It's not against religion, it's against people who use their religion as a weapon to judge and hurt others. "Crystal Mountain" is a metaphor for the massive amount of lies built up by highly organized religions.

The vocals aren't supposed to be in key, they are supposed to be primal, disembodied, and inhuman. Which is I understand when people don't like them at first or are off put by them.

Death, the ONLY band I can straight up listen to from their whole discography and not get bored.

Schuldiner’s voice is not good for a lot of people. Because it is stressful. But it has to be like that because he is trying to give that feeling. And he does it very well. So hating Death’s vocals is normal because the whole song; from start to beginning, is stressful and melodic at the same time. Death ❤️🖤

Death Metal makes more sense if you treat the vocals as a percussive instrument.

RIP Chuck Schuldiner 67 - 01

I'm surprised, and happy, you did a Death song. The man behind the band, which has changed from album to album, is dead. His name is Chuck Schuldiner. Despite the harsh vocals, he was actually a very peaceful, and sweet, individual. Thank you, for giving him a nod.

Death is the best Death metal band of all time RIP chuck schuldiner

Lead vocalist is lead guitarist. RIP Chuck Schuldiner

Death were pioneers of both Death and Prog metal. Let that sink in for a minute; one band, who was so influential they had an entire genre named after them (death metal), went on to pioneer a completely different sub-genre of metal. That's why Death and vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Chuck Schuldiner are legends. Pretty much all death, prog, and technical metal since has been influenced by them to some degree. In a way, they are to extreme metal what Black Sabbath was to metal, in general. As for the vocals, I think what Ryan says at 11:40 is actually on point. Death metal vocals aren't really singing; it's primarily rhythmic vocalizing which can sound more like screaming (or growling... or gurgling in the most extreme cases ala Demilich or Cryptopsy). Acquired taste, for sure, but I can't imagine any other vocals for a band like Death. Especially on The Sound of Perseverance, which is an album that's so much about pain, suffering, and the evils of the world, those vocals communicate that pain, suffering, and anger better than anything else possibly could. And this is how subjective tastes are because, to me, Chuck was among my favorite DM vocalists while Gojira and Devin are just "meh." To me, Chuck had such a unique tonality to his vocals, and I love how intelligible he is, how clearly you can hear what he's saying, and how he sang/screamed everything with a purpose and conviction. For most DM bands, the vocals sound like a musical gimmick, but in Chuck's case they seem to be expressing something profoundly personal... especially as his lyrics became more focused on the internal and external struggles of life. Anyway, I'm at least glad you guys could appreciate this musically. I was concerned you wouldn't. Death are in my top 5 metal bands, and their last four albums are just flat-out masterpieces IMO. The Sound of Perseverance, especially, is on my favorite albums ever. It's as profound and powerful as metal gets.

To properly apreciate Chucks vocals you need to listen to a lot of death metal vocals until you realize that no one does it like him. He kills it mates. But i apreciate your honesty either way. Great video.

Funny so many people don't like Chuck's vocals. Death was the band that got me into the genre and it wasn't even a question as to whether I liked it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Death - The Flesh And The Power It Holds

Dude! You two are awesome! Love? and Crystal Mountain in the same week! Best week ever!

'Symbolic' was Death's first progressive death metal album, they transitioned from 2 technical death metal albums. Hence, why they seem to have a 'prog type of quality'. Also, Schuldiner's vocals were among, if not the, best in the business - his pronunciation of words was clear, his vocals were more high-pitched than those of his peers, he had decent access to his head voice and he certainly did not sound as monotonous as many of his peers.

Death is the thinking mans metal. Chuck was a genius. They talked about religion, abortion, mental health, real issues. Not just blood and gore. His voice grows on you, especially after hearing his later work, like The Sound Of Perseverance.

The Andy Warhol album is actually a Velvet Underground album and the artwork is created and signed by Andy Warhol (the famous artist from the 60s with the shit hair cut.)

Death - Voice of the Soul Please listen to this. It’s beautiful. No vocals just the best instrumental in history. I should say IMO 🤟🏽

You can really hear the progression of Chuck's voice throughout the albums. Check out Spirit Crusher from their last album.

