Hmm, I suppose the lack of lyrics doesn't really take away from a voice's instrumental quality. Like I said, it could be just a rumor but it's strange to think that he would feel like he had to do that if he has actual lyrics to the songs.

i have heard enough "cookie monster" vocals to actually disseminate what they're singing

so if he's spouting gibberish on stage, I'd know

Has anyone else here listened to Deaths early demo material? Really fun stuff - not complicated death metal, just fast, punk influenced extremism. "Death by Metal" is a really, really great track - even if it was recorded via a mono boombox.

I`m surprised this group doesn`t get more attention on these boards, because without doubt Death were one of the essential bands in the whole extreme metal movement and defined what death metal was all about. Chuck Schuldiner could run rings around a huge amount of metal guitarists and their move into more technical and progressive metal was equally amazing and they were on a par with Atheist on the progressive side on things.

There is also a lot of debate over their best albums and that`s largely a sign that all their albums were good but I slightly prefer the later material.

Symbolic> Individual Thought Patterns> Leprosy> Sound of Perseverance> Human> Scream Bloody Gore> Spiritual Healing.

I'm not overly surprised they dont get more attention, there seems to be more punk and hip hop fans on these boards than metal fans. I do agree that their albums were all good but I'd definitely have Sound of Perserverance at the bottom, I didnt like Chuck's vocal too much on that album (except for the Painkiller cover, where it worked well). The other 6 are pretty close and it could alter depending on my mood and what I've listened to recently, but this would be my order (Leprosy is always number one, regardless)

Leprosy> Symbolic> Human> Scream Bloody Gore> Spiritual Healing> Individual Thought Patterns> Sound of Perserverance

Now that this thread has popped up I'm a little surprised they don't get much attention. I think there are plenty of metal fans here, Chuck.

I love how old school Death sounds these days. It takes me back to the days when I thought Metallica was the most badass music ever. Not that I'm comparing Metallica to Death... Metallica just gave me a certain feeling when I was younger and I got that feeling again when I discovered Death. Human is my personal favorite.

Death just dominated and took over where Slayer and the other big two left off. Death, Morbid Angel, Autopsy then you had the Norwegians and Euros like Entombed and Pestilence...the Floridian and Metal Underground. I just didn't have any need for Slayer anymore. Favorite Death record is Symbolic, great progressive music, yet tight and heavy as hell!

I added the bold; and I did so because that is wrong. Death were & are an important band in extreme metal, death metal in particular, and music in general - however, they are not and have never been the defining death metal band. Death are 2nd wave of Death Metal; first wave bands such as Sepultura & Possessed were more important.

And while I doubt you think this, I know some newbs do, and it annoys me to no end, so I will say it; "Death Metal" was not a term dreamt up for Death clones or sound-a-likes. Death were neither the first Death Metal band or the most important (or well known) of the second wave of Death Metal.

I disagree with most of this. Firstly, defining means most representative of the genre as in terms of style, direction of the genre and a level of popularity and NOT necessarily the first to do that style. Secondly, Death were out before the second wave of death metal came in and had already released their first two classic death metal albums, the second wave came out around 1989/1990 when the record labels saw it as a marketable metal genre and most of the other best known metal bands had put their debut albums. Thirdly, I`ll agree that Possessed probably put out one the first ever true death metal album in "Seven Churches" but they were only a couple years ahead of Death before they split/released their last album making them pioneers rather than defining the genre. Fourthly, Groups like Celtic Frost, Slayer and Sepultura etc were just huge influences on the genre than actually representing the genre. Finally, Chuck Schuldiner wasn`t known as the "Father of Death Metal" for nothing.

The metal media, to what extent it exists, hands out such titles as though they were tic-tacs; Morbid Angel have been called the Ramones of Death Metal, for instance.