Death & Raw

Since it's Halloween here stateside let's get thematic for a moment. Today we shine a light on one of the most influential and legendary Death Metal bands to come out of the Florida Metal scene. I of course speak of Death. A band who's influence on the genre can still be felt today. There were two Live albums released in '01 to help Chuck with his medical expenses at the time. Both feature the 'The Sound Of Perseverance' era lineups. I will focus on the first release 'Live In LA, Death & Raw'  to showcase an incredibly talented band.

Death originally formed under the name Mantas way back in '83. Formed by Guitarist and Vocalist Chuck Schuldiner, the band toiled in the underground in the early 80's, releasing nearly two dozen Live tapes and Demos before releasing their first album in '87. The band initially started out playing what would become Death Metal before incorporating elements of Progressive throughout the years. The band has somewhat of a revolving lineup. In fact the band never had the same lineup on records. In a rare case Bassist Steve DiGiorgio and Drummer Gene Hoglan play together on two records. While having a rotating lineup wasn't bad considering the players had played with the likes of other metal giants like, Obituary, Massacre, Testament, Six Feet Under, SYL, and King Diamond to name a few. The albums never lacked talent or were weak musically in any sense. Death ultimately turned out seven albums and two Live records during their run.

By '99 Chuck was working on his other band Control Denied when health issues began to take hold. In May of '99 it was discovered that a tumor that causes brain cancer and popped up. Chuck began treatments for it and by Oct of '99 he was given a clean bill of health. Sadly the cost of medical procedures had run quite high. The family was unable to pay the costs. Several benefit shows and auctions were held and the Metal community came together as a whole to assist Chuck's family with the cost. Sadly in May of '01 the cancer had returned. With treatment ongoing the side effects of chemo began to take hold leaving Chuck weak and his condition weakened as he became ill with an pneumonia. Sadly Chuck passed away on Dec. 13, 2001 due to complications from the cancer. In the years since Chuck's passing legal issues with unreleased material from both Death and Control Denied have come and gone. Death's legacy is handled by their former manager and the family. Several reissues have been recently released. Former members of Death are currently out on the road as a tribute band called Death To All. The shows are a tribute to the man referred to as "The Father Of Death Metal".

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