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Death (band)



         


Death was an influential death metal band from America. Founded in 1984 by Chuck Schuldiner under the original name of Mantas, they pioneered the Death Metal sound along with Morbid Angel, Possessed and Suffocation. They were a part of and helped define the famous Florida death metal scene.

The band changed rapidly during the 1990s and went from playing simplistic brutal death metal to playing complex 'technical' death metal, adding melodies and virtuoso performances to its sound. Chuck Schuldiner (1967 - 2001) was the leader and mastermind behind Death, the only constant as backing musicians, and label backing, came and went. No backing musician managed to remain in the band for more than two albums.

INCOMPLETE BIO, NEEDS FIXING

In 1990 the entire band dissolved. Chuck hired Steve DiGiorgio and recruited Sean Reinert and Paul Masvidal from the underground Florida band Cynic. 1991's Human was their best selling album yet, receiving many accolades and some MTV play.

In 1993, Reinert and Masvidal left the group to continue with Cynic, Chuck being unable to persuade them otherwise. Chuck replaced them with Gene Hoglan of the recently dissolved Dark Angel, and for Individual Thought Patterns, worked with guitarist Andy LaRocque from Kind Dimanod, LaRocque being obligated to his band, Chuck hired Ralph Santolla as touring guitarist. Afterwards, for 1995's Symbolic, Santolla and DiGiorgio were cashiered for Kelly Conlon and Bobby Koieble, underground Florida musicians. After Symbolic, Chuck dissolved the band and all ties with Roadrunner Records and began writing songs for Control Denied. Somehow this did not pan out, and he reformed the band with Florida musicians Richard Christy, Shannon Hamm, and Scott Clendenin, to record 1998's The Sound of Perseverance with his new label Nuclear Blast.

After the album and a supporting tour, Chuck dissolved Death to pursue Control Denied with Christy and Hamm from his last album. Clendenin was cashiered in favor of Steve DiGiorgio, who was once again available, and an underground power metal singer named Tim Aymar. As Chuck finished their debut album, he was stricken with brain cancer, forcing them to scrap plans for a tour. And as he worked on the second release, the disease overcame him, and he passed from this earth. The second Control Denied release is yet to be completed and is mired in a variety of odd legal problems involving their label, Chuck's mother, and the musicians who have publicly stated their desire to complete the album. In 2004 Hammerheart Records released a cd made up of both old, pre Scream Bloody Gore demos, and partial demos of the unfinished album, under the name Chuck Schuldiner, not Death. But their markedly unfinished state and lack of vocals led few to pay attention to what was obviously an unlistenable product.

The members of Death have dispersed all throughout the landscape of extreme metal. Some, such as Gene Hoglan from Dark Angel and Andy LaRocque from King Diamond, already had made a name for themselves. Others went on to do so, such as Sean Reinert, who formed the legendary Cynic with fellow Death member Paul Masvidal. Ironically, both of these pioneering death metal musicians have ended up in a sensitive pop band laced with delicate guitars and Masvidal's soft croon, named Aeon Spoke. Richard Christy went on to gigs with Acheron and Iced Earth before joining the Howard Stern Show. Ralph Santolla also ended up with Iced Earth, as did Steve DiGiorgio momentarily. DiGiorgio is now a permanent member of both Sadus and Testament. James Murphy has formed numerous projects such as Disincarnate and has made a name for himself. Murphy also has been stricken with cancer, and is organizing a Death tribute album to be released this year.

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