Death was an American death metal band from Altamonte Springs, Florida. Formed in 1983 under the name Mantas, the group originally consisted of guitarist Chuck Schuldiner, second guitarist Frederick "Rick Rozz" DeLillo, and drummer and vocalist Barney "Kam" Lee. The band went through many personnel changes during its tenure, before disbanding in December 2001 upon Schuldiner's death. The final lineup of Death featured Schuldiner on guitars and vocals, Shannon Hamm on guitars, Richard Christy on drums, (since 1997) and Scott Clendenin on bass (since 1998).
Chuck Schuldiner formed Mantas in 1983 with drummer/vocalist Kam Lee and guitarist Rick Rozz. [1] The band recorded its first rehearsal demo in early 1984, which is known unofficially as Emotional. [2] The recording featured a temporary bassist named Dave Tett, who left after just a few rehearsals and was the band's only bassist during its tenure as Mantas. [1] The group released its first official demo, Death by Metal, in the summer of 1984. [1] In September, the band briefly broke up for "two or three weeks", and returned in October under the new name of Death. [2] The Reign of Terror demo was recorded later that month. [3]
Shortly after the recording of the Infernal Death demo in March 1985, Rozz left Death; Schuldiner and Lee recorded the Rigor Mortis demo the next month. [4] Guitarist Matt Olivo and bassist Scott Carlson of the band Genocide joined the band that May. [1] However after Lee left and they struggled to find a replacement, the pair left after just a few months. [5] In September, Schuldiner relocated to San Francisco, California and built a new Death lineup with bassist Erik Meade and former D.R.I. drummer Eric Brecht. The trio released the Back from the Dead demo in October, before both new members left in December and Schuldiner returned to Florida. [6]
Death took a brief hiatus in early 1986, while Schuldiner briefly rehearsed with Canadian group Slaughter. [7] In March, the guitarist and vocalist moved to San Francisco again, where he formed a new incarnation of Death with drummer Chris Reifert. [1] Working as a two-piece, with Schuldiner handling bass duties, the group issued the demo Mutilation in April, which led to the band signing a deal with Combat Records. [8] The band briefly played with bassist Steve DiGiorgio of Sadus, with whom they shared practice space. [1] In November the band recorded its debut full-length album, Scream Bloody Gore , which was issued the following May. Before the album's release, the duo was briefly joined by second guitarist John Hand. [9]
Around the time of the release of Scream Bloody Gore, Schuldiner moved back to Florida without Reifert, who opted to stay in San Francisco. [10] He subsequently enlisted former guitarist Rick Rozz along with bassist Terry Butler and drummer Bill Andrews from Massacre for a new incarnation of Death. [11] The group issued Leprosy in 1988, however Butler did not feature on the album and bass was instead performed by Schuldiner. [12] During the subsequent touring cycle, Rozz was dismissed from Death and temporarily replaced by Cynic's Paul Masvidal for a handful of Mexican shows. [13]
After "a few weeks" with Mark Carter, [6] the band was joined by guitarist James Murphy in the summer of 1989. [10] Spiritual Healing was recorded at the end of the year and released the following February. [6] During the subsequent tour, Murphy was fired and the guitarist role changed a number of times – first, Masvidal returned to complete a run of shows in April 1990, before Evildead's Albert Gonzales took over for shows between August and October. [6] When Schuldiner refused to perform in Europe at the end of the year due to poor management and organization of the tour, the remaining members completed the tour without him, using members of the road crew as stand-ins. [10]
Schuldiner parted ways with Butler and Andrews after their tour without him, and in April 1991 he returned to record Human with Masvidal, Sadus bassist Steve Di Giorgio, and Masvidal's Cynic bandmate Sean Reinert on drums. [3] Di Giorgio was unable to commit to the band full-time due to commitments with Sadus, so he was replaced on the subsequent touring cycle by Scott Carino. [6] In spring 1992, Death was forced to cancel a run of shows in the UK due to financial issues. [14]
In early 1993, Schuldiner reunited with bassist Steve Di Giorgio to record Individual Thought Patterns , which also featured King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque and former Dark Angel drummer Gene Hoglan. [15] LaRocque was unable to commit full-time to Death, so he was replaced for European festivals in the spring and a US tour in the summer by Ralph Santolla. [16] For a European run later in the year, Forbidden's Craig Locicero took over when Santolla returned to his main band Eyewitness. [6]