The drummer is Gene Hoglan, the same drummer that play in Straping Young Lad

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FINALLY DID IT! THAAAANK YOU! DEATH COMMUNITY WILL BE HAPPY AF! NOW LET'S WATCH THIS!

It seems that if the songs haven't got any kind of groove to it, you guys reject it. That's why Symbolic or Spirit Crusher are better pieces to start with. I'm not going to lie, I'm a "bit" disappointed after so many months awaiting for it. As for the vocals, It's pretty ironic, but thanks to Chuck's vocals I could get into Death Metal. For me they are good because even if they aren't the best among another singers, they are pretty flexible. Just listen to their earlier stuff and you'll see how deep and savage his voice was, or listen to the Painkiller cover to see how he could reach high range Halford's vocals. Furthermore, the frustation you hear on the vocals was intended to be that way: he always put his soul on his music, as he thought he could change the society by that way. His musicianship stands out because he had the gift to create such an odd musical subgenre and then left his creature live by himself, searching their own way to progress as musician and as human being instead of being stucked on their own creation. And that's pretty much reflected on his works. Chuck Schuldiner will always be the paradigm of Death Metal, for sure, among many others.

Chuck's vocals from the very first album to the last album sound of perseverance has changed a lot, but the best part is unlike most of the vocalists out there who call themselves brutal and scream shit which no one understands Chuck's pronunciations in the song is neat as you can hear anything that he is saying clearly. You need to understand the how all the elements come in to making a song sound whole with brutal vocals the message would be hard to be put out. And most of the riffs that bands play these days death has played it way back in their time. One of the most unique and amazing band ever to exist in this planet. Y'all need some more time understand how the band sounds

carcass heartwork

The drummer is Gene Hoglan. The atomic clock.

Man, gutted you don't like Chuck's vocals - I personally love them. Buuuuuuuuut, gotta credit your honesty, would be boring if you loved everything you reacted too.....

Sad that they never gave Death a second chance.

Keep in mind that death metal originally had nothing to do with melodic vocals. Death and Possessed are the pioneers of the genre

The drummer on this album is the same guy from Strapping Young Lad, Gene Hoglan. This album was towards the end of the band Death, so this is not exactly "pure" death metal as you noticed, there was definitely some prog influence going on here. Death were however one of the founding bands which created death metal earlier, though by the time this album came out they had begun changing up their sound, becoming more experimental and prog influenced.

About time! Death are pioneers of not just death metal itself but also technical death metal, or in other words, yes prog. Chuck Schuldiner was very much ahead of his time. RIP! The vocals are harsh but not like a lot of DM bands today, where you can't even make out hardly any of the words. You can pretty much understand everything this guy says at least. BTW, the drummer on this album is Gene Hoglan, the same one from Strapping Young Lad.

Death-Voice of the Soul So beautiful and emotional. I cry every time I hear it.

Velvet Underground. NOT Andy Warhol. He was the producer of that album and he was a famous artist in the 70s. Just saying. Btw, it's a GREAT album

The vocalist is also the lead guitarist. Chuck Schouldner. Died from brain cancer. Known as one of the best metal guitarists of the genre.

RIP Chuck

Electric Wizard - Funeralopolis Sleep - Dragonaut

Chucks type of vocals are extremely hard to do and recreate even today. He is definitely elite, especially in the death metal world.

I knew they weren't gonna like this

Deep Purple - Child in Time

I don't think you can start listening to Death from Symbolic album. Each of their albums are a progression of sound, shape and skills. I listen to a lot of contemporary jazz, funk, hip hop etc.. but Death has a special place in my heart. His guitar solos are comming directly from the depth of his soul, they are not predictable and dry. Just when I was going to see them live in Poland they canceled because Chuck already wasn't doing well that time. I was very sad and disapointed when he died, I often wondered what other albums he would make as "the sound of perseverance" was absolutely amazing!!! They are all my favourites but the sound on the last album is very unick and powerfull. Chuck your music makes you immortal RIP, we

