Death

death metal, later progressive death metal · Altamonte Springs

Founded

1984 to 2001

City

Altamonte Springs

Hub region

Orlando

Status as of 5 September 2026

ended 2001 with Chuck Schuldiner's death

Connections

64 edges, 62 distinct neighbors · betweenness 0.178 (rank 1 of 371) · people and production 0.071 (rank 5)

Confidence

High · sources: [W] [WLE] [WHU] [WSB] [BHU] [RVO] [JPMS] [MUD] [MA] (register)

The personnel engine of the map. Scream Bloody Gore (1987, Combat) is made in Los Angeles after Combat rejects a Florida session; Leprosy (1988) is the first album tracked at Morrisound, with Scott Burns engineering. Spiritual Healing (1990), Human (1991), Individual Thought Patterns (1993), Symbolic (1995) and The Sound of Perseverance (1998) are all Morrisound records. Schuldiner treats the band as a rotating unit after the 1990 European tour goes out without him, and the musicians who pass through it seed Autopsy, Cynic, Massacre, Obituary, Testament, Iced Earth and Death to All. Chuck Schuldiner dies on 13 December 2001.

Connections

People and personnel

• founderChuck Schuldiner1984 to 2001
• memberKam Lee1984 to 1985
• memberRick RozzLeprosy1984 to 1985, 1987 to 1989
• memberBill AndrewsLeprosy and Spiritual Healing; led the 1990 European tour without Schuldiner1988 to 1990
• memberGene HoglanIndividual Thought Patterns, Symbolic1993 to 1995
• memberTerry ButlerLeprosy tour and Spiritual Healing1988 to 1990
• memberSteve DiGiorgioHuman, Individual Thought Patterns1991 to 1993, 1998 to 2001
• memberChris ReifertMutilation demo and Scream Bloody Gore1986 to 1987
• memberPaul MasvidalMexico tour 1989, Spiritual Healing tour, Human1989 to 1992
• memberSean ReinertHuman and its tour1991 to 1992
• memberJames MurphySpiritual Healing1989 to 1990
• memberKelly ConlonSymbolic1995
• memberBobby KoelbleSymbolic1995
• memberRichard ChristyThe Sound of Perseverance1997 to 2001
• memberShannon Hamm1997 to 2001
• produced byRandy BurnsScream Bloody Gore, at the Music Grinder after Combat rejects the Florida session1987
• produced byJim MorrisSymbolic, The Sound of Perseverance; the 2011 Human remix1995 to 1998
• produced byScott BurnsEngineer on Leprosy; producer of Spiritual Healing, Human, Individual Thought Patterns1988 to 1993
• staffEric GreifManager, from a meeting at Milwaukee Metalfest 19871988 to 2001
• guest support fromAndy LaRocqueGuest leads on Individual Thought Patterns1993
• guest support fromRalph SantollaTouring guitarist, in The Philosopher video1993

Lineage

• spawnedTestamentJames Murphy; later Hoglan and DiGiorgio1994
• came out ofMassacreRick Rozz, Terry Butler and Bill Andrews for Leprosy and Spiritual Healing1987
• spawnedMassacreThe same three come back for From Beyond1989
• spawnedAutopsyChris Reifert, home to the Bay Area after Scream Bloody Gore1987
• spawnedControl DeniedSchuldiner, Hamm, DiGiorgio, Christy1996
• spawnedDeath to AllFormer members on tour under Eric Greif2012
• grew out ofMantasRenamed after the Death by Metal demo1984

Recording credits

• recorded atMorrisound RecordingLeprosy (Dan Johnson, Scott Burns), Spiritual Healing, Human, Individual Thought Patterns (Scott Burns), Symbolic, The Sound of Perseverance (Jim Morris)1988 to 1998
• recorded atThe Music GrinderScream Bloody Gore (Randy Burns)1987

Influence

• influenced bySlayerReign in Blood, cited by Schuldiner1986
• influenced byPossessedSeven Churches and the 1984 Death Metal demo precede Scream Bloody Gore; a parallel origin as the histories record it1985
• influenced byNasty SavageThe local proof it could be done, as James Murphy tells it1985
• influencedPestilence1988
• influencedLoudblast1988
• influencedMassacra1988
• influencedNihilistNamed by Andersson among the American bands the band copied; Leprosy and Scream Bloody Gore on the tape circuit1988
• influencedCynic1988
• influencedImmolation1988
• influencedGorguts1989
• influencedOpethSymbolic and the progressive turn1990s
• influencedDemilich1990
• influencedAmorphis1990
• influencedNecrophagistNamed in the retrospective literature with Atheist and Cynic1992
• influencedHorrendous2009
• influencedSkeletal Remains2011
• influencedGruesomeA band devoted to the early Death albums, on the label that owns them2013

Labels, festivals, tours, collaborations

• collaborationDark AngelHoglan1993
• collaborationMorbid AngelThe two roots; the Charlotte year apart1980s
• collaborationSlaughterChuck Schuldiner joins in January 1986 for a few weeks1986
• collaborationAtheistThe two Florida bands the technical school starts from1980s
• collaborationSadusDiGiorgio's first weeks in Death1987
• collaborationKing DiamondLaRocque's leads1993
• collaborationCynicMasvidal and Reinert record Human and tour it1991
• collaborationObituaryJames Murphy moves between them; Chuck's rotating unit and the Brandon constant1989 to 1990
• collaborationDecibelHuman oral history, issue 772011
• labelRoadrunner RecordsIndividual Thought Patterns, Symbolic1993 to 1995
• labelCombat RecordsScream Bloody Gore, Leprosy, Spiritual Healing1987 to 1990
• labelNuclear BlastThe Sound of Perseverance1998
• labelRelapse RecordsCatalog reissues from Perseverance Holdings2010 to present
• festival, venue or tourTape trading networkSchuldiner trades internationally before Death has a record; the Mantas and Death demos1984 to 1987
• festival, venue or tourRuby's PubFirst club show1984
• festival, venue or tourMilwaukee MetalfestWhere Eric Greif meets Chuck Schuldiner1987
• festival, venue or tourSunset Clublate 1980s