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Death - Symbolic



9.3 | 2495 votes |
Release date: 21 March 1995
Style: Progressive death metal, Progressive thrash metal

Owners:

2747 have it
226 want it
3 trade it


01. Symbolic
02. Zero Tolerance
03. Empty Words
04. Sacred Serenity
05. 1,000 Eyes
06. Without Judgement
07. Crystal Mountain
08. Misanthrope
09. Perennial Quest
10. Symbolic Acts [instrumental demo version]
11. Zero Tolerance [instrumental version]
12. Crystal Mountain [instrumental version]
13. Misanthrope [instrumental version]
14. Symbolic Acts [demo]

Top 20 albums of 1995: 1
Top 200 albums of all time: 3

Additional info
Produced, engineered and mixed by Jim Moore for D.U.A.F. productions.
Co-produced by Chuck Schuldiner.
Recorded and mixed at Morrisound Recording, Tampla, FL.
Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, NYC.
Cover art: René Miville.
Band photography: René Miville.
Design: Patty Mooney.

Produced for reissue by Monte Conner.
Project coordinator: Steven Hartong.
Remastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, NYC, December 2007.
Bonus tracks taken from Symbolic pre-production demos. Produced by Chuck Schuldiner.

Guest review by
K✞ulu
Rating:
9.7
1995 was very generous to the metal world with its great releases. One of them was Death's 6th studio album called Symbolic, a true masterpiece and a classic without a doubt. Everything about this music piece impresses to the very marrow of the bones: the riffs, the leads, the bass, the drums, the lyrics and the vocals. The album is even more versatile and progressive than the previous two, with most songs running for over 5 minutes.

Read more ››
published 26.06.2008 | Comments (22)

Guest review by
Yanko
Rating:
9.0
So, after probably the worst album in Death's career, they have taken enough time off (two years) before releasing this one. And it is a very rapid change from the previous one, leaving many of the fans really puzzled.

Chuck has once more changed his vocals to more screaming and thus getting them to what they will sound three years later at a steady and slow pace. His singing isn't very convincing and could be easily be labeled as rather ordinary thrash singing, because of his voice lacking the personal touch of the man performing them.

Read more ››
published 15.09.2003 | Comments (33)

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Comments page 2 / 4

Comments: 103   Visited by: 4022 users
30.06.2012 - 16:21
Rating: 10
lord artan
Zero Tolerance!!!!!!!!!best just best.
are you sleeping??...
oh Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner why you die?you are ingenious
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13.07.2012 - 19:01
Rating: 10
qlacs
"The Quaker"
I'm not a Death fan to say so (I don't like all their albums, the earlier one's I almost can't listen to) but here are my favourites in order: Crystal Mountain, 10000 Eyes, Empty Words, Symbolic, Without Judgement, Misanthrope, Zero Tolerance and Perennial Quest with the end.

So that pretty much sums it up.
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01.08.2012 - 00:36
thewaytonever
Yawn
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follow me on twitter @thewaytonever
http://www.last.fm/user/thewaytonever
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01.08.2012 - 01:42
Rating: 7
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
Chuck Vocals annoy the piss out of me, the riffing is cool and all, but not THAT cool.
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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01.08.2012 - 01:53
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Boxcar Willy on 01.08.2012 at 01:42

Chuck Vocals annoy the piss out of me, the riffing is cool and all, but not THAT cool.

Basically how I feel about it. I probably need to revise my scores though.
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01.08.2012 - 11:20
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Staff
Written by Boxcar Willy on 01.08.2012 at 01:42

Chuck Vocals annoy the piss out of me, the riffing is cool and all, but not THAT cool.

Well, the high pitched voice wasn't an all-time-thing. I know many enjoy their first stuff and dislike the later mostly because of the vocals.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass

Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.

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04.09.2012 - 17:53
dinualin94
Account deleted
I love this masterpiece
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04.09.2012 - 23:28
Rating: 9
Angelic Storm
Melodious
Written by X-Ray Rod on 01.08.2012 at 11:20
Well, the high pitched voice wasn't an all-time-thing. I know many enjoy their first stuff and dislike the later mostly because of the vocals.

I like Death's last two albums very much, though I have to admit I'd like them even more if the vocals were more "classic Chuck". "Individual Thought Patterns" was the last album to contain those classic vocals. The vocals on "Symbolic" were like a mix between his older style vocals and the higher pitched vocals that were on TSOP. And on TSOP the vocals were fully in the high pitched style that you could hear starting to come through on the previous album. I don't hate the high pitched vocals by any means, and they are certainly not bad enough to make me dislike the last two albums, but they are definitely the weak spot on those albums. If those albums contained Chuck's old voice, they would definitely sound quite a bit better than they actually do.
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28.10.2012 - 22:16
Rating: 10
gnirpz
Highest level of technicality mixed with metal spirit. Chuck was a genius. No word about this masterpiece. 11/10. Could be one of the best album of all time, no matter about the music style. For sure, a reference in metal.
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04.01.2013 - 15:08
megadeath13
Account deleted
Very good album, but just a little bit overrated. Human, Spiritual Healing and Leprosy are better in my opinion.
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07.01.2013 - 13:47
Illog1cal
Account deleted
This is actually closer to being a Power Metal album with all the power chords, the over the top soaring solos, dramatic screams, traditional song structures. It is a very inoffensive Death metal album, it is a Power Metal album but with screaming instead of clean vocals and a down-tuned clean but chug-worthy guitar tone. I quite like a lot of it because even though it is repetitive there are some stand out moments and overall songs that are too great to pass on, you have: 'Symbolic', 'Empty Words', the classic anthem 'Crystal Mountain', and 'Misanthrope' which was decent.
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07.01.2013 - 21:44
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Staff
Written by [user id=130590] on 07.01.2013 at 13:47

This is actually closer to being a Power Metal album with all the power chords, the over the top soaring solos, dramatic screams, traditional song structures. It is a very inoffensive Death metal album, it is a Power Metal album but with screaming instead of clean vocals and a down-tuned clean but chug-worthy guitar tone. I quite like a lot of it because even though it is repetitive there are some stand out moments and overall songs that are too great to pass on, you have: 'Symbolic', 'Empty Words', the classic anthem 'Crystal Mountain', and 'Misanthrope' which was decent.

