Review by Adam M on May 23, 2025.

This album really spurred the band on to a more interesting type of career.  There are more progressive ideas than ealier albums and this leads to a more complete experience.  The music is moer developped and features more technical wizardry than early albums, but perhaps not as much as the next album, Individual Thought Patterns. 

The musicianship on this album is top notch.   There are very flash performances and this is quite refreshing after ehri earlier rawer works.  The guitars are also crunchy and brutal making for a combination of technicaility and brutality.  Drumming is fancy and a highpoint as well as powerful and will make you want to air drum along with the album.

If there is a flaw to be found with the release, it is in how the band would further ehtier progressive tendencies in the future and become even more interesting.  This is quite a thing to nittpick about though because the work is certainly technical enough.

All in all, this was a great album from Death and worked an interesting new chapter in their progression.   It is one of the seminal albums of the genre and something everyone should hear.  If there had been reviewed earlier it would have received a high score, but as it stands this is a high quality album.

Rating: 7.8/10

Review by Mandeep Arora on April 1, 2025.

Before I begin sharing my opinion on this album, I want to get one thing out of the way: I'm not a death metal fan. Never have been. Sacrilegious? Perhaps. But in my formative years when my dumb ass thought being a "true" metalhead meant listening to as much extreme music as possible, I was much more gravitated towards the icy-cold riffs and cheesy Satan worship of the Norwegian wave of black metal over death metal’s stupid gory mania. The latter always seemed a bit much and the forced and artificial imagery surrounding it only compounded my dislike of it (ironic because black metal was much worse in this regard). Save for a few classics like Morbid Angel's 'Altars of Madness' and Obituary's 'Cause of Death' which I absolutely adore, I wouldn’t say I'm a fan of other major death metal bands out there. But - there's always a but - one band that I think truly stands out from this horde is also one of the genre's pioneers, and we all know it very well: Death. Brainchild of the late great Chuck Schuldiner, it evolved dramatically with every subsequent release, establishing itself as the leading band in its niche for its time. I'm strongly of the opinion that a band can only find success when all its members work together as a singular unit, but when the founder/leader has a vision that he wants to achieve, a precedent that he wants to set, then it catapults the group to even newer, crazier heights. Creatively, commercially, and critically. Chuck was one of those leaders...

'Human' is a highly evolved incarnation of the band's earlier take on death metal. It's tighter, more focused, and quite technical, with lyrics that rather talk about societal issues and human behavior than splattered remains of a carcass being fed on by a cannibalistic psychopath of a serial killer on a streak of wielding axes and crushing lasses. Phew! Damn you Cannibal Corpse... Anyway, it's always worth reminding yourself just how far Death came in such a short space of time. And in the case of 'Human', it came hot on the heels of the brutal and fantastic 'Spiritual Healing', which was a breakthrough moment in the shifting sound of the band. Packing a fearsome punch, loaded with the thickest riffs, and sporting unwavering tenacity, 'Human' is a defining moment in the history of technical death metal. My apologies if I got that bit of information incorrectly; my death metal knowledge is sparse and patchy and mostly at the mercy of whatever I'm able to hoard from the vast archives of the ubiquitous internet.

Admittedly, Death may have been Schuldiner's band, but it would not have been possible without the highest quality of musicians he kept acquiring over the years. While mostly a Chuck Schuldiner show on the previous efforts, 'Human' is where he started getting dedicated musicians for certain roles. And it paid off big time. That thick guitar tone may be instantly recognisable but so is Steve DiGiorgio's fretless bass work. His intricate basslines add another layer of grit to what is already a very callous sound. I think he's one of early death metal’s most renowned bass players whose subtle, melodic playing can instantaneously shift to a sharp, stinging attack. Likewise Sean Reinert, the drummer; doesn't seem outright monstrous or heavily technical like Gene Hoglan on the later records, but his dynamic range of coasting along with minimal or adequate percussion to legitimately going unrelenting on songs like 'Lack of Comprehension' is a testament to his skills, considering the fact that he was only twenty at the time of this album's recording.

