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.
Control Denied was a progressive metal band formed by death metal musician and Death founder Chuck Schuldiner.
Thomas Richard Christy Jr. is an American drummer and radio personality, best known for being the former drummer for several heavy metal bands since the early 1990s, most notably Death, and his tenure on The Howard Stern Show. Born and raised in Kansas, Christy took an interest in rock and heavy metal music in his youth, and started playing the drums at age ten. He played in several bands while at school.
Scream Bloody Gore is the debut studio album by American 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.
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.
Symbolic is the sixth studio album by Florida death metal band Death, released on March 21, 1995, by Roadrunner Records.
The Sound of Perseverance is the seventh and final studio album by Florida death metal band Death, released on August 31, 1998 by Nuclear Blast.
Live in Eindhoven is the second live album by American band Death. It was recorded in Eindhoven, Netherlands at Dynamo Open Air in May 1998 and released on October 30, 2001, through Nuclear Blast. The album was also released in DVD format. The performance of "Spirit Crusher" was released as a music video. It was their final release before Chuck Schuldiner succumbed to brain cancer. Some of the proceeds, if bought directly from Nuclear Blast, were sent to Schuldiner.
First Strike Still Deadly is the ninth studio album by Testament, released in 2001. It consists of re-recorded songs released on The Legacy and The New Order, as well as a re-recording of "Reign of Terror", which was originally on Legacy's Demo 1 and appeared as a B-side from the "Trial by Fire" single; the latter version also appeared on the 1993 EP Return to the Apocalyptic City. On some Japanese versions of this release, a different cover is present, and the disc is an enhanced CD and includes a bonus documentary produced by Reality Check TV/RCTV Studio with live clips of various incarnations of the band and interviews with Chuck Billy and Eric Peterson in various settings in and around San Francisco.
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.
Timothy Lee Aymar was an American heavy metal singer. He was best known as the vocalist of progressive metal band Pharaoh and for his work with Chuck Schuldiner in Control Denied. His rise to fame began with his band, Triple-X.
Live in Cottbus '98 is a DVD by American band Death. It was recorded in Cottbus, Germany in 1998 and released on November 11, 2005, through Nuclear Blast. The DVD was released, along with the rerelease of The Sound of Perseverance, in order to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Chuck Schuldiner's death.
Mutilation is a demo album by American death metal band Death, released in 1986. The following year, the band would release their full-length debut album, Scream Bloody Gore on Combat Records. American heavy metal magazine Metal Maniacs noted that the demo was "the most polished of the early Death recordings" and that "the underground and Combat Records were in agreement about Mutilation".
Vivus! is a live album released by American death metal band Death through Relapse Records. It contains two previously released live albums: Live in L.A. and Live in Eindhoven. Both shows contained on Vivus! were recorded in 1998. Disc one features the band at Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, while disc two is a recording of the band on the festival stage at Dynamo Open Air. The band's manager, Eric Greif, has stated that the inspiration for the set and its title was the Kiss album Alive!.
Florida death metal is a regional scene and stylistic subdivision of death metal. Some of the most significantly pioneering and best-selling death metal acts emerged in Florida, especially in the Tampa Bay area. As a result, Tampa is unofficially known by many death metal fans as the "capital of death metal." The scene coalesced in the mid-1980s through early 1990s around the output of bands such as Death, Nasty Savage, Deicide, Monstrosity, Morbid Angel, Atheist, Obituary, and others. The producer Scott Burns and the studio Morrisound Recording were also instrumental in developing and popularizing the Florida scene. Some bands which originated outside of Florida, such as Malevolent Creation and Cannibal Corpse, relocated to the state in order to participate in this burgeoning scene. The Florida bands featured a more technical approach to the evolving death metal sound, a style which spread beyond the confines of the state, and some were instrumental in creating the progressive death metal subgenre. The death metal genre as a whole, including the Florida scene, declined in popularity in the second half of the 1990s, but many bands within the Florida scene persisted and the scene resurged in popularity in subsequent decades. Although the scene attracted more media attention, it continued to be underground due to its extreme nature.
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