Dudes, I remember the first time I heard this band. Got the same comment "this song could have been more likeable if the vox was not there". As years go by that I've been listening to different metal subgenres and bands, I came to understand or more likely grow on this genre and realize that Chuck Schuldiner was indeed a great vox. His genius mind radiating through his lyrics, musical flexibility with both metal and jazz were already a proof. It's like there is no other way of singing those lyrics but his way of singing it. The rawness and rage on it. But still, appreciate both of you for your trying to listen to the band whom I admire a lot now that I can say that I matured on this genre. Can't wait to see your next videos. Thanks

You guys picked up the prog elements of the song, while being new to metal. Impressive. And yes, Death have been more technical than just plain old death metal (in my opinion). Oh, and about the vocal control, listen to Death's cover of Painkiller. Not for the song, just for the vocals.

That's a shame. Funnily, this is the first time I've heard someone criticise Chuck's vocals.

This is one of the loudest bands I've ever heard live. True story.

They should’ve started with something from sound of perseverance. Flesh and the power it holds. A moment of clarity. Voice of the Soul.

What eventually changed my mind about vocals like this is how they are intended to be used. Whereas Devin Townsend and Gojira use melody, bands like Death use them more as percussion. It's the difference between guitar and drums in my opinion. When listening to harsh vocals, you're looking for vocal pattern and delivery, weirdly similar to hip hop.

Do you know that the drummer on this album (Gene Hoglan) is the same guy who played with Strapping young lad for 10 years and joined Devin Townsend after leaving Death?

You guys are phenomenal ! The love you have for music is much appreciated and it shows. Keep this channel going as long as you can because it’s one of the best out there. Love from Culpeper Va y’all ! Peace

I've just started watching these videos and I love them. Seeing someone else dive down the rabbit hole that is metal and start to learn all the different aspects is great. When you stopped the song and asked if it was prog... It made me smile. Death's later releases are most definitely more prog oriented. Its cool to see you guys learn more and recognize these elements in the music. Rock on dudes.

Trust me, the more you hear distorted vocals, the easier it is to hear everyone’s vocal style. Everyone comes around eventually.

I'm actually pretty disappointed, but not surprised, that you guys think Chuck's vocals are inherently less talented. It's a matter of how the vocals are being used. In this song, the vocals are harmonizing with the distortion of the guitar, and acting more like a percussive instrument. You need to "parse" the music in your brain differently. (More specifically, what I mean is this: pay attention to the sound provided by the distortion part of the guitar. Imagine what it would sound like if a human were to imitate it. Now this analogy is not quite complete, because the vocals are actually providing the rhythms rather than the melody.) This would be like saying rap takes less talent than R&B/pop because rapping is not melodic or in tune - a statement you KNOW is not true! Your argument that the song might be improved by having no vocals at all is fair (one that I might even agree with, given how fantastic the guitars are and the mixing in this track leaves something to be desired), but melodic vocals like Devin's performance in "Love" wouldn't sound very good here. This is a feature that is common throughout many genres that use screams / growls. Songs are mainly guitar-driven in these songs, not vocals-driven.

For me "Without Judgement" was the song that got me into Death.

I absolutely LOVE you guys for reviewing DEATH!!!!! You just scored a million metal points sirs!

lol if you don't like Chuck's vocals here, definitely don't check out anything from their next (and final) album, the Sound of Perseverance. Instead of this raspy growl, he graduates to a high pitched shriek. Definitely takes getting used to. But the (Chuck Schuldiner) also was the guitarist and is considered the godfather of Death metal and a true legend.

Death is an incredible band, thanks for reacting to them. The vocals are an acquired taste but once you get on their level it doesn't get much better. Cheers!

I really appreciate both of your musical insight. I learn things from you guys about songs that I have listened to for years and never noticed. Like genres of music I have enjoyed for a long time that are old to me and yet you guys notice things and appreciate things I never noticed. I love your honesty too. You guys always keep it real. I don't care if you like or dislike music I like or dislike. I already know my opinions. What I like is seeing things through your perspective. You guys are in a league of your own. So objective and insightful. And you make it fun too. So cool.

