Combat Records - 1990
9.5/10
By the time the realized style of Death’s first two albums became far more common, they had already begun their shift away from the blood and guts aesthetic with a musical cadence that matched that movement. Indeed, Spiritual Healing still injects some body horror, but instead of being the forefront personality, it’s absorbed into the cracks of the previously hinted tighter sound. By now, that shift is rather obvious to any seasoned death metal fan. But I still have a hard time calling this a “transition album.”
Sure, the concise nature and the cleanliness of the atmosphere signal a big change, but regarding songwriting, I see that as the only big shift from Leprosy. At its root, this is still death metal to its truest form that feels a bit more mature. It’s a very riff-dense disc that acts on a powerful drive for its founding, with solos that still maintain that thrash metal inspiration that lead to the genre’s creation. “Altering The Future” has some of the strongest solo work present, not stepping into any weird patterns but still standing out with an advanced ear for hooks.
In a way, this also hearkens back to the debut record, utilizing repetition in a similar vein but with an updated purpose. Slightly longer songs become normal, typically trading off two different riff patterns per song to phase the solos and chorus in and out. “Low Life” and opener “Living Monstrosity” showcase this beautifully, the former displaying this with anger and distaste without feeling as brutal as before. This shift in delivery gives the lyrics better poetic flow as well as a hint of melody. Find the same flavors in “Genetic Reconstruction” with those melodic hints as well.
Spiritual Healing also shows no fear of dipping into the slow trudgery, however I think this works a little better under the latest umbrella than it did previously. “Within The Mind” is the most glaring example, bringing in wavy riffs with the aforementioned repetition tactic for the whole song. The immaculate, seven minute (and some change) title track perfects this without it being the sole basis of the track. Some of Chuck’s best vocals to date emerge here, especially following the chugging buildup to the “practice what you preach” drop. Channeling higher fret notes into the chorus, and repeating these phases as needed gives this the status of perfection.
If nothing else, the title track is the best hint into what’s coming forward. While significantly different in delivery than what came before, I consider this to be the last of the untouched, to-the-point death metal phase in the band’s career. Pushing key differences in each album helped Death stay interesting, and their 1990 masterpiece is certainly no exception.
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