LEPROSY

Leprosy was still in the same vein as Scream Bloody Gore but careful listening reveals that changes for the better have indeed been made. There is now a full band at work, the playing has improved a tad and the songs are noticeably more developed. As has been said many times, the only downfall of the album is Rick Rozz and his uninspired, wammy bar obsessed solos. Rick had a turbulent relationship with Chuck as a member of DEATH before its first album and his unwillingness to develop as a musiciain would be the main reason of his ejection from the band shortly after this album. Chuck, however had developed his playing a fair bit since the first album, and his solos breathe some necessary life into the songs once Rozz is finished with his business. Rick is also only credited with one song here in full, Primitive Ways, which is the least memorable by a country mile.

The eight tracks are mostly first rate for the "limited" style, and the distinctive Morrisound studios production became much sought after. Leprosy, Pull the Plug and Choke On It are lengthier, tighter, and tougher than anything off the first album but still probably a bit basic for the average prog metal fan to dwell on too much, despite sometimes touching on more intricate grounds. However, this is still the "early classic" of the band and their most standout work of this period. 3.5 stars from me.