Released in 1988, Leprosy is a brutal album full of some of the sickest sounds that you have ever heard. The album in considered a landmark death metal album, and many see it as the best example of genre so far. While death metal is certainly not my favorite sub-genre of metal, Leprosy is quite the album. Let's take a look.
Opener "Leprosy" is about the said disease. The first thing that you will notice about Death is their sheer virtuosity. Timing changes, complicated progressions, and various guitar techniques produce an all-out assault on the senses. Late singer/guitarist Chuck Schuldiner delivers some truly revolting vocals (a good thing if you like death metal), that are still somehow reminiscent of melody. The song's lyrics are basically about the effects of leprosy, and the decay it causes to the body. This album is not for the faint of heart, as it only gets more grotesque from here. A great track. "Born Dead" sounds almost like thrash metal at times, a very fast and heavy song. Lyrically, the song is absolutely dreary and depressing. But that's why people listen to death metal isn't it? In any case, the song has some great guitar work, I particularly like the dive-bombing and tapping that happens throughout the song. The intensity of drummer Bill Andrews really becomes apparent during this track, an absolute beast on the sticks.
"Forgotten Past" is a more traditional metal song. A Metallica-like riff drives along Chuck's sick and tormented groaning. The song seems to concern zombies and the undead, a consistent theme throughout Death's short discography. I find the drums to be a bit mechanical on the track, but the guitar solo is absolutely astounding, one of the best from the band. A great song for fans of this particular brand of metal. "Left to Die" shows off the band's use of middle-eastern scales in their riffs. An absolutely horrific song, the lyrics are the bleakest of the bleak, all atop a grinding series of riffs and machine-gun drumming. About as far from pop music as you can imagine, this is outsider music at its best. The screams that Chuck let out are truly disturbing, sick stuff. A great song, but certainly not for everybody.
"Pull the Plug" is my pick for the best song on the album. The insanely heavy riff will infect your brain, easily one of the best death metal riffs of all time. A huge influence on modern metal, I cannot underestimate the importance of this track. I love the progressive feel of the track as well, with certain sections exploring some complex musical structures. A killer song by any means. "Open Casket" has some great "blast beats" from Andrews. The song fits the more traditional definition of death metal, as its break-neck speeds and inaudible vocals are characteristic of death metal. Not one of my favorites, a tad too brutal even for my tastes. Certainly a good death metal song, but I like to be able to hear the vocals and groans, the song sounds rushed and jumbled to me.
"Primitive Ways" continues the insane speed of the previous track. Chuck's groans are tormented and disturbing, but again, that is a complement for the death metal genre. The bass is hard to hear during the previous track and this track, a sad fact considering that bassist Terry Butler (not Geezer) is quite good. Not one of my favorite Death tracks either. Last up is the amazing "Choke On It". The bass-work is great here, and can be clearly heard. After an amazingly melodic introduction, the oppressive wall of guitars and blast beats hits again, like a punch to the face. But, in the middle of the song, a progressive and fairly clean-sounding section provides a refuge from the insanity. A great song, with some killer leads from Chuck.
"Leprosy" is a disturbing and brutal album, but will certainly please fans of heavier variants of metal. For those who fell that Iron Maiden is a heavy band, perhaps this music is not for you. But for those who like death metal, I cannot think of a better album. A shinning example of the golden age of death metal, that would sadly end with Chuck's untimely death in 2001.
Rating-9/10
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