DEATH spiritual healing give DEATH a 2nd chance

One thing I love about Death, is that they always have really interesting lyrics. A lot of their songs deal with big social, political, or religious issues, which sets them apart from the typical, modern “brutal death metal” band. Also I’m glad you guys noticed the prof elements!!!! I love that you’ve gotten familiar enough with metal that you can differentiate certain elements of one genre to another. That’s really fuckin cool

Nightfall In Middle Earth... Masterpiece...You guys should react to Blind Guardian

VOICE OF THE SOUL!!!!!!!!!!

Damn dude, "what's good in this realm" is subjective. Chuck is legend.

***Wall of text*** I am a bit upset that this is the song a bunch of people recommended you review, it's actually surprising this was the case, and I am sincerely disappointed in the metal community for this. When I saw this song, I immediately thought it wouldn't go as well as some other songs because of the vocal style of this album, and the lyrical content of the song. It's almost like you reviewed Leper Messiah instead of Master of Puppets, where Leper Messiah shares the same principle of targeting religion. If you reviewed any song from the Symbolic album, it should have just been Symbolic. You guys would of had a whole lot more to say about those lyrics compared to this, they are more or less about the loss of his(Chuck Schuldiner) older brother from when he was 9. That is what got him to pick up the guitar to begin with because his parents had to do something to try and cheer him up so they got him guitar from a garage sale. This was Death's 6th, and 2nd to last album from 1995. The album is very progressive compared to their first two albums and maybe even three, which were more raw death metal with nothing too tricky, they were just straight up pioneering death metal. Chuck Schuldiner's vocal style and pitch changed over the years and albums, from more guttural sounding to harsh screaming, because the thing about his vocals is, he is indeed screaming and I believe it took its toll. The drummer Gene Hoglan is nicknamed The Atomic Clock. The interesting thing about this mans abilities is, he said in a recent interview that when he joined Death he got to find out who he was as a drummer because, he had done drums for metal before, but Chuck Schuldiner encouraged him to "go nuts" and do whatever he wanted and Chuck would just play his stuff over Gene's. I am glad you guys finally reviewed something from the legendary Death, I knew this day would come, but there were much better choices. Crystal Mountain... I mean it surely shows their song writing ability as would any of their songs, but the lyrical content is just not very fun to analyze, it's very negative and has its own daggers to it. Their next and final album The Sound of Perseverance, is obviously much more positive, and from some of the lyrical content such as Flesh and the Power It Holds, and Story To Tell you can see Chuck almost had a change of heart from the hatred of Crystal Mountain. In Chuck Schuldiner's side project of progressive power metal in the band named Control Denied, he shows unmistakable evidence of this change in his soul with the lyrics from Believe, and here are some. "Let seven be the one for me; six chapters of life laced with mystery" Symbolic was his 6th Death album, the mocking of the seventh day heard here in Crystal Mountain are utterly reversed. Coming from someone who's hero is Chuck Schuldiner(there are many of us) and Death, these are the songs I recommend(considering your perspective of death metal) if you give them another go(this is difficult because there are several songs from each album worth reacting to) Zombie Ritual - 1987 Left To Die - 1988 Pull The Plug - 1988 Living Monstrosity - 1990 Secret Face - 1991 Flattening of Emotions - 1991 Trapped In A Corner - 1993 The Philosopher - 1993 Symbolic - 1995 1,000 Eyes - 1995 Scavenger of Human Sorrow - 1998 Flesh and the Power It Holds - 1998 Spirit Crusher - 1998 One more thing, a bit of a bonus if you made it this far. The lyrics from 1,000 Eyes(1995) are prophecy of the coming electronic age and the surveillance the government would engage after 9/11. A law was passed shortly after the atrocities and it was a done deal. Genetic Reconstruction(1990) is another example.

Your ears are getting better you definitely were truly critiquing this song as opposed to some of your earlier reactions to metal. This is getting closer to how you truly go in depth with hip-hop which is exciting as a metal head sub. Although as a metal I have to say the cathartic quality of hyper aggressive and abrasive vocals is super attractive to me, sonically. And I do disagree with your guys opinion that gojira has better vocal performance. I find gojiras vocals a little more emotionally void and lifeless at times. Whereas I think chucks ( Deaths vocalist) is a more emotion, raw, and sincere performance. Just my opinion though. As always great job. And keep up ALL the killer reactions. Hip-hop, r&b, rock, metal, country, and anything else your subs send at you.

