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Death was an influential death metal band from the United States that was founded in 1983 and dissolved in 1999.

Biography

Early history (1983-1987)

Founded in 1983 by Chuck Schuldiner under the original name of Mantas in Orlando, Death pioneered the death metal sound along with Morbid Angel and Possessed. The band was both a part of and instrumental in defining the infamous Florida death metal scene.

Together with Barney "Kam" Lee, and Rick Rozz, Schuldiner started to compose songs that were released on several rehearsal tapes in 1984. These tapes, along with the Death by Metal demo, circulated through the tape trader world, quickly establishing the band's name. In 1984, Schuldiner dissolved Mantas and quickly started a new band under the name Death. Its members included the same Rick Rozz and Kam Lee. Another demo was released, called Reign of Terror.

In 1985, after the Infernal Death tape was recorded and released, Schuldiner fired Lee and Rozz in favour of Repulsion's bassist and guitarist, Scott Carlson and Matt Olivio, respectively. However, a drummer could not be found; consequently the band dissolved again. Schuldiner moved to San Francisco and recruited DRI drummer Eric Brecht, but he was not happy with this incarnation of Death and moved back to Florida without a band.

There, in 1986, Schuldiner got an invitation from early Canadian thrash band Slaughter to play on their album, which he accepted, moving to Canada. This only lasted two weeks, however, as he found the situation not to his liking. He returned to Florida, then moved quickly to San Francisco again, where he joined with Chris Reifert. They recorded the Mutilation demo, which led to a deal with Combat Records, owned by Important Distribution (later becoming Relativity), that enabled them to record the first LP.

Scream Bloody Gore was released in 1987. Schuldiner briefly had a second guitar player, John Hand, but Hand did not appear on the album (though his photo did). By this time Schuldiner moved back to Florida, leaving Chris Reifert behind. There, Schuldiner teamed up with former bandmate Rick Rozz and two members of Rozz's band Massacre, Terry Butler and Bill Andrews.

The mid-era (1988-1992)

In 1988, that lineup recorded Leprosy. After lots gigging in support of the album, including a quick and ill-planned tour of Europe, Rick Rozz was fired in 1989. After a tour of Mexico featuring guitarist Paul Masvidal (later to re-emerge in the Death camp), a replacement was found in James Murphy, with whom the third album Spiritual Healing was recorded in Tampa in the summer of 1989. Murphy was sacked relatively quickly. By this time Schuldiner abandoned the "gore" lyrical theme for more social critique as Death's musical style progressed from simple brutal death metal to complex, technical death metal. More and more melody was added to the band's sound.

In 1990, on the eve of a European tour, Schuldiner decided against travelling, claiming at the last minute that he felt the tour was not adequately organized. Incredibly, Andrews and Butler continued with the tour of Europe as 'Death' regardless and recruited Walter Trachsler (guitar) and Louie Carrisalez (vocals) to replace Schuldiner, much to Schuldiner's shock and disgust. Schuldiner took legal action when the dust settled and Butler and Andrews were terminated from the band.

Schuldiner abandoned the idea of a band set-up altogether and began working with session musicians only. Schuldiner hired Steve DiGiorgio and recruited Sean Reinert and Paul Masvidal from underground Florida band Cynic. 1991's Human was Death's best-selling album yet, receiving many accolades and some MTV play for the group's first video, directed by David Bellino, for the track Lack of Comprehension. Bassist Skott Carino did Death's extensive world tour, from October 1991 until March 1992.

During this period of 1988-92, Death were managed by Eric Greif, a rocky relationship that culminated in at least two lawsuits between Greif and Schuldiner. Schuldiner managed himself for the remainder of his career.

The final years (1993-2001)

In 1993, Reinert and Masvidal left the group to continue with Cynic, Schuldiner being unable to persuade them otherwise. Schuldiner replaced them with Gene Hoglan of the recently dissolved thrash metal band Dark Angel, and worked with guitarist Andy LaRocque from King Diamond for Individual Thought Patterns. LaRocque being obligated to his band, Schuldiner hired a then-unknown Ralph Santolla as touring guitarist. Death was arguably at the peak of their commercial and popular culture success, and the video for the track The Philosopher, a lyrical slam against former guitarist Masvidal, even made it on to a Beavis & Butt-head episode in 1994 (Butt-head also parodies Schuldiner's vocals in a mock 'drive-thru' order of 'tacos, to go!' in death-metal style). Also in 1994, Death abandoned their eight year relationship with Relativity and signed with Roadrunner Records, their European distributor. For 1995's Symbolic, Santolla and DiGiorgio were exchanged for underground Florida musicians Kelly Conlon and Bobby Koelbe.

After Symbolic, Schuldiner dissolved the band and all ties with Roadrunner and began writing songs for Control Denied. It was during this time that Schuldiner briefly worked with Florida studio guitarist James Hogan. When he began writing though, he found that much of the material he had written was definitely Death, not Control Denied, so he re-formed Death with Florida musicians Richard Christy, Shannon Hamm and Scott Clendenin to record 1998's The Sound of Perseverance with his new label Nuclear Blast.

After the album and two supporting tours, Schuldiner dissolved Death to pursue Control Denied with Christy and Hamm. Clendenin was dropped in favor of Steve DiGiorgio, who was once again available, and an underground power metal singer named Tim Aymar. As Schuldiner finished Control Denied's debut album, he was diagnosed with brain cancer, forcing the band to scrap plans for a tour. As he worked on the second release, the disease overcame him, and he died on Dec. 13, 2001.

The aftermath

The second Control Denied release has yet to be completed and is mired in a variety of odd legal problems involving its label, the musicians (who have publicly stated their desire to complete the album) and Schuldiner's mother. In 2004, Hammerheart Records released a CD made up of old, pre-Scream Bloody Gore demos, along with partial demos of the unfinished album. This was issued under the name Chuck Schuldiner, not Death, but their markedly unfinished state and lack of vocals led few to pay attention, aided by Schuldiner's mother's pleas for fans to stay away from it.

Members of Death have dispersed all throughout the landscape of metal and popular music. Some, like Gene Hoglan from Dark Angel and Andy LaRocque from King Diamond, already had made a name for themselves. Others went on to do so, like Sean Reinert, who formed the legendary Cynic with fellow Death member Paul Masvidal. Ironically, both of these pioneering death metal musicians have ended up in a sensitive pop band named Æon Spoke laced with delicate guitars and Masvidal's soft croon. Richard Christy went on to gigs with Acheron and Iced Earth before joining the Howard Stern Show. Ralph Santolla has also played with Iced Earth, as well as Sebastian Bach, both of which were also stations for Steve DiGiorgio (he's still playing with Bach). While Santolla is now in Deicide, DiGiorgio also played for Testament, but is now a permanent member of Sadus. Bobby Koelbe, founded the Orlando rock-funk-latin fusion group JunkieRush in 2000. James Murphy was also in Testament for a while, formed numerous projects such as Disincarnate and has made a name for himself. Murphy also has been stricken with cancer, and, along with Deron Miller of CKY, is organizing a Death tribute album to be released in 2006.

Band members

Last known lineup

Previous members

Vocalists

Guitarists

Bassists

Drummers

Discography

See also

External links

Death metal musical groups | American heavy metal musical groups | Florida musical groups | American musical groups

Death | Death | Death | Death | Death | Death | דת' | Death | デス (バンド) | Death | Death | Death | Death (band) | Death | Death | Death

 

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