Review Summary: I never thought Chuck would stoop so low.
After releasing nothing but good albums, Chuck finally manages to create this horrible monstrosity. Everything good that you would expect from a Death album is all but present here. Gone are Chuck's classic death growls. Gone is any sense of flow. Gone are any awesome riffs. Gone is Death's perfect streak.
One of the first things you'll notice about this album is, of course, the vocals. Now, let me ask you a question: Would you find the sound of Donald Duck trying to do death metal to be appealing to your ears in any way whatsoever? Chuck did apparently, as he decided it would be a good idea to use that kind of voice for this album, and the results are less than spectacular. His high-pitch vocals will quickly get on your nerves, and you'll be missing Chuck's good ol' growls more and more as you progress through the album.
But hey, nobody listens to Death just for the vocals, right? Surely there's some super-duper incredible riffage in this album, just like their previous albums, right? Oh, wait, there isn't. Each riff in TSOP feels bland and uninspired, and what harms them even more is the completely uneven song structures. Commonly you will come across random pauses in songs and sudden changes in pace with little to no flow behind them. It's wanking to the extreme, and I had hoped Chuck wouldn't fall victim to that sort of thing. He's a good guitarist, but that doesn't excuse wanking for the sake of wanking.
Speaking of song structures, each song on TSOP follows a certain pattern: Play the first part of a song, guitar solo, repeat first part of song. True, this was seen on Death's previous albums as well, but it's much more blatant here. Chuck seems to not even try to change up the first part of a song once the third step hits. Literally, the only difference is the lyrics. Sorry Chuck, but if I wanted to hear the first part of the song again, I'd just hit the repeat button.
As far as the drumming goes, it suffers the most from wanking. (Is drum wanking even a thing? Whatever.) Richard Christy often seems to just go crazy with his drumming, forgetting to keep the rhythm of the song in the process. The man has potential, but he needs to realize that the main job of a drummer is to keep a song together, not to go nuts on your drum set. The production doesn't help matters either, as the drums sound far too poppy and lack any sort of power to them.
The bass work? Nothing special. The only bass line you'll be likely to remember is the opening of Spirit Crusher, and that's only because it's the opening. Completely forgettable.
And oh God, that Painkiller cover. If you were annoyed with Chuck's vocals before, just wait until you hear this "gem". The vocals are painful. Seriously, I felt like my ears were going to explode at any minute. Chuck got far too carried away with himself here, and it clearly shows. The classic solo from the original Painkiller is absent, replaced with a unmemorable one from Chuck. The drums don't have the same "oomph" as the original version, and it's just all around a chore to listen to.
The only track that doesn't completely suck is Voice of the Soul, largely because it's an instrumental. Still, those random breaks are ever-so present even here, and they really hamper what could have been a great instrumental.
If you are looking to get into Death, do yourself a favor and skip this album. It represents everything that a metal album should not be, and it's a huge blemish on Death's discography. Listen to Human or Symbolic instead.
? What a shame.
