[Preamble: I know this album has already been reviewed here on Debaser (and very well, by the way!) but I hope you don't mind too much if I also give my opinion on my favorite album, which is exactly this "Symbolic."]
Led by the great Chuck Schuldiner, Death (thus Schuldiner) composed this immense masterpiece in 1995, which goes by the name of "Symbolic."
The lineup is slightly inferior compared to the previous "Individual Thought Patterns," but even on this CD, good Chuck had an excellent lineup at his disposal: Kelly Conlon on bass, Bobby Koelble on second guitar, and the legendary Gene "The Atomic Clock" Hoglan behind the drums.
Just by looking at the cover, which doesn't delight us with blood-gushing corpses (see Cannibal Corpse and early Death), many things are evident: we are facing a well-thought-out, complex, philosophical, symbolic album.
From the fantastic title track "Symbolic," an excellent meeting point between the violence that still shines through in albums like "Human" and the infinite technique of the subsequent "The Sound Of Perseverance," to the concluding "Perennial Quest," whose finale can only be defined as dreamlike, the masterpieces abound: besides the two mentioned, we find other great classics that Death continued to play until the end of their career: "Zero Tolerance," introduced by the master Hoglan and boasting one of the best guitar solos in Death's history, along with a simply stunning lyric; "Empty Words," another masterpiece performed in "Live In L.A.," where Chuck talks to us about how words can be empty (as Schuldiner himself said in an interview: "It's easy to see that "Symbolic" contains very personal songs, for example, "Empty Words": every day you might say things to people that later appear empty. It's easy to promise mountains of gold, but it's hard to keep those promises. Words should be said with meaning and not just empty phrases said for the sake of saying. You should think about what you want to say and be sure to say what you mean."); and the violent "Misantrope" and "1000 Eyes," which I personally consider one of the group's most successful songs.
The remaining songs maintain very high levels ("Sacred Serenity" and "Without Judgment" with a truly superb central part).
In my opinion, it's with the seventh track that the peak is reached, musical perfection, the apotheosis of what Chuck has given us with his Art: "Crystal Mountain" is all this... my words in describing this masterpiece can only prove inadequate and empty, so I quote a fragment of an interview of his (taken from the "Empty Words" site) where Chuck explains the meaning of these "Crystal Mountains": " -What are the 'Crystal Mountains'"?
-They are a synonym for my most critical neighbors, on whom the entire song centers. They believe they live a perfect life in a Crystal Mountain. Unfortunately, I live next door to these religious fanatics, who certainly don't live spiritually in these mountains just described. I'm sorry, but I remain indifferent to these people. They too pay taxes and shouldn't be disturbed by looking at long hair. Although this is not religious, my neighbors have feasted on hating and judging me. In this song, there's a cross that becomes a sword, a symbol of their abuse of religion. I have nothing against religion in general, but religion could direct against others. In "Crystal Mountain," I expressed my hatred and anger towards these people".
With this CD, the penultimate in his superb career, Chuck Schuldiner has given us a work of immense scope, a progression of the typical Death-sound that will culminate in "The Sound Of Perseverance"... thank you, Chuck Schuldiner!
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