Death - Human (1991)

With Death, you have on one side of the spectrum all of the "old school death metal" faggots that claim allegiance to the first two albums and those two only (with a few, apparently "forgiving" denizens adding in 'Spiritual Healing' to the equation) and then you have the artsy/techno-nerd types who are rendered  "breathless" by everything the band has done from 'Human' on out (though for some reason all factions tend to agree that The Sound of Perseverance gargles laminated donkey testicles).

Personally, I think they're all wrong. Spiritual Healing, without a doubt, belongs with the first two albums as part of Death's classic and initial phase. The Sound of Perseverance is not as bad as everyone makes it out, especially after the ultra-bland flavorless gruel that is 'Symbolic', and Human is in all likelihood the band's pinnacle moment with Individual Thought Patterns a strong runner-up.

I always thought that 'Human' was a substantial "fuck you" to the mongoloids in Massacre. I mean, talk about regression, it was clearly evident who the weakest links were once the homey's in Death got the collective boot and re-formed Massacre. The songwriting "skills" sank considerably and Rozz's whammy wanking ways were left unchecked while flying guitar strings were the bane of many an eyeball across the nation. If something boring and lame is considered "pedestrian" than the guys in Massacre were a pack of cripples trying to cross the street in wheelchairs. The muscianship between the two bands is incomparable. Once the Massacre dolts got dropkicked from the ranks, Schuldiner's creative juices truly began to flow.

The cool thing about 'Human', to me, was that, more than being just a technical upgrade, the songs remained catchy and even more so than any of the band's previous outings. Their was a finesse here that the band acquired and everything sounded, dare I say, smooth, which is surprisingly a good thing. Hey, I don't mind a job well done in the studio. I'm not one of these "necro" fucks who whines all day about shit not sounding raw enough. Whatever. Up until this point, 'Human' was the best sounding Death album and probably the best in their career. Do I like it the best? Nah. I have a soft spot for 'Spiritual Healing', though 'Human' comes in right behind it.

Thankfully, the fags in Cynic are only here as hired hands, otherwise 'Human' would have been an altogether different "experience".