| Human | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 22, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:21 | |||
| Label | Relativity | |||
| Producer | Scott Burns, Chuck Schuldiner | |||
| Death chronology | ||||
| ||||
Human is the fourth studio album by Florida death metal band Death, released on October 22, 1991, by Relativity Records. This is the only album to feature Cynic members Paul Masvidal on guitar and Sean Reinert on drums, both 20 at the time, and the first to feature bassist Steve DiGiorgio.
Bassist Steve DiGiorgio left after the recording of the album (though he would later return to record Individual Thought Patterns ). He was replaced by Scott Carino, who toured with the band in 1991 and 1992. Carino also recorded additional bass overdub on "Cosmic Sea" after a couple of issues were discovered during the mixing stage. The rest of the song (including the bass solo) was recorded by DiGiorgio.[ citation needed ]
In 2011, Relapse Records and Perseverance Holdings Ltd. re-issued the album to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original release. This edition was remixed by Jim Morris of Morrisound Recording Studios, includes bonus tracks, [3] and was authorized by Schuldiner intellectual property lawyer Eric Greif. [4] The reissue of Human was remixed, as Sony had lost the master tapes of Scott Burns' original mixes. [5]
The album marked the beginning of a major stylistic change for Death, being more technically complex and progressive than the band's previous efforts. Shaun Lindsley of Metal Hammer said Human was an "exponential leap forward in innovation" for the band. [6] Chris Krovatin of Kerrang! assessed, "On the one hand, the album sees Death, arguably the genre's birth mother, exploring progressive sonic ground and lyrical themes that were completely new for them, much less any other artist within this branch of music. On the other hand, naming your album Human – after the ultimate symbol of frailty in death metal, whose destruction, demise, and sheer repulsiveness are the subject of most great death metal songs – has a reductive brilliance to it." [7] Described as a "swirling, progressive shred-fest," [1] Some of the textures on the album have been described as "spacy". [8] Joe DiVita of Loudwire said the album contains "complex melodies" accompanied by "hook-bound grooves". [9] Additionally, the album contains melodic guitar riffs that are reminiscent of the New wave of British heavy metal, and have drawn comparisons to Iron Maiden. [10] Steve Huey of AllMusic described Chuck Schuldiner's harmonized guitar riffs as "strange" and "dissonant", and argued the album's back side is "actually almost subdued by death metal standards." [11] Marcus Jervis of About.com assessed, "Although firmly rooted in death metal, by this stage of its career, Death had little in common with the gore drenched grind of Cannibal Corpse or the satanic blast beats of Deicide, instead choosing to explore increasingly progressive avenues, expanding the boundaries of what was considered possible in death metal." [12] Schuldiner's lyrics on the album explore themes such as existentialism, abuse of power, and betrayal. [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [13] |
| AllMusic |  [11] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10 [14] |
| Exclaim! | favourable [1] |
Human was released to critical acclaim from music publications, and has since been commended as a "masterpiece" in death metal. Additionally, it is considered to be a highly influential release in the development of the technical death metal subgenre, and on extreme metal in general. In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine placed the album as the 70th greatest metal album of all time. [15] According to Matt Mills of WhatCulture, Human "singlehandedly gave credence to the “technical death metal” niche, while also signalling that Death had fully spread their wings beyond what was first thought possible". [16] Gregg Pratt of Exclaim! said "the one-two opening punch of "Flattening of Emotions" and "Suicide Machine" is easily one of the best double-hitter openings of a death metal album [in 1991], and the competition was stiff." [1] According to Marcus Jervis at About.com, Human "was undeniable proof that extreme metal was capable of being about something more than angry kids pretending to worship the devil. It was crushing but cerebral and the precursor to an era where technicality is seen as a given in extreme metal." [12]
Human is a highly influential extreme metal album, according to Jeff Wagner in his 2010 text on progressive metal, Mean Deviation . It is Death's best-selling album, having sold 100,000 copies in the United States by 1995. [17] It was ranked number 82 on the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time. The track "Lack of Comprehension" has an accompanying music video, which received airplay on MTV and helped boost the sales of the album. [18] [ better source needed ] As of April 2024, the music video has over 8.3 million views of YouTube. [19]
