"Zombie Ritual" might be one of the best songs of all time. I love going back to listen to this album

This is one of the best examples of a transition between finely tuned thrash metal and raw death metal. It's also death's first album, and a sign of great things to come. I personally thought there were a few too many songs here...

I prefer their early, raw works. the latter more progressive stuff just doesn't make that click to me.

Definitely a total classic, not just of extreme metal, but of metal generally. Along with Individual Thought Patterns, this is my fave album from Death. Much as that album set the standard for all tech death bands to follow, this one set a new standard for visceral barbarity in metal at the time. And of course, it helps that the songs are all stone cold classics! "Torn To Pieces" has to be my fave though! xD

A Thrash / Death Metal album... hmm not bad at all, maybe i dont like it so much cause i love all the other efforts they did from Leprosy and after.. but still

Written by Reality03 on 30.05.2013 at 15:40

Totally classic and probably Deaths 2nd best. This should get more Attention than TSOP.

IMO TSOP tends to be a bit overrated

Written by Toxik on 16.01.2015 at 00:08


IMO TSOP tends to be a bit overrated

IMO TSOP is not a bit overrated, IMO it is extremely overrated, Death's weakest album by far.

Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 16.01.2015 at 00:21

Written by Toxik on 16.01.2015 at 00:08


IMO TSOP tends to be a bit overrated

IMO TSOP is not a bit overrated, IMO it is extremely overrated, Death's weakest album by far.

To me it's not that bad. it's not as good as the others

Written by Reality03 on 16.01.2015 at 22:14

Written by Toxik on 16.01.2015 at 00:08

Written by Reality03 on 30.05.2013 at 15:40

Totally classic and probably Deaths 2nd best. This should get more Attention than TSOP.

IMO TSOP tends to be a bit overrated

Yeah, i could never understand the praise for TSOP. Its well played at all, but musically just not interesting.

And Chuck voice is not that good on TSOP

Written by Toxik on 17.01.2015 at 16:58

And Chuck voice is not that good on TSOP

If by "not that good" you mean completely dreadful, then I'll have to agree with you. Unfortunately, Chuck's voice has, for me, always been what kept this album from being highly addictive. Fortunately on Leprosy the riffing is good enough for me to ignore the subpar vocals and become completely immersed in the music, but the rest of Death's discography would definitely have benefited from a different vocalist. His singing is definitely at its' worst on TSOP though, where Marcel best put it as sounding like a helium influenced Donald Duck

Written by Alex F on 17.01.2015 at 21:44

Written by Toxik on 17.01.2015 at 16:58

And Chuck voice is not that good on TSOP

If by "not that good" you mean completely dreadful, then I'll have to agree with you. Unfortunately, Chuck's voice has, for me, always been what kept this album from being highly addictive. Fortunately on Leprosy the riffing is good enough for me to ignore the subpar vocals and become completely immersed in the music, but the rest of Death's discography would definitely have benefited from a different vocalist. His singing is definitely at its' worst on TSOP though, where Marcel best put it as sounding like a helium influenced Donald Duck

Exactly

Zombie Ritual YEAH

I have sinned against the gods of death metal by not listening to this sooner...

Written by Kimakaze on 03.07.2016 at 08:34

I have sinned against the gods of death metal by not listening to this sooner...

You shall be put down in hot cauldron of dead bodies of crocodiles, toss up and bbq, put down again for gravy and served to gods of death metal.

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 03.07.2016 at 09:20

Written by Kimakaze on 03.07.2016 at 08:34

I have sinned against the gods of death metal by not listening to this sooner...

You shall be put down in hot cauldron of dead bodies of crocodiles, toss up and bbq, put down again for gravy and served to gods of death metal.

Whatever must be done to appease their wrath.

I should have listened to the remastered version from 2008 sooner because it sounds great, sure it's loud but also adds extra punch to the music, it sounds a lot cleaner without being overpolished.

Death pisses me off, Chuck's vocals being absolutely atrocious in the records after Leprosy ruins the majority of the discography, Leprosy's totally overkill snare sound, and the stupid clunky sounding bass ruins this one. They're so close to being so much better if only the production wasn't totally fucked up.

A pretty average album actually if it wasn't so influential. Listening to this you'd never think this was the same band that would later release such masterpieces as Human, Individual Thought Patterns, Symbolic or The Sound of Perseverance.

EVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL. Dead.

One of my favorite death albums, certainly underrated near human and TSOP

Decent album, musically seen. Chuck's vocals are great with that sickened death metal sound in "Eviiiiiil Dead" or "drink from the Goblet, goblet of goooore"
The absolute highlights are obviously the opening riffs to Infernal Death, Zombie Ritual, and Evil Dead.

This is such a fun metal album, not overly technical and still has that enjoyable dirty and raw production. I read they actually had to record this album twice because the first version was so bad.

For me the first three Death albums are their best (at least their most enjoyable).

Personally I prefer Leprosy but SBG is awesome as well.

I think they became less and less enjoyable as they incorporated more and more technical elements, culminating in the shambolic mess that is The Sound of Perseverance where songwriting went completely out of the window.... And yes, I'm fully aware others don't share this view.

Written by gavdann on 15.09.2021 at 12:11

For me the first three Death albums are their best (at least their most enjoyable).

I think they became less and less enjoyable as they incorporated more and more technical elements,

You may be right. I was introduced to Death through their later albums (Symbolic, SoP, Human) and then tried to work my way to their older albums. It was at first hard to get used to the brutal death metal sound, but now I can appreciate the greatness of the first three records (especially Spiritual Healing and Leprosy).
Now I find myself listening to those older albums more than their later ones. I don't necessarily dislike the more progressive albums now - they're just different. It helps if one imagines that the first three and last 4 albums are made by two different bands entirely - then one doesn't fall into the trap of endlessly comparing them and can enjoy the diversity and musical masterclass of Chuck Schuldiner

Written by F3ynman on 15.09.2021 at 19:54

It helps if one imagines that the first three and last 4 albums are made by two different bands entirely - then one doesn't fall into the trap of endlessly

The reality is that each of their albums are effectively by different bands. No two were recorded by the same lineup.

Written by gavdann on 16.09.2021 at 10:59

The reality is that each of their albums are effectively by different bands. No two were recorded by the same lineup.

Good point

This should be one of their highest rated, they were at their best playing the foundations for death metal.

How is it not in top 200?