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Death - Spiritual Healing review




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Reviewer:
9.0

1166 users:
8.44
Band: Death
Album: Spiritual Healing
Release date: 1990


Disc I
01. Living Monstrosity
02. Altering The Future
03. Defensive Personalities
04. Within The Mind
05. Spiritual Healing
06. Low Life
07. Genetic Reconstruction
08. Killing Spree

Disc II [2012 Re-Release - Rehearsals]
01. Altering The Future
02. Defensive Personalities
03. Within The Mind
04. Within The Mind: Take 2
05. Spiritual Healing
06. Killing Spree
07. Defensive Personalities [Instrumental]
08. Spiritual Healing [Instrumental]
09. Within The Mind [Instrumental]
10. Satanic Jam
11. Primus Jam
12. Jon A Qua: Take 2
13. Jon A Qua: Take 3
14. Jon A Qua: Take 4
15. Jon A Qua: Take 5
16. Jon A Qua: Take 6

Disc III [2012 Re-Release - Live In New York, March 17th, 1990 & Pre-Human Rehearsals]
01. Living Monstrosity
02. Pull The Plug
03. Zombie Ritual
04. Spiritual Healing
05. Left To Die
06. Defensive Personalities
07. Genetic Reconstruction
08. Open Casket
09. Within The Mind
10. Leprosy
11. Suicide Machine [Pre-Human Rehearsal]
12. Together as One [Pre-Human Rehearsal]
13. See Through Dreams [Pre-Human Rehearsal]

Well, well, well? Here it is the album that keeps the flame burning. Death have started it three years ago and now bands like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse and Carcass are strenuously practicing in some garage and deafening drunken metallers in some dirty underground metal club in the south of the US.

Death continue playing their typical style - the most brutal of thrash for its time, verging on death metal, but not quite being it, maintaining the creative attitude guitar-wise, mainly due to Chuck's genius.

Still a very heavy album, it is more technical and so harsh in comparison to its predecessor "Leprosy". The roots of true thrash metal can be heard, as well as a change in the vocals towards the screaming style of singing, we are to hear on the last of Death's albums.

Another distinct sign for this album being thrash is not only the vocals, but their feeling. It is the aggression, the immense feeling of despise and hatred, being concentrated in some words, sang in front of the mike. The deep sorrow and depression is what one feels, listening to the death metal grunting, while after "Spiritual Healing", there is a surge of power, that you feel and terribly need an outlet, so crush one's head.

This album is quite an improvement from monotonous "Leprosy", being very technical, with a lot aggression and power in the vocals and being a whole book full of great innovative and fresh guitar ideas. Upon those riffs bands like Bolt Thrower will build their style of music.

A great album, though not many people will be able to appreciate it, because so many bands have used those solos and riffs, it would sound like nothing new to someone who hears it now for the first time.

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.


Comments

Comments: 22   Visited by: 219 users
28.02.2009 - 22:00
Rating: 9
AngelOfDisease

Great review, and I agree about what you say in the last paragraph.
This album changed Death into their more progressive sound.
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01.03.2009 - 07:50
Rating: 6
Butters49

Their worst album, IMO?
They sounded confused.
Or Bored.
Or had serious writers block.
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"Sataaaaaaaaan. Yeah yeah!"
-King Diamond
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03.04.2009 - 16:49
Rating: 8
Elio
Red Nightmare
Probably their worst album, still it's good. This guys knew no wrong. lol this guy had to wait more than five years for the first comment poor him
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IntoPlighT said: "Slipknot is 15 years old how the fuck is that Nu metal?"

BEST. QUOTE. EVER.
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03.04.2009 - 17:08
Rating: 10
Deadmeat
Necrobutcher
Written by Elio on 03.04.2009 at 16:49

Probably their worst album, still it's good. This guys knew no wrong. lol this guy had to wait more than five years for the first comment poor him

this means human is better??? why??
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Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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03.04.2009 - 17:16
Rating: 8
Elio
Red Nightmare
Written by Deadmeat on 03.04.2009 at 17:08

Written by Elio on 03.04.2009 at 16:49

Probably their worst album, still it's good. This guys knew no wrong. lol this guy had to wait more than five years for the first comment poor him

this means human is better??? why??


