Album Review: Death - Human

Death - Human

Relativity Records - 1991

10/10

Deciding to dial back the aggression a bit must have been the kickstart needed to teeter away from full-on death metal for the Floridian legends. Human is the record that I see as the truly transitional record for the band, as it still lightly holds onto the style of the first three. Yet, Death does away entirely with the body-horror lyrics in exchange for more relatable material. With this is the cleanest atmosphere they’d have yet, and advanced passages that would give way to a progressive sound shows its roots. 

The end result ended up being something that I see as flawless. Not leaning too far into the intricacies that makes up technical music worked wonders, especially with how brief this managed to stay. Creating a flow that doesn’t sound too jarring between ideas also gives a superior edge, with not so much as a note feeling out of place. Thus, it should be no surprise to find an even mix of crushing death metal oriented passages with many proggy bridges and guitar dynamics. 

For the most part, the latter is heaviest in the center of the album. I would go as far as saying that “Secret Face,” “See Through Dreams,” and “Together As One” almost entirely exit the death metal sphere. The first of those three certainly has some breakneck speeds, but the channeling of it into several different note progressions with a wavy rhythm presence is the main focus. Its fast solo backed with bubbly bass works as a resolution to the slow and gradual changes. So much of this angle works during breaks from vocals, the softer instrumental “Cosmic Sea” flexing that muscle. “Together As One” on the other hand incorporates a slower approach to let the rhythms jump out beside a chorus with huge memorability.

In fact, the amount of strength the choruses hold on this album is notable. “Suicide Machine” is another one that takes this approach, utilizing buildup to break in more traditional extreme metal aggression. On the other hand, Human also nods to the aesthetic of previous records if only a little. Opener “Flattening Of Emotions” feels similar to the dialed back, but to-the-point energy that Spiritual Healing gave us. “Lack Of Comprehension” also tacks that on, but positions a softer intro that hints at the leads we’ll hear in this song’s solo. The drumwork here is also some of the most spectacular. 

Closer “Vacant Planets” ties everything together in a way that offers up a little bit of everything, flowing beautifully from “Cosmic Sea.” Depending on the version you get, you’ll close with a cover of KISS’s “God Of Thunder,” admittedly throwing a wrench in things but fun nonetheless. Talking about the actual album though, this works as the rare case of a transition album being one of the finest moments for a band. It leans into the newer era more than the older era, and that careful blend works like magic.