by the Wormwood Chronicles Staff
There are not many musicians who can say that they are the creators of a whole genre of music but Chuck Schuldiner was one. It was Chuck as much as any other figure in the metal scene who gave the spark to the musical form that would come to be known as death metal. Death metal did not exist before Chuck but it will certainly live long past him.
Chuck lost his battle with cancer on Dec. 13, 2001. It was a foe he battled long and hard but in the end, it was one he just couldn't beat. But what a legacy he leaves behind. Chuck was the mastermind and guiding force behind Death, the pioneer death metal unit. Death was truly the inspiration for many, many bands that came afterward and which are still emerging today. Yet when that surge of bands became a tidal wave of mediocrity, Chuck managed to change his sound and add yet another facet to death metal. He never stopped growing as a guitar player and continued to expand the horizons of the metal form. Even during his battle with cancer, Death continued to excel with their final release "Sound of Perserverance" and Chuck helmed yet another band, Control Denied, which emphasized the more melodic end of the metal spectrum.
The irony of Chuck founding a band called Death and then expiring himself at such a young age does not escape me and I'm sure it will be fodder for some snickering. Well, we death metal fans are a morbid lot, it's true, but few can laugh at the music Chuck left behind. I remember all the way back to 1984, when the teenager then known as "Evil Chuck" was in the band Mantas, an unabashed Venom knock-off. Mantas would transform itself into Death and Chuck would develop his own style for the band. Death's first release "Scream Bloody Gore" was a defining moment for death metal, creating a more morbid and ghoulish feel than ever heard before in music. That gruesome feeling would intensify on second release "Leprosy", which remains my favorite Death LP to this day. Third release "Spiritual Healing" would see more emphasis on guitar work and a more "real life" slant to the lyrics.
By the time the fourth effort "Human" came out, it was clear Death was trying to escape its own legacy and become a different band. Chuck was turning the band into a showcase for musical virtuosity. The morbid, grinding feel of earlier releases was lost and in its place came an almost jazz/progressive feel to the music. The heaviness was still there but not used as an end in itself. Chuck surrounded himself with great players like Steve DiGiorgio, Gene Hoglan and Richard Christy during this experimental phase of the band. Ignoring the rise of grunge, rap and black metal, Death continued to experiment through numerous releases, climaxing in "Sound of Perserverance". Despite the numerous high profile names that came and went throughout the years, there was no doubt that Death was Chuck's band and he was the guiding light.
Then the cancer hit. The fight was on and Chuck struggled through numerous setbacks, including a bad reaction to a drug that was supposed to help him. The metal community rallied to his aid, staging numerous charity events to help defray the enormous costs of his treatment. But in the last six months, the conclusion was becoming grimly clear and the end was finally reached on Dec. 13. Schuldiner has passed on.
The name of the band was Death but the greatest irony was that its music celebrated life and living. Chuck Schuldiner emerged as more than just a great musician... he became an icon of heavy metal itself.
"That is not dead , which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons, even death may die."
~H. P. Lovecraft
Dr. Mality
For any other musician it would be difficult for me to express anything emotionally were they to pass, but when I learned that it was not a farce, and that Chuck Schuldiner had indeed passed on, I wept, and I weep even now as I am typing this. For many of us in the metal underground, it's not the fact that we're losing one of our own, it's the fact that because this man brought his vision to see the light of day, we have something to call our own in the first place.
His family is indeed feeling the loss, as are his friends and his peers, but I believe the scene as a whole is suffering the most. Even if you never liked Death, chances are that you liked a band that did. Even many of the mainstreamers out there are no doubt in mourning to have lost quite possibly the most true and visionary talent that the scene had to offer.
I had the chance to go see Death on their U.S. tour with Hammerfall opening, and it was to take place at the Rave in Milwaukee, but because it was a school night, I was not allowed to leave the house that evening. I contemplated sneaking out, and never did. Now I regret that moment more than any other I've ever experienced, because now I will never have seen him, the man that started it all. Just to fight people to get to the front row and see the guy, would've been a dream come true! Chuck, I never knew you, but I love the music you created and it inspired me. I thank you and I miss you!
Thrash-head
To contact these writers, send your email to: Dr. Abner Mality at drmality@wormwoodchronicles.com, Thrash-head at thrashhead@wormwoodchronicles.com.