Cause Human has Flattening of Emotions anyway, Human represents their changing into a more technical band...I see this one in the middle of their two phases.
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IntoPlighT said: "Slipknot is 15 years old how the fuck is that Nu metal?"

BEST. QUOTE. EVER.
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03.04.2009 - 17:47
Rating: 10
Deadmeat
Necrobutcher
Written by Elio on 03.04.2009 at 17:16

Written by Deadmeat on 03.04.2009 at 17:08

Written by Elio on 03.04.2009 at 16:49

Probably their worst album, still it's good. This guys knew no wrong. lol this guy had to wait more than five years for the first comment poor him

this means human is better??? why??


Cause Human has Flattening of Emotions anyway, Human represents their changing into a more technical band...I see this one in the middle of their two phases.

you cannot deny that living monstrosity is a GREAT song??? dont you?? yeah so if it is the middle why should it be the weaker??
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Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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03.04.2009 - 17:53
Rating: 8
Elio
Red Nightmare
Written by Deadmeat on 03.04.2009 at 17:47

you cannot deny that living monstrosity is a GREAT song??? dont you?? yeah so if it is the middle why should it be the weaker??


oh, I don't. man, look at my ratings, this album is very good imo, I just said this is probably their weakest, not that this is BAD
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IntoPlighT said: "Slipknot is 15 years old how the fuck is that Nu metal?"

BEST. QUOTE. EVER.
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03.04.2009 - 18:47
Rating: 10
Deadmeat
Necrobutcher
Written by Elio on 03.04.2009 at 17:53

Written by Deadmeat on 03.04.2009 at 17:47

you cannot deny that living monstrosity is a GREAT song??? dont you?? yeah so if it is the middle why should it be the weaker??


oh, I don't. man, look at my ratings, this album is very good imo, I just said this is probably their weakest, not that this is BAD

your ratings say that scream bloody gore is the weakest and i agree!!!!

(not because it is worse than the others, but because it has a much worse production)..
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Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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24.04.2009 - 00:48
Rating: 6
Uirapuru
Liver Failure
Agree with (almost)everyone about this: it's really their worst effort. ''Living Monstrosity'' is the absolute best song in this album.
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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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13.11.2009 - 19:28
Rating: 9
SatyriconChick

I love this album! I don't understand why it gets so much flak. The title track, "Altering the Future" and "Low Life" are my favorite songs.
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25.02.2010 - 17:54
Rating: 10
Demonmayonnaise

This is actually my favorite album by them. I don't know why, I just like it more. But to each his own
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25.02.2010 - 19:52
Rating: 7
Angelic Storm
Melodious
Written by SatyriconChick on 13.11.2009 at 19:28

I love this album! I don't understand why it gets so much flak. The title track, "Altering the Future" and "Low Life" are my favorite songs.


....Those 3 songs are the only ones I really love on the album! The solo duels between James Murphy and Chuck on "Altering The Future" and especially "Low Life" just floor me every time. "Altering..." is just such a huge song, and that ending sends chills through me still to this day...

For me, "Human" is the worst Death album, though "Spiritual Healing" is definitely the next weakest IMO.
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19.04.2011 - 11:23
Rating: 8
Moosh666

Written by Angelic Storm on 25.02.2010 at 19:52

Written by SatyriconChick on 13.11.2009 at 19:28

I love this album! I don't understand why it gets so much flak. The title track, "Altering the Future" and "Low Life" are my favorite songs.


....Those 3 songs are the only ones I really love on the album! The solo duels between James Murphy and Chuck on "Altering The Future" and especially "Low Life" just floor me every time. "Altering..." is just such a huge song, and that ending sends chills through me still to this day...

