Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Death - Live in L.A. (Death & Raw) (2001)
The first ever Death live album turned out to be one of two released near the end of the band's tenure, the other being Live in Eindhoven. Those albums were released to raise money to help treat Death founder Chuck Schuldiner when he was having his brain cancer, which he tragically succumbed to by the end of that year, thus ending the band and his side-project Control Denied. He put Death on hold for Control Denied, so this live performance became one of the last for the band. The setlist is heavily focused on the band's 4 albums from their progressive/tech-death era, with only two songs from their earlier death metal era. A solid setlist for anyone with even slight interest in Death!
Chuck could show how well he could perform with the band's final lineup. Bassist Scott Clendenin (who also passed away, in 2015) may not have been in the same level as Steve DiGiorgio, but he still sounds excellent. He can fill in the background of the guitars performed by Chuck and Shannon Hamm, and the drums performed by Richard Christy. Anyone one looking for clear audible bass, it's all in here.
A strange Halloween-ish intro begins the show, setting things up for the energetic "The Philosopher". It has catchy groove to fit well through the tempo changes for a technical standout. The bass can be heard and loud, especially when it transitions to the next track... "Spirit Crusher" is a notable highlight with riffing mixing brutality and melody, the latter appearing more in the chorus. Then "Trapped in a Corner" opens with one of the best leads I've heard from a tech-death band, though the heaviness is a bit unbalanced. "Scavenger of Human Sorrow" shows temporary drummer Richard Christy peaking at every minute from the beginning onwards with his massive drum skills. I say temporary because he only appeared in this album along with the rest of the lineup besides Schuldiner. The other two members are Scott Clendenin, who plays cold deep bass, thick to the core and as different as possible from the riffing, with thoughtful effort on his performance; and Shannon Hamm, playing great guitar rhythm, essential for a tight contrast with Schuldiner's leads.
"Crystal Mountain" charges through with catchy bass and strong guitar with a cleaner tone, sounding mystical as the song closes. Another one of the best is "Flesh and the Power it Holds", a legendary 8-minute epic filled with mesmerizing instrumentation, unforgettable soloing and brilliant lyrics. Next song "Zero Tolerance" is more aggressive while complex, and the title reminds of that extreme metal magazine Zero Tolerance, which I bought an issue last week as of this review (Book review to be worked on when not too busy). The more deathly fans finally get what they want with "Zombie Ritual" from the band's debut Scream Bloody Gore, with sick riffing in the intro. For the more progressive fans, there's still more of their final sound to come...
"Suicide Machine" is a classic example of their progressive direction. Half the riffs are heavy and the other half is melodic, both especially in the climatic pre-chorus. The mind-blowing time changes are unexpected but keeps things stable. There are extreme sections alongside a famous chorus hook. "Together as One" has mind-f***ing rhythms, along with bass pumping through the thrashy death of Sadus at that time. "Empty Words" is a solid blend of accessible, aggressive, and progressive that should appeal to the more progressive fans such as myself. The title track of Symbolic is an incredible highlight with tons of transitions. Finally, we get to the last track "Pull the Plug", but before playing the actual song, they play the Charlie's Angels theme! A bit confusing, but it leads to the actual song from the band's second album Leprosy, actually one of the best tracks I've heard in standard death metal, with emotional riffing and an epic solo. Incredible! I gotta listen to the original studio version.
I wouldn't say this is the best live performance to end the band's activity in a bang, but there are some great highlights here! Death fans should really pick up this album, and maybe also the DVD edition for a more worthwhile visual experience. RIP Chuck Schuldiner and Scott Clendenin.....
Favorites (one highlight per album): "The Philosopher", "Flesh and the Power it Holds", "Zombie Ritual", "Suicide Machine", "Symbolic", "Pull the Plug"