You guys deserve the support for your humbleness and sincerity

First time hearing this. I liked it. Thanks for introducing me. As always, enjoyed your thoughts and the music.

Opeth - The Drapery Falls Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize Steven Wilson - Drive Home

Clicked the link so fast I got whiplash.

Morbid Angel - where the slime live , Reaction 🤘

This is quite frankly the only reaction channel that i hold great respect, you guys do an amazing job at analizing what you are hearing. Liked and subscribed.

Please do Flesh and The Power it Holds from Death!!!

Chuck is on the same (or even higher) level of elite as Devin. I'm a huge fan of both tho. Chuck is a legend and Dev is a living legend. This kind of vocal asks time to appreciate. Try Spirit Crusher maybe. Another classic song.

chuck schuldiner did vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, and was the bands composer. when playing live he would play those riffs while doing the vocals and be doing both perfect. the live version of scavenger of human sorrow is absolutely insane, the vocals and guitar are entirely different rhythms and he does it perfectly.

Guys can you play Death Pull The Plug, Zombie Ritual, Denail Of Life, Suicide Machine, Leprosy, Symbolic, The Flesh And Power It Holds, Bite The Pain

R.I.P. Chuck Shuldiner!!!!!!!

Buckethead "Soothsayer"

I love that you guys reacted to this.

you should react to Voice of the soul from Death because that one is a instrumental.i do love the singers voice though i think he is the best or at least one of the best ever but it takes a little getting used to when it comes to extreme music. its funny you said it sounded like venting because i like his vocals exactly because they have a little melody in them.

I'd say Chuck Schudilner's vocals aren't the best, but you can get used to them after a few listens. He's notable for being one of the few death metal vocalists where you could understand everything that has saying and a great instrumentalist. Death is overall one of the best metal bands of all time and never put out a bad album. Who knows how far they would have gone had Chuck not died. I suggest you guys listen to Voice of the Soul, lack of comprehension, and their painkiller cover

RIP Chuck Schuldiner Lead Guitar & vocals

you guys are absolutely right on about everything. incredible.

Chuck's vocals are fire.....no one can touch his talent...his contribution to death metal is immense....👌👌

Believe it or not, Deaths drummer, Gene Hoglan, was also the drummer strapping young lad. Pretty cool that you guys recognized his talent in two different bands without knowing who he was. Good reaction. I knew you guys wouldn’t be particularly into Death and wouldn’t like the vocals. Awesome band, but not quite up your alley. You recognized their compositional talent, which is really what made chuck and death special. Much like Opeth, the depth of their compositions is on another level.

Type O Negative

The drummer in this song, Gene Hoglan, actually also did drum for Strapping Young Lad! Glad you guys enjoy his style, he is a beast!