As of 2008, Human had sold 95,000 copies with the U.S., according to Soundscan. [3]
All songs written by Chuck Schuldiner except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Flattening of Emotions" | 4:28 |
| 2. | "Suicide Machine" | 4:23 |
| 3. | "Together as One" | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Secret Face" | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Lack of Comprehension" | 3:43 |
| 6. | "See Through Dreams" | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Cosmic Sea" (instrumental) | 4:27 |
| 8. | "Vacant Planets" | 3:52 |
| Total length: | 34:21 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "God of Thunder" (Paul Stanley) (Kiss cover) | 4:00 |
| Total length: | 38:21 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Flattening of Emotions" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 4:54 |
| 2. | "Suicide Machine" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 4:30 |
| 3. | "Together as One" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Secret Face" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 2:02 |
| 5. | "Secret Face - Part 2" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 2:44 |
| 6. | "Lack of Comprehension" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 3:46 |
| 7. | "Felt Good" (studio snippet) | 0:14 |
| 8. | "See Through Dreams" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 1:37 |
| 9. | "See Through Dreams - Part 2" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 3:03 |
| 10. | "Vacant Planets" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Cosmic Sea" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 2:13 |
| 12. | "Cosmic Sea - Part 2" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 2:03 |
| 13. | "God of Thunder" (basic instrumental studio tracks) | 4:05 |
| 14. | "Flattening of Emotions" ("Human" demos) | 4:26 |
| 15. | "Lack of Comprehension" ("Human" demos) | 3:48 |
| 16. | "Suicide Machine" ("Human" demos) | 4:31 |
| 17. | "Together as One" ("Human" demos) | 4:10 |
| 18. | "See Through Dreams" ("Human" demos) | 4:08 |
| 19. | "Secret Face" ("Human" demos) | 4:48 |
| 20. | "Vacant Planets" ("Human" demos) | 3:59 |
| Total length: | 71:15 [20] | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "See Through Dreams" (w/ Paul and Sean, Rehearsal January 1991) | 4:32 |
| 2. | "See Through Dreams" (take 2, w/ Paul and Sean, Rehearsal January 1991) | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Secret Face" (w/o Paul - 1/2 song, rehearsal January 1991) | 2:52 |
| 4. | "Secret Face" (take 2, w/o Paul, rehearsal January 1991) | 6:32 |
| 5. | "Secret Face" (riffs rehearsal January 1991) | 3:47 |
| 6. | "Flattening of Emotions" (riffs rehearsal January 1991) | 3:15 |
| 7. | "Lack of Comprehension" (riffs rehearsal January 1991) | 2:43 |
| 8. | "Lack of Comprehension" (take 2, riffs rehearsal January 1991) | 2:42 |
| 9. | "Cosmic Sea" (riffs w/ drum machine, rehearsal January 1991) | 2:52 |
| 10. | "See Through Dreams" (rehearsal August 1990) | 4:25 |
| 11. | "Suicide Machine" (rehearsal August 1990) | 4:42 |
| 12. | "Together as One" (rehearsal August 1990) | 4:27 |
| 13. | "Suicide Machine" (drum & bass tracks) | 4:25 |
| 14. | "Together as One" (drum & bass tracks) | 4:05 |
| 15. | "Secret Face" (drum & bass tracks) | 4:37 |
| 16. | "Lack of Comprehension" (drum & bass tracks) | 3:38 |
| 17. | "Vacant Planets" (drum & bass tracks) | 3:53 |
| Total length: | 68:09 | |
All information is taken from the CD liner notes of the original 1991 release and the 2011 reissue. [21] [22]
 |
| United States | 100,000+ |
| Worldwide sales | 600,000+ |
| |
Billboard (North America)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Top Heatseekers | 34 |
Death was an American death metal band formed in Altamonte Springs, Florida, in 1983 by guitarist Chuck Schuldiner, drummer/vocalist Kam Lee and guitarist Rick Rozz. Formed out of what would become the Florida death metal scene, Death is considered to be among the most influential bands in heavy metal music and a pioneering force in death metal. The band's 1987 debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, has been widely regarded as one of the first death metal records, alongside the first records from Possessed and Necrophagia.
Charles Michael Schuldiner was an American musician. He cofounded the pioneering Florida death metal band Death in 1983, in which he was the guitarist, primary songwriter and only continuous member until his death in 2001. He became the lead vocalist in 1985 after original drummer and vocalist Kam Lee left the band. His obituary in the January 5, 2002, issue of Kerrang! described him as "one of the most significant figures in the history of metal." Schuldiner was ranked No. 10 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists in 2009 and No. 20 in March 2004 Guitar World's "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists". In 1987, Schuldiner founded the publishing company Mutilation Music, affiliated with performance rights organization BMI. Schuldiner died in 2001 of a brain tumor.
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