For me, "Human" is the worst Death album, though "Spiritual Healing" is definitely the next weakest IMO.


I agree, you just described exactly how I feel about those song
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23.04.2011 - 20:44
Rating: 10
Deadmeat
Necrobutcher
Written by Angelic Storm on 25.02.2010 at 19:52

Written by SatyriconChick on 13.11.2009 at 19:28

I love this album! I don't understand why it gets so much flak. The title track, "Altering the Future" and "Low Life" are my favorite songs.


....Those 3 songs are the only ones I really love on the album! The solo duels between James Murphy and Chuck on "Altering The Future" and especially "Low Life" just floor me every time. "Altering..." is just such a huge song, and that ending sends chills through me still to this day...

For me, "Human" is the worst Death album, though "Spiritual Healing" is definitely the next weakest IMO.

genetic reconstruction and defensive personalities are also great songs imo!

but when we are talking for Death, i guess that the term "their weakest album" is close to the term "generally, a great album" right?
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Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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24.04.2011 - 22:07
Void_Eater
Account deleted
I've noticed a trend as of late of people calling this album Death's underrated masterpiece. I can't see why anybody would think that; it sounds like a confused transition from a straight up death metal band to a more technical band, only they can't write very good technical riffs yet.
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06.05.2011 - 02:34
Rating: 7
Angelic Storm
Melodious
Written by Deadmeat on 23.04.2011 at 20:44
genetic reconstruction and defensive personalities are also great songs imo!

but when we are talking for Death, i guess that the term "their weakest album" is close to the term "generally, a great album" right?


While I don't think "Defensive Personalities" is as awesome as the songs I mentioned, I think it's a good song, as is "Living Monstrosity". But imo, there are only 3 total classics on the album, which are the ones I mentioned before. xD

Yep, that is exactly right! lol Death have never made a bad album in my opinion. Even "Human", which in my opinion is the weakest overall album that they did, (although it's a toss up between that one and "Spiritual Healing") contains 3 songs that I totally love. And none of the songs are actually bad. So yep, saying a Death album is their weakest just means that it's not quite as awesome as their absolute best albums.
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06.05.2011 - 11:23
Rating: 10
Deadmeat
Necrobutcher
Written by Angelic Storm on 06.05.2011 at 02:34

Written by Deadmeat on 23.04.2011 at 20:44
genetic reconstruction and defensive personalities are also great songs imo!

but when we are talking for Death, i guess that the term "their weakest album" is close to the term "generally, a great album" right?


While I don't think "Defensive Personalities" is as awesome as the songs I mentioned, I think it's a good song, as is "Living Monstrosity". But imo, there are only 3 total classics on the album, which are the ones I mentioned before. xD

Yep, that is exactly right! lol Death have never made a bad album in my opinion. Even "Human", which in my opinion is the weakest overall album that they did, (although it's a toss up between that one and "Spiritual Healing") contains 3 songs that I totally love. And none of the songs are actually bad. So yep, saying a Death album is their weakest just means that it's not quite as awesome as their absolute best albums.

shame on you about "living monstrosity"!
it is an amazing song! i can see "why" you like more these 3 songs but living monstrosity is also AMAZING! on the rest we seem to agree
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Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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27.06.2012 - 03:52
Rating: 9
Oaken
Hipster
Amongst their best material. Chuck's leadwork is as stellar as ever.
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In that case, man is only air as well.
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27.06.2012 - 07:16
Rating: 9
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
I listened to this 8,346 times back in 1990. Thanks for bringing back some great memories...
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rekt
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27.06.2012 - 21:26
Rating: 9
Oaken
Hipster
Written by tea[m]ster on 27.06.2012 at 07:16

8,346 times

The whole album 8,346 times? WOW! Is that a real number or an exaggeration?
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In that case, man is only air as well.
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27.06.2012 - 21:36
Rating: 7
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
^
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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26.07.2015 - 19:05
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Good album, different as other that time bands, maybe Nocturnus 1th one can be same level od originality
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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