The vocals on this album are FLAWLESS MY DUDES

I would suggest *not* to simply lump all harsh vocals into one basket as you seem to be falling into with the comparison to Townsend's vocals. There are various harsh vocal techniques, and the style you heard from Townsend is *not* generated via the same vocal technique as Chuck's style is, or the style used by much of death metal, again distinct from the style used by much of black metal, etc. Which isn't to say of course not to prefer a particular style, but to compare them as one being of more skill than the other is akin to comparing a jazz singer to an opera singer, or (perhaps a better comparison) a violinist to a drummer. They are different, mechanically distinct techniques, often applied to different genres (though some bands will dip and dab). If you use audible, decipherable pitch to qualify harsh vocals, you by default dismiss most harsh vocal techniques off the bat, because pitch isn't just not to be found in them, but is also in many cases not the point (or rather, a feature of the technique is the absence of pitch) and often pitch is intrinsically impossible to incorporate given point of articulation of such techniques within the body. It's like dismissing drums because the kit has no determinable pitch or key-it's not the point of that instrument. Hell, look at rap, where the predominant vocal style is, not pitchless, but certainly not in key (with some exceptions, those who combine singing with rap-style rhythms, or those who rap and process it with effects akin to auto-tune). It's like dismissing the majority of rap because their vocal delivery is not pitched in key. These vocal techniques are more akin to different instruments, with different applications and limitations. Just as many drummers can often play the kit and also play various other drum style instruments-whilst many too simply focus on the kit solely-many vocalists have their own vocal *instrument*, so to speak, but others choose to use one here, the other there, and so on. They're not techniques that everyone will enjoy, and it might be that you never will (for what it's worth, I don't personally find Schuldiner to be a particularly enjoyable vocalist even as someone who very much loves vocalists that employ the underlying technique he uses-though of course many out there do love his style, and it is quite unique, even within death metal), but the point is that Townsend can't be a benchmark by which this style can be measured, because it's a technically distinct form of vocalisation. The challenge then for relatively new listeners of metal is developing the ear to determine the difference between various forms of harsh vocalisation. It will come with time and exposure though I'm sure. Anyway, great vid as usual. :) And there are definitely some progressive tendencies to be found in this album. It's towards the end of Death's career. Their first album is very much firmly rooted in the classic Old School Death Metal sound. They're an interesting band to follow from start to finish, as every album is incrementally evolved from the last, so that whilst their last and first albums sound very much distinct from one another, the step-by-step evolution is very clear to hear and appreciable.

Childish to Death. Y'all are nuts

Came here for a different band!!!!! "Death is an American rock band formed in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in 1971 by brothers Bobby (bass, vocals), David (guitar), and Dannis (drums) Hackney. The trio started out as a funk band but switched to rock after seeing a concert by The Who.[1] Seeing Alice Cooper play was also an inspiration.[2] Music critic Peter Margasak retrospectively wrote that David "pushed the group in a hard-rock direction that presaged punk, and while this certainly didn’t help them find a following in the mid-70s, today it makes them look like visionaries."[2] They are seen by many people as one of the first punk bands in the world.[3] The band broke up in 1977 but reformed in 2009 when the Drag City label released their '70s demos for the first time.[4]"! Please do a reaction video to the first Death! 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

The vocalist (Chuck Shuldiner) is also the guitarist and songwriter

Hey guys, love the channel. Don't you think that "screaming" vocals are similar to hip hop vocals?. I mean, in both genres there isn't any actual singing, the emphasis or role of the vocals are in the phrasing and getting the lyrics across (yeah i know guttural screams are almost impossible to understand) so the use of vocals in both genres are used as a rhythmic device. Peace!!!

Carcass - Heartwork!!! good video btw

I LOVE this song and this entire album. The vocalist is the guitar player/song writer/lyricist of this band and a legend. Chuck is one of the best death vocalist. I can totally get people not liking the vocals but his is the one that got me into death metal. Maybe listen to Death's "Lack of Comprehension". R.I.P. Chuck.

A piece of info for you. Chuck wrote all of the music and also does the vocals. In several interviews he always stated he was never happy with the vocals. He did change his vocals up for the final Death album and went with a completely different vocalist for his Control Denied project. He never ended up finding the vocal sound he was happy with before his death.

Despite I was waiting for so long for this, I know you wouldn’t liked it, but I’ve got to tell you that Chuck Schuldiner (rip) is considered one of the best metal singers in history...and he really was awesome. That kind of singing is called scream and is not supposed to be in key. What Gojira and Devin Townsend are doing with harsh vocals in key is something pretty rare, 99% of death metal vocals are pure screaming or growling :)

Death - Voice of the Soul

I feel like listening to music for the first time while watching you. I am very grateful for your reactions. Thank you so much. And I want to suggest you a song from Dark Funeral called Where Shadows Forever Reign.

its nearly a year later...i wonder what yall would think about this song now, or perhaps one of their other songs

Please listen to every bit of that Blind Guardian CD. Nightfall in Middle Earth is one of the best metal albums ever!

Guys, I also don’t like Death because of the vocals. However, there’s this one song from Death without vocals called “Voice of the Soul”, and it’s one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard in my life. (Again, there’s no vocals, it’s an instrumental song)

Guys, Gene Hoglan played drums on both this and Strapping Young Lad. Just FYI. ;)

You guys have the reach because you are honest AND positive. Wicked!