December 13 marks the 15th anniversary of the late Chuck Schuldiner, an iconic figure in the death metal scene. As the lead guitarist and frontman of Death, Schuldiner made a crucial impact in extreme metal by solidifying the style of future genres to come such as death, black and doom metal.
Growing up in Florida, Schuldiner picked up his first guitar as early as 9 years old. However, it was during this same time when he lost his older brother in a tragic accident and music would soon serve as Chuck’s mentor throughout his childhood.
As a teenager, some of the most significant bands on his radar were groups like Metallica and KISS, but as he dug deeper into the world of metal from that era, Chuck discovered more aggressive bands such as Mercyful Fate and Venom. Along with the NWOBHM, Schuldiner also favored underground acts including the french metal outfit Sortilege as well as progressive thrash quartet Watchtower and the power trio Coroner. All of these influences shaped the young guitarist who was on his way to form his own band.
At 16 years old, Schuldiner assembled a lineup for Death under the name, Mantas. Soon enough, the band started releasing demo tapes that caught the attention of tape-trading circles within the underground scene.
By 1987, Scream Bloody Gore was created and the type of music that was once being swapped in backyards now had a pure, full-length album. Alongside Possessed‘s debut, Seven Churches, Death delivered a raw and undiluted sound that laid the foundation of a genre that was just seeing the light of day.
Death polished their signature tone with their follow-up album, Leprosy as death metal was making a name for itself against the thrash movement that was dominating the metal world. Once Spirtual Healing came out, Chuck had developed his lyrical content from gore and horror to real, human phenomenons. Subject matter such as anti-drug messages and abortion were controversies that Schuldiner tackled head-on. For the first time, he was revealing his own identity within Death’s music by giving his perspective on these topics.
In 1991, Human saw the band’s first musical change that explored more technical and progressive areas in death metal. Schuldiner’s incredible skills as a guitarist and songwriter were quickly evolving into more prestigious territories as he continued to extend his capacity on both Individual Thought Pattern and Symbolic. Death‘s logo was also being altered in order to emphasize the different thematic direction that was steering the group towards psychological and philosophical messages.
The Sound Of Perseverance unexpectedly became the final album from Death, however it also contained the pinnacle of Schuldiner’s capabilities. The maturity of the group was in full swing and propelled the band to include more melodic elements to their sound while still sustaining the brutality and intensity that they were founded on.
Schuldiner also grew more active outside of Death. He compiled a powerhouse lineup for his second band, Control Denied. Although, it wasn’t a drastic musical stretch in comparison to Death, it was appreciated among fans for Control Denied to produce separate music under their name without any interference pertaining to Chuck’s first band. During this time, he was able to experiment even further with more creative freedom which lead to the final album release from Chuck, The Fragile Art Of Existence.
In May 1999, Schuldiner was diagnosed with brain cancer and spent a majority of the next two years recovering. During the summer of 2001, many musicians including Korn, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kid Rock extended a helping hand in support of Schuldiner by auctioning off items to pay off his medical expenses. Unfortunately, Chuck Schuldiner passed away on December 13, 2001 at the age of 34.
Schuldiner left a tremendous legacy on the world of metal forever. He pushed boundaries, innovated his own style and displayed his brilliance as both a musician and a human being. Many bands today continue to look up to Chuck as their mentor including Obituary and Cannibal Corpse. Although he was too kind to accept the title that the public has granted him with, it is widely believed that Chuck Schuldiner is The Father Of Death Metal and he will always be remembered for it.
Let The Metal Flow!
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