Album Review: Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

Death - The Sound Of Perseverance

Nuclear Blast - 1998

8/10

The final Death record would see the longest gap we’ve ever had between albums by the band. An entirely new lineup fed into this gap means one final shift before the end of Chuck’s career, and sadly, life. The Sound Of Perseverance very much finishes off the progressive metal we’ve seen, and more than likely, leans into it the hardest. Individual Thought Patterns brought on the full-scale tactics, and Symbolic let in the proper balance that allowed for standout songwriting.

So what does this one offer? More or less, it’s an extension of 1993’s progressive drowning, but nearly lets go of the death metal aspect entirely. In reality, the only thing about this that even remotely reflects the genre is the fact that it’s fast (in some areas) and has harsh vocals (though even those are very different). Neither of these traits are really specific to the genre, and the riffing itself that took root in the late ‘80s explosion is hardly present. This isn’t to say it’s entirely void, but there’s little in the way of it. For the most part, this is loaded with fancy time signatures, wavy baseline repetition, and wailing, dissonant guitar passages that take airy breaks. Even the short “Bite The Pain” feels like it jumps all over the place.

What matters is if it works, and mostly, it does. This is easily the most jam-packed and hardest to swallow, but I still think it has plenty of notable areas. The musicianship seems to allow more room to work with, and Chuck’s higher shrieks give an entirely new delivery. It matches the structured chaos of the instruments, especially when it reaches slow, nearly doom ridden areas that we see in areas such as the chorus in “Spirit Crusher.” The poetic clarity is still strong, and much of this conjures up sick guitar/bass combos.”Flesh And The Power It Holds” really does this in a somber manner that allows for such a compelling delivery. However, there are times where it feels a bit showy with areas that are unnecessary, or straight up don’t fit the flow, even with the jarring move they’re going for.

I can’t dock The Sound Of Perseverance too many points, though. The good parts are still great, and the less-than parts aren’t bad. “Scavenger Of Human Sorrow” will always be a classic reflective of their final act as a whole, and while it’s somewhat top-heavy, I never don’t enjoy hearing this. As I’ve said before, if one of your worst records is still this great, you’ve had a wonderful career.