Death
Symbolic

THE REVIEW

"Symbolic" is absolutely the most complex and melodic album in the entire "death" field.

With this album (1995), one leaves behind the rawness and harshness of previous "technical death metal" albums ("Elements", "Focus", "Individual Thought Patterns") to embrace a changed and also somewhat refined sound that mixes the brightest "death" with the most nostalgic and stagnant melodic "death".

This is, along with a few others, an album where every song has something to offer and none (I mean damn none) is placed there by chance or, worse, to fill a gap to match the minutes.
Worth noting is that throughout the album, the voice of "Chuck Schuldiner" never changes (e nnono).

Moreover, structurally, every song is the same. With 2 or 3 changes for each verse, the chorus, the solo, and then it all goes around back to the chorus... A bit monotonous (e nnono). An exception is "Perennial Quest" which, in addition to the classic structure, features 2 minutes of instrumental at the end.

Furthermore, 5 out of 9 songs end in fade-out (which I personally appreciate a lot in a song). Also noteworthy is the arrangement of these songs with the fade-out (you will see the precise arrangement better later...): they are alternated, like in a Venetian blind. It starts with one in fade-out ("Symbolic"), the following one does not have a fade-out ("Zero Tolerance"), while the third has the fade-out ("Empty Words").. This structure repeats until the end of the album. Small details that, however, make me think...
Having said that...

"Symbolic": the title track that very well represents the entire album, the only regret is the total absence of melancholy that characterizes the whole album. Excellent solo and very catchy rhythms. Very well done the final fade-out, especially for the drums.

"Zero Tolerance": a very valid song which, even if initially not catchy, can be fully appreciated even after months or years since the last listen. Excellent solo, drum changes, and the connection with the post-solo verse. The ending is breathtaking and once done listening, you feel like continuing to sing that hard rhythm at the chorus. It's a shame just for its length. For a song that "Chuck Schuldiner" will choose as the title for two albums, I find it not very representative and deserving.

"Empty Words": is the first grip of the album to which one can cling. The initial note rounds, the very powerful attack riff, the sudden aggression of the voice, the chorus driven to the maximum, a chilling and delicate solo, excellent verses after the solo, the sudden resumption (as well as the entire initial attack) and finally here we are again with the chorus driven to the maximum which is even further extended making it very melodic. Magnificent the chorus in fade-out where it is possible to hear one of those few times the voice persists inexorably. Really a very valid song, for many the best of the album, not for me...

"Sacred Serenity": the first song that highlights the bass (in the initial part), the chorus is very well done and the pause halfway through the song where you can admire one of the many melodic fragments of the album is magnificent. It will never be one of the best (on the contrary... in my opinion, it's the worst, although it's better to say the least beautiful). But comparing quality to duration, I can observe that the two factors are quite balanced. It's very strange to explain, but in this song I find the same feeling I described in "Zero Tolerance", the discussion of the final part, remember...

"1000 Eyes": in my opinion, it's the most mysterious and underrated song of the entire album. It has a particular catchiness that forces you to think "this song is nice but nothing extraordinary". Instead, it's one of those songs that if not listened to fifty times, you will never fully understand. Excellent the drumming in the second change and in the final fade-out which perfectly embodies the scene of the "1000 eyes"... a small detail based on my personal idea. I must say, however, the solo is a bit short, yes difficult but still a bit short. The chorus is stunning, melodic to the right point, and the echo of the "Chuk Schuldiner" voice is heard in very few songs, so enjoy it.

"Without Judgement": it's one of those songs on which you will always have an uncertain idea, you will never be able to decide on its beauty, you will always be undecided from a "stunning" to a "stratospheric". Well-done rhythms, in one in particular has a truly spectral and gothic background melody. The chorus is a bit too fast for my taste. The solo is very atmospheric and the macabre quiet following the solo is quite suggestive. This song essentially has nothing exceptional but gives you that sense of "persuasive" that makes you reconsider every previous criticism.

"Crystal Mountain": I consider this the second hook after "Empty Words". The technical level of this song is absolutely excellent, especially for the drums which don't spare riffs with crazy counter-tempos at the limit of human perception. The rhythms are very engaging and during the song, there are several snippets dedicated to the melodic and nostalgic. The solo is very well done, although a bit too jumbled (but this is mainly due to my disdain for "tapping" and the succession of notes one after the other). Fabulous the final chorus in fade-out where to that relentless round of notes is added a fabulous classical guitar accompanying it to total silence. Very stable and representative. Really great work done by these "Death".

"Misanthrope": after "Sacred Serenity" it is the second less beautiful. It is very evident that the main characteristic of the song is the rhythm and speed. For this reason, the burst of atmosphere that is created immediately after the first chorus is very appreciable, unfortunately, its duration is limited to just over 10 seconds. The solo is nothing special but still valid. In my opinion, it's a bit more monotonous song. In "Misanthrope" I still find that sense of "keep humming" I've already spoken about in "Zero Tolerance" and "Sacred Serenity".

"Perennial Quest": final and in my opinion the most beautiful song. Everything starts with a devastating explosion of rhythms on rhythms. The tempo in this song changes much more than in the other two hooks ("Empty Words" and "Crystal Mountain"). It's very interesting the alternation between calm and charge that this song presents us. The solo has never impressed me much, maybe because it's much slower and macabre than other solos on this album. Notable is "Death's" great craftsmanship in completely changing tempo during the solo. Then, everything is flooded by one last tiny solo that devastates the rhythm to embark on a more delicate and sentimental side of "Death". The last 2 minutes are indeed the heart of all symbols where "Death" breaks the chains. The last and struggling fade-out enveloped by a round of 8 notes that repeat inexorably and an electric guitar trying to support everything it can with small solos and chord pulls. The perfect embodiment of the "Perennial Quest", of the "Continuous Search". A more than enchanting ending.

With this last one, I'm done.
I hope you like my review.

by LUGREZZO