But of course, the crème de la crème has got to be Chuck Schuldiner and Paul Masvidal's guitar work. It's dense and layered and at first can seem emotionally stunted, for the riffs are high on technicality and brutality, so the initial overarching impression is that of a thick cluster of super-clinical, razor-sharp, and laser-focused riffs that are devoid of the emotive, gratifying factor. However, the lead work is the complete opposite; the guitar solos and bridges are relatively uncomplicated and actually quite melodic, thus offsetting a bit of the all-encompassing complexity and solemnity established by the rhythm section. This seamless coalescence of both extends to the album as a whole, which means that while the general soundtrack is gritty and unyielding, it does make some concessions to melodious musicality, the fervent lead work making sure to keep you enthralled and emotionally invested. This hard-boiled approach isn't quite as prevalent on the later albums as far as my observation goes; sure, they're hella technical, but the riffs also loosen up a bit and don't seem as stern or as in-your-face as they do here. 'Human' is one of a kind in that regard.

There may have been an added complexity to the song structures but if you're a long-time fan of the band, you'd have noticed how nearly all their songs have an entire initial section of riffs and melodies, following which is a guitar solo or a bridge, and then the same initial section is repeated all over, in the exact same setting, to conclude the song. It's kind of a signature Death trait that 'Human' does not sacrifice much of. Admittedly, sustained usage of this formula can seem a bit repetitive at times, even rendering a few of the time signatures seemingly disjointed, but it's honestly not a big bother in the overall scheme of things. The songs aren't too long and don't shift as much direction as you'd think them to be. Amidst all this, some moments stand out as truly splendid: the opener 'Flattening of Emotions' is not only a fantastic song, but it's also a brilliant precursor of the band's newfound sound. Then there's 'Lack of Comprehension' with its slow bassy intro; a spectacular song that's also the most relentless in a way. My personal favorite, though, has got to be how 'See Through Dreams' ends in an unanticipated fadeout and gives way to 'Cosmic Sea'. A sublime composition, the latter, with a cohesive buildup of many succulent melodies that end up drowning in the spacey and tranquilizing sound effects of the so-called cosmic sea's turbulent waters. The very delectable bass solo that immediately follows it is the big star of the show; it's a thing of absolute beauty and remains one of the band's finest compositions.

Whilst the love for this part of Death's career is almost universal, a minuscule portion of the audience thinks Schuldiner ruined the band's sound by going overly complex and technical, a list that also includes Darkthrone’s Fenriz. "Thinking man's death metal" as it's often called is not for the staunchest of death metal maniacs maybe. Undeniably, 'Leprosy' and 'Spiritual Healing', or even 'Scream Bloody Gore', are in a league of their own, but in certain ways, this tighter, more mature sound is their peak. A gradual, perfect evolution of the band's sound and even the death metal genre as a whole. When they decided to stick to this formula in pursuit of pushing the boundaries yet further, things would go a little haywire on the slightly overdone 'Individual Thought Patterns', but the sound would more or less be perfected on the majestic and game-changing 'Symbolic'. Chuck Schuldiner’s version of death metal is something very special and beautiful to behold, for it exhibits raw emotions like nothing else in this genre. It's my type of music: grown-up, refined, melodic, and yet every bit as brutal as it's required to be. It's simply fantastic.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on August 17, 2018.

I was sitting the other day thinking about Chuck Schuldiner and these new Death reissues and wondering how cool Chuck would undoubtedly think it is that Death is so revered after all this time. When you hear about the Floridian death metal scene it starts and pretty much ends with Chuck and Death, and there really is no need to go into the history and lineage; if you’re reading this you know who the man was and who he will ever be, not to mention how important he is to all of heavy metal. Let’s talk about the Human reissue, yes? Human was considered by many to be Death’s finest release, and while I find no fault in any Death album there is much credence to this claim. Human followed the flawless Spiritual Healing that was near death metal perfection in the ‘dream team’ of Chuck and fellow shredder James Murphy, but the preceding release would prove that Death simply improved with every subsequent release.

