I don’t feel there is such a thing as a legendary metal act, but if there’s any band in the death metal scene who could possibly deserve the title, Death would be that band. Has it really been 12 years since the release of Scream Bloody Gore? In that time the band has undergone several line-up changes to the point that Chuck Schuldiner is the only remaining member from the last Death album a mere three years ago. Over the years the band has slowly progressed, and The Sound Of Perseverance is a far cry from their raw beginnings. Melody and technical mastery are the centerpiece of this latest release. While I must applaud the band for their high level of skill, I must say I find the album, on the whole, to be rather disappointing. The album seems to more or less just be an extension of Chuck’s ego, ridden with countless (and often pointless) solos. I must applaud bassist Scott Clendenin for putting in a strong performance on the album filling the shoes of Kelly Conlon (now in Monstrosity), however is still a long way away from equaling former bassist Steve Di’Giorgio (of Sadus), who had originally planned to play on this album. The drumming of Richard Christy isn’t very flashy, but this is a very guitar oriented album anyway, but is nowhere near being in Gene Hoglan’s league. The music is flashy extension of Symbolic in some respects, the same basic rhythm and vocal patterns appear on The Sound Of Perseverance, but as I said, solos and much showing off plagues this album. The production isn’t the best, the guitars are far too high in the mix and loses a lot of it’s intended heaviness and the vocals of Chuck Schuldiner are much higher-pitched than any of his prior recordings, into a near-black metal squeal, which becomes rather irritating. There is no doubting this band is highly skilled and the album is technically sound, it’s just not the same band that recorded the classics Scream Bloody Gore, Leprosy or Spiritual Healing. The past four albums haven’t done much for me. If you’re into technical death metal or are a fan of the past four Death albums, check out The Sound Of Perseverance, I just happen to think it’s lacking what made the originals classics.

Written By: Teufel