At this point I wouldn't call it death metal at all... Just progressive metal. Same for the next one.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass

Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.

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08.01.2013 - 01:59
Illog1cal
Account deleted
Written by X-Ray Rod on 07.01.2013 at 21:44

Written by [user id=130590] on 07.01.2013 at 13:47

This is actually closer to being a Power Metal album with all the power chords, the over the top soaring solos, dramatic screams, traditional song structures. It is a very inoffensive Death metal album, it is a Power Metal album but with screaming instead of clean vocals and a down-tuned clean but chug-worthy guitar tone. I quite like a lot of it because even though it is repetitive there are some stand out moments and overall songs that are too great to pass on, you have: 'Symbolic', 'Empty Words', the classic anthem 'Crystal Mountain', and 'Misanthrope' which was decent.

At this point I wouldn't call it death metal at all... Just progressive metal. Same for the next one.

Its not progressive, if it was progressive songs like 'Without Judgement' would not have two sections at the beginning of the song and then a middle 'spaced out' part and then the same two sections at the beginning repeated again to finish. This is a very simple song structure, its nowhere near progressive and neither are most of the other songs.
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08.01.2013 - 15:16
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Staff
Let's agree to disagree then. Just because it doesn't have an extremely difficult structure it doesn't mean that is' not progressive.

One thing is for sure: This ain't death and neither the last album.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass

Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.

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18.01.2013 - 12:32
Jaeryd
Nihil's Maw
Fucking great.
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12.05.2013 - 18:56
Rating: 8
Dzidziafon
For me 3rd Death album, after SoP and Human.
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23.07.2013 - 20:34
Rating: 10
Himedal
I'm not very much into death but I really love this album.
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What goes by is life to be taken
The doom calls upon the forsaken
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01.10.2013 - 17:31
Rating: 9
NocturnalStalker
Metal Addict
My favourite Death album and one of my all-time favourite metal albums. Not a single song that is not great to my ears.
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"And we are not who we think we are
We are who we're afraid to be"
- Lux Occulta "The Opening of Eleventh Sephirah"
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27.03.2015 - 03:38
Rating: 10
If i had to narrow down my favorite metal albums ever, this album is one that i can define as a true metal record. It sounds so ahead of its time and the mix of catchy and atmospheric riffs is unbelieveably good. Chuck schuldiner is truly the metal wizard
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20.10.2015 - 23:25
Xygtrag
Mi album favorito de Death y de todas, no me canso de escucharlo, excelente bateria
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19.11.2015 - 19:22
psykometal
A staff guy...
Elite
Written by Xygtrag on 20.10.2015 at 23:25

Mi album favorito de Death y de todas, no me canso de escucharlo, excelente bateria

English only on this website, amigo. You can read the FAQ here for all site rules: http://metalstorm.net/home/faq.php
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~Zep, Database and Forum Moderation~

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12.05.2016 - 11:27
Metalheart35
Account deleted
A masterpiece, perfect album.
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25.09.2016 - 03:16
Rating: 9
Kvothe
Wow
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Here, waiting very quiet right in front Valaritas, the door that hides the tomb.
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10.01.2017 - 19:28
Rating: 10
crucifiedjesus
As close to perfection as anyone has ever come
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22.05.2017 - 16:44
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Contributor
I've never listened to this - and I love Spiritual Healing
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rekt
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28.12.2017 - 20:37
Albert_Wesker_19
Account deleted
Best death metal album of all time, I dont have any doubts that is listed in one of the first places about the greatest metal albums, the speed, the progression, the vocals, everything here is perfect.
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08.04.2018 - 04:08
Maco
Pvt Funderground
Reappreciating this one more now. Musically outstanding.
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Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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10.05.2018 - 02:23
Rating: 8
Metren
Dreadrealm
Liked this one a lot more than TSoP, it's just a better album overall, with far better songwriting, catchier riffs and even the vocals are better. Good album this, excited to listen to it again sometime soon.
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My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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17.07.2018 - 01:29
Rating: 10
Furiator
This album is magical... I feel like it's hard to fully appreciate it. To me the thing that stands out are definitely the lyrics. Every song deals with something that can hit you. And they are not easy to understand.
Generally, every song feels polished to perfection. Every song is filled with content, awesome on every end.
However, it does feel boring for me sometimes. It's a lot to swallow, and if you're not mindful about it, it gets boring easily. It's just hard to enjoy. But when you do, it's epic as fuck.
And it contains absolute masterpieces such as "Symbolic" or "Crystal Mountain".
It's magical. It's weird. It takes you on a journey. Not even the album, but every song on its own.

Also, I wanna point out how these are the absolute best track titles I've ever seen. They capture the spirit of the album perfectly.
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17.07.2018 - 06:32
Rating: 9
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
Admin
Written by Metren on 10.05.2018 at 02:23

Liked this one a lot more than TSoP, it's just a better album overall, with far better songwriting, catchier riffs and even the vocals are better. Good album this, excited to listen to it again sometime soon.

Probably my fave of Chuck's work. Love the raw older stuff, but this encapsulated everything - the technical progress made - but still has a vastly superior vibe to ITP or the meh album that followed.
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get the fuck off my lawn.

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