Looking back: About the music more and more

By EMPTY WORDS (official Death/Control Denied/Chuck Schuldiner website)

Chuck Schuldiner: Brilliant and complex

Magazine: Metal Hammer / Germany

Article: Music? Nicht immer, aber immer öfter.

Written by: Robert Müller

Published: July 1993

Some time ago, when we met in Florida, Chuck defined the message of the new Death album, "Individual Thought Patterns", as a credo for the music and against the industry of the music business. First of all the album is technically brilliant and complex, yet very heavy and aggressive.

And furthermore....?

If I see things the right way, Death, since their last album "Human", developes as a "normal", musically orientated band. "Psycho Monster" Chuck Schuldiner actually has deserved nothing less than headlines with style, defining Death Metal, but until recently, the magazines only have been filled with tour cancelations. "Death will never come to Europe", was one of the many heard sayings. But in the meantime, 3 tours proved it not to be true. So it's about time, by means of the new CD "Individual Though Patterns", to let the music speak for itself. It is in every way, very worth the effort. The words coming out of Chuck's mouth must be seen as accompanying notes. Let's start with the just ended festival-tour in Germany.

Point-blank: how was it this time?

Chuck: "It was amazing! For me, personally, it was the best time I ever had being on tour. During the last tour there was just only one concert that we didn't have under control. Overall, I had the impression that the people just wanted to enjoy an evening with good music."

How does the new line-up, (next to Chuck, also Steve DiGiorgio (b), Andy LaRocque (g) and Gene Hoglan (d)) look like? Is it a lasting one, or is there talk of the so called characteristic Death decomposition symtoms?

Chuck: "Up till now it lasts. I can't look in the future unfortunately, but as it appears and as I see how the mood is in the band at the moment, it will last. I hope so, because it is, as well musically as personally the best I ever had. This album gives me much more a round off feeling. The songs flow over in each other easily, it's very organic. It's much less straight forward than "Human", and there are many sneaky bends on it"

Maybe he is right about this, although I think most of his lyrics are based on personal experiences. But about the partly half-hearted character of the music business, there truly is no doubt about it indeed.

Chuck: "I hope that I won't have to write this kind of tedious lyrics anymore. But I truly went through hell, and that just had to come out once. Besides, there are so many other musicians feeling absolutely the same. Everbody is fed up with the whole fucking business, with all the rumours and media pranks, always forgetting that it's about the music."

Did you find a way, in the meantime, to deal with all these kind of things?

Chuck: "I have a good lawyer."

Are you still feeling misunderstood by a great part of the press?

Chuck: "You know what's funny? A lot of people read this crap, but when it comes to a point, it doesn't matter to them at all. The press has to understand, that their consumers can rise above it as well. The fact that I ran into a lot of people at the concerts, with nothing but positivity towards the music, gives me a lot of courage."

Read the full article here.