The Sound of Perseverance

Infobox Album |
Name = The Sound of Perseverance
Type = studio
Artist = Death


Released = September 15, 1998
Recorded =
Genre = Technical death metal, progressive metal
Length = 56:21
Label = Nuclear Blast
Producer = Jim Morris, Chuck Schuldiner
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:py5f8qzmbtc4 link]
* Chronicles of Chaos rating-10|9 [http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/reviews/albums/2-909_death_the_sound_of_perseverance.aspx link]
Last album = "Symbolic" (1995)
This album = "The Sound of Perseverance" (1998)
Next album = "Live in L.A. (Death & Raw)" (2001)

"The Sound of Perseverance" is the seventh and final studio album by American band Death. It was released on September 15, 1998 through Nuclear Blast.

This album, in particular, employs a style more akin to progressive metal than the earliest Death releases, although since "Human" and the albums following it, the band had been developing more toward this style. The average song length on this album is around six minutes. The music has a unique and notorious sound, characterized on melodic harmonies and "heroic" guitar riffs between Schuldiner and Hamm. Also, it was a breakthrough album for drummer and later radio star Richard Christy, a fan favorite, in the tradition of previous drummers like Gene Hoglan and Sean Reinert.

The album features the rare "Voice of the Soul", an extremely melancholic instrumental track that basically contrasts every other work of the band. It shares similar riffs with other tracks of the album. Having produced only two instrumentals (the other being the considerably heavier "Cosmic Sea" from "Human"), it also featured an acclaimed cover of Judas Priest's "Painkiller", which shows Schuldiner pushing the boundaries of his voice with a mix of his own vocals and Rob Halford's, also singing for the first time with a clean voice through the end of the song.

It is rumored that some of the song names and music on "The Sound of Perseverance" were originally going to appear on the first Control Denied album. Schuldiner himself denied this in an interview with Metal Maniacs in 1998 by saying that none of his compositions for Control Denied had been used to fill space for a Death album. When Death was signed on to Nuclear Blast, Schuldiner agreed to make one last Death album before moving forward with Control Denied.

"Spirit Crusher" was the single from this album. It featured a music video that was shot live.

Track listing

# "Scavenger of Human Sorrow" – 6:54
# "Bite the Pain" – 4:29
# "Spirit Crusher" – 6:44
# "Story to Tell" – 6:34
# "Flesh and the Power It Holds" – 8:25
# "Voice of the Soul" – 3:42 (Instrumental)
# "To Forgive Is to Suffer" – 5:55
# "Moment of Clarity" – 7:22
# "Painkiller" (Judas Priest cover) – 6:03

Deluxe edition

A deluxe edition of this album was released in 2005 by Nuclear Blast GmbH. It contains the original album as well as a bonus DVD, "Live at Cottbus 1998".

Deluxe edition was also released as DualDisc.

Credits

* Chuck Schuldiner – vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar on "Voice of the Soul"
* Richard Christy – drums
* Scott Clendenin – bass
* Shannon Hamm – guitar