By early 1995, Di Giorgio had left Death and LaRocque had confirmed his inability to return. [10] Schuldiner asked former Watchtower bassist Doug Keyser to join the band, but he declined, [6] which led Schuldiner to add bassist Kelly Conlon and guitarist Bobby Koelble in time for the recording of Symbolic . [17] [18] After the album's release, the group performed at several European festivals, before Conlon was dismissed and replaced for subsequent tour dates by Brian Benson. [6] [19]
Early the next year, Schuldiner announced the disbandment of Death and the formation of Control Denied, [20] following a disagreement with Roadrunner Records. [21] The new group initially featured vocalist B.C. Richards, [22] though he left the band in 1997. [23] An early lineup of the band included guitarist Shannon Hamm, bassist Benson and drummer Chris Williams. [10]
Death returned in the summer of 1997, [10] with Control Denied members Hamm, Scott Clendenin (who by that time had replaced Benson on bass) and Richard Christy (the replacement for drummer Williams) featuring in the new incarnation of the band. [24] This lineup issued The Sound of Perseverance , Death's final studio album, in 1998. [25] After a tour promoting the album, Schuldiner returned to focus on recording the second Control Denied album. [10] However, in 1999 he was diagnosed with pontine glioma, for which he underwent surgery in January 2000. [26] Despite initially improving, Schuldiner's condition worsened in 2001, and on December 13 he died. [27] Shortly before his death, the band issued its first two live albums. [28]
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chuck Schuldiner |
|
| all Death releases | |
Barney "Kam" Lee | 1983–1985 |
|
| |
Rick Rozz (Frederick DeLillo) |
| guitars |
| |
Dave Tett | 1984 | bass | none (performed on the first Mantas rehearsal tape) | |
Scott Carlson | 1985 |
| none (performed on Death rehearsal tapes 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11) | |
Matt Olivo | guitars | |||
Erik Meade | bass | Back from the Dead (1985) | ||
Eric Brecht | drums | |||
Chris Reifert | 1986–1987 |
| ||
Steve Di Giorgio |
| bass |
| |
John Hand | 1986 | guitars | none | |
Terry Butler | 1987–1990 | bass |
| |
Bill Andrews | drums |
| ||
Paul Masvidal |
| guitars |
| |
Mark Carter | 1989 | none | ||
James Murphy | 1989–1990 | Spiritual Healing (1990) | ||
Albert Gonzales | 1990 (touring) | Live 1990, 1991 Unknown (2020) | ||
Louie Carrisalez | vocals | none | ||
Walter Trachsler | guitars | |||
Sean Reinert | 1991–1992 (died 2020) | drums |
| |
Scott Carino | 1991–1992 (touring only) |
| ||
Gene Hoglan | 1992–1995 | drums |
| |
Andy LaRocque | 1993 (session) | guitars | Individual Thought Patterns (1993) | |
Ralph Santolla | 1993 (touring)(died 2018) | Detroit, MI 1993 (2020) | ||
Craig Locicero | 1993 (touring) | none | ||
Bobby Koelble | 1994-1995 |
| ||
Kelly Conlon | bass | Symbolic (1995) | ||
Brian Benson | 1995 (touring) |
| ||
Shannon Hamm | 1997–2001 | guitars | all Death releases from The Sound of Perseverance (1998) to Vivus! (2012) | |
Richard Christy | drums | |||
Scott Clendenin | 1998–2001 (died 2015) | bass |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
Early 1983 (known as Mantas) |
| none |
Early – spring 1984 (known as Mantas) |
| none (one rehearsal tape only) |
Spring – September 1984 (known as Mantas) |
|
|
Band inactive September – October 1984 | ||
October 1984 – March 1985 |
|
|
March – April 1985 |
|
|
May [1] – summer 1985 |
| none (rehearsal tapes only) |
September – December 1985 |
|
|
Band inactive December 1985 – February 1986 | ||
April – late 1986 |
|
|
1986 |
| none (rehearsals only) [1] |
November 1986 |
|
|
Early 1987 [29] |
| none |
Late 1986 – May 1987 |
| |
June 1987 – May 1989 |
|
|
June 1989 |
| none |
July 1989 |
| |
Summer 1989 – April 1990 |
|
|
April 1990 |
| none |
August – October 1990 |
|
|
October 1990 |
|
|
October – December 1990 (temporary touring lineup) |
| none |
Band inactive January – April 1991 | ||
April 1991 (temporary recording lineup) |
|
|
October 1991 – March 1992 |
|
|
Band inactive spring 1992 | ||
1992 |
|
|
December 1992 |
|
|
Early 1993 (temporary recording lineup) |
|
|
April – August 1993 |
|
|
September – October 1993 |
| none |
Band inactive late 1993 | ||
January 1994 [31] |
|
|
March 1994 [31] |
|
|
January – May 1995 |
|
|
June – October 1995 |
|
|
Band inactive late 1995 – summer 1997 | ||
1997 – 1998 |
|
|
1998 – December 2001 |
|
|
Deicide is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida. Formed in 1987 by drummer/composer Steve Asheim and guitarist brothers Eric and Brian Hoffman as "Carnage", then hiring bassist/vocalist/lyricist Glen Benton and becoming "Amon". They changed the band name to Deicide in 1989. The band rose to mainstream success in 1992 with their second album Legion, and is credited as the second-best-selling death metal band of the Soundscan Era, after Cannibal Corpse.
