HUMAN

This is the album where Chuck finally got it right. After three albums of a more straight-forward death metal nature, Death find interesting ways of adding jazz fusion and progressive rock to their sound while still remaining true to their metal roots. And they got a much-needed upgrade in musicians.

Human teams Chuck Schuldiner with fellow guitarist Paul Masvidal and drummer Sean Reinert (both of Cynic), as well as Sadus bassist Steve Digiorgio (though bassist Skott Carino plays on "Cosmic Sea"). This lineup gives Death their best lineup to date, and in my opinion, their best lineup ever.

Most of the tracks on this album as brutally heavy tunes that wouldn't be totally out of place on their previous album, Spiritual Healing. The fact that they've finally got a rhythm section that doesn't sound cold and uninspired is what really gives life to these songs. Reinert's drumming on this album is the most noticeable upgrade in the sound of the band. Chuck's soloing has improved from past albums, and Masvidal's playing is a nice addition to the band (though his predecessor James Murphy was no slouch). The bass playing is much more interesting, although it is a bit quiet at times.

My favorite tracks on this album are "Together as One", "Lack of Comprehension" and the instrumental "Cosmic Sea" (easily the proggiest song on the album). I rarely skip a track when listening to this album. As all songs are between 3 and 5 minutes in length, Human shows that the progressiveness of an album is not necessarily proportional to running length (only at approximately 34 minutes).

This is one progressive death metal album that belongs in a prog fan's collection, as well as a metal album that is a must for metal heads.