HUMAN

One of the things I like about "Human" is that it is way more complex and innovative than its predecessors, and the level of proficiency and exececution much higher - yet it has one of the most brutal sound productions I have ever heard - especially the distortion of the guitars which has a lot of bottom and just enough edge to prevent the sounds from becoming messy, is so brutal the when the guitar riff kicks in on the first track "Flattening of Emotions", it is almost scary. The downside is that the bass is almost inaudible at times (without ever reaching the ridiculous state of the Metallica's otherwise great album "...And Justice for All".

With Cynic musicians Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert as well as bass wizard Steve DiGiorgio in the line-up, Schuldiner finally cooperated with musicians who were at his own level of proficiency (or perhaps even above his level of proficiency at the time - Masvidal has described the songs on "Human" as easy to play compared to Cynic's material). I certainly do think that its was through working with musicians like these that Chuck Schuldiner finally realized the musical vision that is weakly evident on "Leprosy" and more so on "Spiritual Healing".

In terms of compositional complexity and dynamics, the level is more or less the same as on "Spiritual Healing" (well, porbably a bit higher), but the level of musical ability and awareness from the band is so much higher than it would be unfair to "Spiritual Healing" to even start comparing them. It's the fact that the musicians are now able to execute Schuldiner's ideas, I think, which has cause "Human" to be considered the conception of technical/progressive exterme metal. I tend to agree. I think that "Human" is a truly progressive album, because in addition to the complex and dynamic compositions, it allows for the showcasing of musical prowess, and it really propels Schuldiner off on his ever more progressive journey through music.

Highlights are "Flattening of Emotions", "Suicide Machine", "Lack of Comprehension" and the fusion-jazzy "Cosmic Sea".

"Human", I think, is the first of four consecutive progressive/technical death metal masterpieces, and I recommend it to any fan of technical death metal and progressive metal. I think that even more open-minded traditional progheads might appreciate it.

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