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 founded the pioneering Florida death metal band Death in 1983, in which he was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter and only continuous member until his death in 2001. 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.
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1982 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sadus is an American thrash metal band from Antioch, California, active from 1985[A] to 2015, and reunited in 2017. Originally a quartet, the band's sound fuses thrash metal with death metal, featuring highly technical musicianship. They are known for the unique death growl of vocalist Darren Travis, and bassist Steve Di Giorgio. During their career, Sadus has released six studio albums, one compilation album and four demos, and had two lineup changes, with the band continuing without replacing any of the departed members.
Control Denied was a progressive metal band formed by death metal musician and Death founder Chuck Schuldiner.
Bay Area thrash metal referred to a steady following of heavy metal bands in the 1980s who formed and gained international status in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Along with Central Florida, the scene was widely regarded as a starting point of American thrash metal, crossover thrash and death metal.
Scream Bloody Gore is the debut studio album by Florida death metal band Death, released on May 25, 1987, by Combat Records. It is considered by many to be "the first true death metal record". Chuck Schuldiner, the band’s founder and leader, performed guitar, bass and vocals, and composed all tracks on the album.
Leprosy is the second studio album by Florida death metal band Death, released on November 16, 1988 by Combat Records.
Human is the fourth studio album by Florida death metal band Death, released on October 22, 1991, by Relativity Records. The album marked the beginning of a major stylistic change for Death, being more technically complex and progressive than the band's previous efforts. 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.
Fate: The Best of Death is a compilation album by Death. It contains songs collected from their first four albums, Scream Bloody Gore (1987), Leprosy (1988), Spiritual Healing (1990) and Human (1991).
Individual Thought Patterns is the fifth studio album by Florida death metal band Death, released on June 22, 1993, by Relativity Records. It is the only album by the band to feature guitarist Andy LaRocque, the first to feature drummer Gene Hoglan and the second and last to feature bassist Steve DiGiorgio. Manager Eric Greif described the album as "an angry record, angry lyrically", attributing it to his conflict with Chuck Schuldiner at the time.
Deron John Miller is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band CKY, which he co-founded in 1998. Other bands Miller fronts include the progressive metal band Foreign Objects, the melodic death metal band World Under Blood, the death metal band Malevolent Creation, and the alternative metal band 96 Bitter Beings.
Massacre is a Florida death metal band formed in 1984. The band has reunited several times with varying lineups, most recently in late 2016.
Kelly Conlon is an American bass guitarist. He has been a hired musician with Death and Monstrosity. Conlon currently performs with Agent Steel.
Shannon Hamm is an American guitarist, best known as the rhythm guitarist for death metal band Death from 1998 until their breakup in 2001. He was also part of Schuldiner's other band Control Denied.
Scott Clendenin was an American musician most notable for his time spent in the bands Death and Control Denied, both of which were formed by Chuck Schuldiner. Following Schuldiner's passing, both Death and Control Denied disbanded. In 2012, he played for Death to All, former members of Death paying tribute to Schuldiner, as well as members of Bereft and Obscura. Clendenin died on March 24, 2015, with Death bandmate Richard Christy and Death's former manager Eric Greif expressing their shock and sympathy.
Scott Carlson is an American musician, who most notably worked as the lead vocalist and bassist of pioneering grindcore band Repulsion. Additionally, he was briefly the bassist and one of the vocalists of pioneering death metal band Death, as well as bassist of doom metal band Cathedral, bassist and vocalist of Swedish death metal band Death Breath, vocalist of Japanese doom metal band Church of Misery, bassist of hardcore punk band Septic Tank, guitarist of garage rock band The Superbees and guitarist of From Beyond.