SYMBOLIC

I use the five star rating only when the record is objectively essential and I think it should only be that way, when the record broke boundaries within its genre, and revolutionized the way people looked at music. I personally don't like Death Metal, but most Death (the band) records fit in that category. Symbolic is one of them, and the most notable one.

I can properly say that this is the first Death Metal album that perfectly captured the definition of progressive death metal. It's not just a bunch of time signatures clashed together to make the album look complex, there's an actual sense of progressiveness present in the entire album. That is, in the constant switch between hard-hitting riffs and melodic sections with acoustic guitar that worked as foundations for bands like Opeth.

Essential. Can't be negotiated. Hate those growls though. Yuck!