this record is not an official christmas gift but is somewhat linked to one. i really began to love death when relapse records announced a broad re-issue campaign for the band's full length releases. in the course of two years i was able to snag up almost all the albums death released from 1987 up to 1998. with the exception of "leprosy" and "spiritual healing" being back on black re-issues, all my death vinyl are relapse releases.
one album seemed to elude me because strangely relapse could not obtain the rights for it. i don't know why the legal position of "symbolic" is different to the other albums but it meant no easily available vinyl edition for me. so now my christmas gift becomes part of the story. i got the well-researched documentary "death by metal" on dvd and was fascinated by the insight that chuck schuldiner wanted "symbolic" to be the last death record. he wanted to focus on a fusion of the technical approach and traditional metal with a real singer.
only nuclear blast, the label the control denied album appeared on, didn't want to take the risk without releasing a safe death album. so "the sound of perseverance" came to be. this story made me see "symbolic" as one of the milestones in the musical context of death. now i really wanted a copy of that record. original roadrunner copies are skyrocketing on second hand market places, therefore only re-issues came into question. searching all possible options, i stumbled upon an amazon offering.
it showed the metal blade re-issue from 2014 for around thrityfive bucks. quite reasonable and so i pulled the trigger because it was the last copy available, not caring if it was black or white vinyl (the two colours pressed for this re-press). as i saw way more white copies than black on the net, i really hoped for the colour vinyl and i wasn't disappointed. musically this the shit! it won't top "human" as my favourite death record but it is so close! check it out! lovely pressing on 180gr white vinyl. metal blade. 2014.
post scriptum: here is a picture of the great documentary that is "death by metal". tons of interviews with band members and other companions, live excerpts and old interviews of chuck schuldiner. nice fanboy package!
