; though not the first death metal album. SBG is a thrash album (what would be considered death/thrash today) with gore themes and harsh vocals. That doesn't make it the first death metal album. Reign in Blood had gore themes. Kreator had harsh vocals, as did Possessed and Slaughter....all of these are thrash bands, as is Death (on this album, anyway). What was the first Death Metal album, then, you ask? Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness. The first album who took put death-style riffing (suggested, invented but not completely displayed by Slayer and Kreator) to use. SBG is still a great album trffttthough.

i disagree obituary's slowly we rot was the first true death metal album even though it was released a month later
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04.06.2011 - 01:30
Rating: 7
Troy Killjoy
perfunctionist
Written by algirdongas on 03.06.2011 at 19:09

i disagree obituary's slowly we rot was the first true death metal album even though it was released a month later

Mantas (Death) pre-dates everything.
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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11.11.2011 - 01:19
flying_circus4

It's silly to pretend that one can pinpoint one specific album that "founded" a genre; music is constantly evolving, and where one draws the lines between genres changes from one person to another as much as it does over time. If one decides to be more lenient in the definition of death metal, Seven Churches (when death metal started to break away) is a death metal album. If one decides to be more strict, death metal doesn't start until Slowly We Rot or Altars of Madness, when it became solidified in the form it is in today. Theoretically, one could be extremely picky and say that no band besides Enmity ever played "real" death metal, but that would be absurd. Personally, I'd say that Scream Bloody Gore is the closest thing death metal has to a "founding document," but I'm not going to say that it's the "correct answer," because the entire issue is subjective. Settle down and enjoy it.
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06.02.2012 - 15:25
Rating: 8
@gent_-_orange

This album is great. I would say its Death's Second best album as I think that Leprosy is a perfection of this formula, Regardless this is a fun listen, This album just has that "something" that I love about Old School Death Metal.
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25.04.2017 - 07:14
Rating: 10
Mr.Moustache69

Absolute classic. A must have.
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