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Rating: [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!
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Symbolic (06:33)
I don't mean to dwell
But I can't help myself
When I feel the vibe
And taste a memory
Of a time in life
When years seemed to stand still
I close my eyes
And sink within myself
Relive the gift of precious memories
In need of a fix called innocence
When did it begin?
The change to come was undetectable
The open wounds expose the importance of
Our innocence
A high that can never be bought or sold
Symbolic acts - So vivid
Yet at the same time
Were invisible
Savor what you feel and what you see
Things that may not seem important now
But may be tomorrow
Do you remember when
Things seemed so eternal?
Heroes were so real...
Their magic frozen in time
The only way to learn
Is be aware and hold on tight
I close my eyes
And sink within myself
Relive the gift of precious memories
In need of a fix called innocence
When did it begin?
The change to come was undetectable
The open wounds expose the importance of
Our innocence
A high that can never be bought or sold
02 Zero Tolerance (04:48)
In the dark of night...
Abusing a portion of light
While others are sleeping
And some are escaping
A serpent spews out fantasy
Unjustified blasphemy
That cannot be condoned
It must be strange to not have lived
So far into existence
This is not a test of power
This is not a game to be lost or won
Let justice be done
There will be zero tolerance
For the creator of hallowed intentions
There will be zero tolerance
Fate is your deciding God
Karma comes crashing down
Leaving a very deep scar
Exposing a door to the
Source of a verbal whore
Machines supply the altar
Where virtuous lives are sacrificed
It must be strange to not have lived
So far into existence
This is not a test of power
This is not a game to be lost or won
Let justice be done
04 Sacred Serenity (04:26)
Wherever we go, whatever we do
Your shadow is not far behind our steps
And our breath
Protecting and watching all...
Observing spirits on the wall
What are they telling you?
Following all instincts that are pure
Oblivious to time that may be the cure
[Chorus:]
Sacred is the gift that they
have without knowing
Serenity is knowing it's safe
from destruction of time
[Solo: Schuldiner]
Maybe we could take a step back
And discover what leads us to attack
Time that is short - distance unknown
For them, each day life has just begun
Observing spirits on the wall
What are they telling you?
Following all instincts that are pure
Oblivious to time that may be the cure
[Repeat chorus]
05 1,000 Eyes (04:28)
Crossing the line into the other side
Emerging as prisoners
To the emptiness of time
To the left and to the right
From behind - They're out of sight
Plunging into a new found
Age of advanced observeillance
A worldwide, Foolproof cage
Privacy and intimacy as we know it
Will be a memory
Among many to be passed down
To those who never knew
Living in the pupil of 1,000 eyes
Was it overlooked in front of all our faces?
Now, All the mistakes and secrets
Cannot be erased
Viewing the blind complexity
By which laws were justified
To erase simplicity
To the left and to the right
From behind - They're out of sight
Plunging into a new found
Age of advanced observeillance
A worldwide, Foolproof cage
Privacy and intimacy as we know it
Will be a memory
Among many to be passed down
To those who never knew
We are enslaved now...
07 Crystal Mountain (05:07)
Built from blind faith
Passed down from self-induced fantasy
Turn a page to justify
Conjuring power - It opens wide
On seventh day
Is that how it's done?
Twisting your eyes to perceive
All that you want
To assume from ignorance
Inflicting wounds with your
Cross-turned dagger
Inside crystal mountain
Evil takes its form
Inside crystal mountain
Commandments are reborn
All the traps are set to confine
All who get in the way of the divine
In sight and in mind of the hypocrite
A slave to the curse forever confined
Shatter the myth
Don't cut yourself
On your words against
Dreams made of steel
Stronger any faith
That inflicts pain and fear
Is that how it's done?
Twisting your eyes to perceive
All that you want
To assume from ignorance
Inflicting wounds with your
Cross-Turned dagger
08 Misanthrope (05:03)
From above and around,
observations are collected
Knowledge is taken in by curious life forms
That may bring hope from beyond
Beneath the giver of life, our sun
An examination of another kind is done
A view from those who stood high
And breathed the sky
An opinion from below and from above
Some were decided, some were not
A few looked away, but none forgot
[Chorus:]
Misanthrope
Hater of all mankind
There is some hope
For those who own their mind
They came, they saw and acknowledged
Some good, some bad
Opinion: Dangerous
[Solo: Schuldiner]
Stay where you are, don't get consumed
By what they created from sheer neglet
In denial of years and years of
shattered souls
That were lost to the power of
Fragile, frightful minds
A view from those who stood high
And breathed the sky
An opinion from below and from above
Some were decided, some were not
A few looked away, but none forgot
[Repeat chorus]
09 Perennial Quest (08:18)
The journey begins with curiosity
And envolves into soul-felt questions
On the stones that we walk
And choose to make our path
Sometimes never knowing
Other times knowing too much
Filtering out the bad that holds us back...
Take hold of what is true to your hunger
A hunger that will not go away
Plans for tomorrow, They will remain
Won't you join me on the perennial quest
Reaching into the dark, Retrieving light
Search for answers on the perennial quest
Where dreams are followed, And time is a test
No time for mental crutches
The maker has moved on
I will take it raw and be on my way
Those that stood beside me
I'm glad you understand
Behind these written words
I share the simple plan
To hang on to the way that we feel
From rivers of sorrow
To oceans deep with hope
I have travelled them
Now, There is no turning back
The limit, The sky
I ask my questions Why? What today?
When tomorrow?
Filtering out the bad that holds us back...
Take hold of what is true to your hunger
A hunger that will not go away
Plans for tomorrow, They will remain
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Other reviews
By The_Bassist
A perfect ending, in short, not dictated by a decline but by an evolution.
The vocals: still in growl, but becoming sharper, more technical, and controlled.
By mayhem
The concept of the album is based on an exasperated symbolism ('about life'), often cryptic, translated into a masterpiece of distorted and extremely violent sounds.
With this work, he expressed an extraordinary concept: playing with the mind, the heart, and a lot of anger, balancing the three.
By LUGREZZO
"Symbolic is absolutely the most complex and melodic album in the entire 'death' field."
The last 2 minutes are indeed the heart of all symbols where Death breaks the chains.
