SickDrummer.com, Perseverance Holdings and our friends at Relapse Records are among the sponsors of the DEATH TO ALL TOUR which kicks off tonight in that most metal of cities San Francisco, CA. The tour celebrates the life and music of CHUCK SCHULDINER of DEATH. With DEATH and later CONTROL DENIED Chuck blazed an innovative trail in music and has been followed by nearly every death metal that followed in his shadow. This is not an exaggeration, but widely acknowledged and not just by his peers and loved ones, but by many bands both from yesterday and the present. Performing music from a career spanning set list with be an all-star group of Chuck’s former band mates and giants of death metal like GENE HOGLAN (Individual Thought Patterns/Symbolic), SEAN REINERT (Human), STEVE DIGIORGIO (Human/Individual Thought Patterns), Scott Clendenin (The Sound of Perseverance), PAUL MASVIDAL (Human), Shannon Hamm (The Sound of Perseverance), and Bobby Koelble (Symbolic). Handling vocal duties will be by Steffen Kummerer of OBSCURA and Charles Elliott of ABYSMAL DAWN/BEREFT who are both greatly influenced by Chuck. Some of the guest artists who will join certain shows are RICHARD CHRISTY of CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED (ex-DEATH), Alex Skolnick and Chuck Billy of TESTAMENT, Paul Ryan of ORIGIN, Craig Locicero of FORBIDDEN, Travis Ryan of CATTLE DECAPITATION,Trevor Strnad and Ryan Knight of THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and Emil Werstler of DAATH/CHIMAIRA. GORGUTS will open most of the shows.
Not only will this be a celebration of Chuck’s life, but will help make a lasting impression for the future at every show. Each night is a benefit show to raise awareness for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund which provides support to career musicians in need of support while facing illness, disability or age related issues. This cause hits especially close to home for Chuck’s family and friends and one he’d gladly support. Please come out to this rare opportunity to pay tribute to a legend, see an amazing collection of talent and hear some songs that haven’t been performed anywhere since DEATH was active as a band. Please come out to support this tour and support live music, especially underground bands.
DEATH TO ALL 2012 TOUR DATES:
6/22/2012 – The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
6/23/2012 – House of Blues – Los Angeles, CA
6/26/2012 – House of Blues – Chicago, IL
6/28/2012 – Irving Plaza – NYC, NY
6/30/2012 – The Beacham – Orlando, FL
*Postponed until 2013* 7/01/2012 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
*Postponed until 2013* 7/03/2012 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX
Personal opinions tend to vary greatly when it comes to deciding upon a creative apex for the work of Chuck Schuldiner and Death. While the legacy, lasting effects and impact of Schuldiner’s work for the death metal genre-effectively blurring the borders of what extreme metal musicians can achieve when incorporating a progressive mindset into the framework-remain unchallenged, all of us possess our own preferences when it comes to the man’s body of music.
Yours truly offers up two very diverse selections when it comes to personal favorites: Death’s charmingly raw and unerringly brutal 1987 debut Scream Bloody Gore and this, musically mindblowing ’93 LP, the massive Individual Thought Patterns. Featuring the legendary Gene Hoglan behind the kit, fat string wizard Steve DiGiorgio on the bass and King Diamond’s main axeman Andy LaRoque, Individual Thought Patterns sit snugly in the middle between its compatriot tech-metal juggernauts Symbolic and Human, offering up mature songwriting sensibility alongside Schuldiner’s almost effortless knack for rhythmically punishing metal.
To be honest, the decision process between Individual Thought Patterns, Symbolic and Human basically comes down to the question of which flavor ice cream one enjoys: in other words, there isn’t really a wrong answer. Individual Thought Patterns features a memorable set of songs, however-”Jealousy,” “Trapped In a Corner” and “Overactive Imagination” serving as certifiable highlights, alongside album closing classic “The Philosopher,” a song yours truly humbly covered in my own band back in the day-which eclipses the comparatively more sterile nature of Symbolic, while also coming across as a bit warmer when compared to the clinical precision of Human.
Epically reissued by Relapse, the grooves of “Mentally Blind,” “Destiny” and “Nothing Is Not” can now be enjoyed by a whole new generation of tech-death wizards, here graced by a double disc presentation which also includes a bevy of live tracks and a studio outtake of “The Exorcist,” for good measure. Does all of this add up to ‘essential?’ You bet your ass it does.We still miss you, Chuck.