Throughout the entire 35-minutes of Human there is no assuaging of emotions, no settling for second banana; Chuck Schuldiner and newly-added guitarist Paul Masvidal traded riffs like men possessed, seemingly rejuvenated and bent on creating a mass hypnosis within tracks like “Suicide Machine”, “Vacant Planets” and the Steve DiGiorgio bass-heavy “Lack of Comprehension”. What Human represents to the death metal movement is utter respect for detail and attention to quality, traits not too often found in the genre of late. It seems today the easy road is the “KVLT” necro sound which amounts to nothing more than laziness and expedited release dates due to internal concerns, budgetary or otherwise. When Death released an album you knew you were going to get a meticulousness not easily dismissed or fudged. One listen to “Cosmic Sea” and any questions are quickly dissolved in a furious onslaught of scales and pinpoint arrangements that set Death above the board in all facets. Lyrically Mr. Schuldiner set the bar somewhere between fantastical journey and deep inner introspection, providing a vehicle of total subservience to the vastness that is our individual psyche, forcing us to think outside our comfort zones. “See Through Dreams” is the catalyst with which we truly engage ourselves if the mind is so inclined; this piece of intellectual examination is the topical Gibraltar for me. Death is not for the timidity of toe-in-water testing; what you will find here is only to be ingested at full strength of mind and over-estimation of the self and its functionary design. This band is the thinker’s death metal through and through without reservation or equal.

When this album first hit the stores I was amazed driving home from the store at how terrific the production was (remember, this was 1991, people) and how fluid the overall sound was. I remember bringing it over to my band practice and playing it for my friends, who worshipped at the Testament altar, and it just seemed lost on them. That should have been a hint right off, but, alas, this helped prove my theory that Death, while wholly illuminating, can also be wildly intimidating to any musician. Therein lay the beauty of Human; the album castrates the expectations of many and inspires and cultivates even more. Suffice it to say, I didn’t bring any band members to see Death live when I saw these blistering tracks performed live twice on the Human tour. What an amazing spectacle they all missed…

Now that I’ve gushed accordingly over all things Human, I’ll get to the Relapse bonus material. As we’ve come to expect with the Sound of Perseverance and Individual Thought Patterns reissues, the bonus disc(s) are chock full of demo material from the respective albums, which is wonderful for musicians and general fans. As a bootleg trader for many years we would have killed for Death rehearsals and demos aside from the early issued releases. That said it does leave room for inquiry as to why Relapse doesn’t include some video footage, possibly a DVD of some concert clips or interviews conducive to the release. I personally know there’s a lot of terrific footage out there from each tour that could easily be cleaned, mastered and heartily gobbled up by ardent, rabid fans like myself. Granted, I understand the legal maneuvering of such additions and I’m delirious with anything Death-related that has yet to be unearthed, but possible inclusion of a DVD for the mail order-only third disc numbered version would be a sweet addition if agreements can be made with fan-footage holders or fellow band members. With this being my only umbrage to take up, I do recommend the mail-order issues for additional demo tracks simply because they are a truly unique gift for long time fans to hear the basic foundations being laid for what would become iconic tracks that serve as respectful testaments for a young man taken far too early and leaves us wondering what might have been.

Pregnant with informative liner notes and photos, these Relapse reboots are tremendously valuable for the underground that keeps the Death name going strong, as well it should. If anyone can listen to Death and not find perfection and historical significance throughout I strongly suggest he or she venture out to the local mall and seek out the nu-metal section for the new Decapitated, which assuredly reassembles the tag without benefit of explanation to the uninformed among us.

Death is the real deal and will forever remain as such. These reissues are an absolute must. 

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

(Originally written for www.MetalPsalter.com)