All about this artist
Biography:
Primarily the brainchild of vocalist/guitarist Chuck Schuldiner (born Charles Michael Schuldiner, 13 May 1967, Long Island, New York, USA, d. 13 December 2001, USA), the godfather of the "death metal" movement, who formed his first embryonic outfit in Florida, USA, in 1983.
Through early demos recorded with various local musicians, notably guitarist Rick Rozz (b. Frederick DeLillo, 9 January 1967, Florida, USA) and drummer Kam Lee (b. Barney Kamalani Lee, 7 November 1966, Florida, USA) as Mantas, he secured a recording contract with Combat Records in America, with the provision that the product would also be released in Europe on the Music For Nations subsidiary label Under One Flag.
Playing some of the fastest, most aggressive white noise ever recorded, Schuldiner moved the band from Florida to San Francisco, and Death came into existence. The band's history from this point is complicated owing to the sheer number of different musicians who have passed through the Death ranks.
For their 1987 debut, Scream Bloody Gore, the line-up comprised Schuldiner (vocals, guitar, bass) and Chris Reifert (b. 1969, USA; drums). Guitarist John Hand was listed in the credits but did not actually play on the recording.
The album, as its title implied, was a torrid listening experience, firmly establishing the band as purveyors of musical extremities and the originators of the death metal style, as Schuldiner ground out cinematic riffs to his evocation of night-time terrors.
After moving back to Florida, Schuldiner recruited a new line-up comprising the returning Rick Rozz (guitar) and two members of his own band Massacre, Terry Butler (bass) and Bill Andrews (drums). Leprosy (1988) saw the themes of the debut expanded into less fantastical concerns.
By the time of 1990's Spiritual Healing, Rozz had left the band to be replaced by James Murphy (b. 30 July 1967, Portsmouth, Virginia, USA). This third chapter in the band's evolution saw Schuldiner advance a political perspective that blended true crime stories with news reportage, peppered with digs at both the establishment and the evangelist preachers who were beginning to target the band.
They toured Europe as support to Kreator, but on the eve of their departure, frontman Schuldiner left. Against all odds (and common sense), the remaining members decided to carry on and undertake this, their most important tour. His replacements for the duration of the exercise were ex-Devastation drummer Louie Carrisalez (handling vocal duties) and ex-Rotting Corpse guitarist Walter Trachsler, both of whom had previously been members of Death's roadcrew.
The tour was not a great success, with European fans refusing to accept the band without its figurehead. On their return to America the members soon went their separate ways, with both drummer Bill Andrews and bass player Terry Butler going on to re-form their original band, Massacre.
At this point Schuldiner decided to resurrect Death to record what was considered by many to be their best work. Joining him in this new incarnation of the band were two members of Cynic, guitarist Paul Masvidal (b. Puerto Rico) and drummer Sean Reinert, and Sadus bass player Steve DiGiorgio (b.
7 November 1967, Waukegan, Illinois, USA). The album, entitled Human, was released in 1991 and unveiled material of a much more varied composition than had previously been the case - even going as far as to include a melodic instrumental track, entitled "Cosmic Sea".
After its release Schuldiner pledged to assemble a full-time unit from the musicians who had played on the album, with the intention of a European tour in 1992. However, by the following year Gene Hoglan (b. Eugene Victor Hoglan II, 31 August 1967, Dallas, Texas, USA; drums, ex-Dark Angel) and Skott Carino (guitar) had been recruited.
For the sessions that produced Individual Thought Patterns, however, the supporting cast was Andy LaRocque (b. Anders Allhage, 29 November 1962, Gothenburg, Sweden; guitar, ex-King Diamond) plus DiGiorgio (bass) and Hoglan (drums).
The album's better moments included two tracks that attacked the music industry ("Overactive Imagination", "Trapped In A Corner"), and it was produced by Scott Burns. Another line-up change introduced Bobby Koelble (guitar) and Kelly Conlon (bass), who helped record 1995's excellent Symbolic.
Schuldiner disbanded the group the same year to work on his new project, Control Denied. He re-formed Death in 1998, recording The Sound Of Perseverance with Control Denied members Shannon Hamm (guitar) and Scot Clendenin (bass), and new drummer Richard Christy (b.
Thomas Richard Christy, 1 April 1974, Fort Scott, Kansas, USA). Schuldiner subsequently revived Control Denied for a recording session but by the start of the new millennium he was battling against the effects of brain cancer. He passed away in December 2001.
