The album is notable in its different tone and quality from the band's 1987 debut, and it is the first example of producer and engineer Scott Burns' work heard on many of the death metal and grindcore albums of that era.[4] Shaun Lindsley of Metal Hammer said "with Scream Bloody Gore having set a new standard in extremity, [...] Leprosy would end up being the final nail in Death’s thrash-tinged coffin."[5] It is considered to be a groundbreaking achievement in the genre.[4]
It is the first Death album to feature drummer Bill Andrews, and is the band's only studio album to feature guitarist Rick Rozz.
Composition and lyrics
Leprosy has been described as sounding "raw", "raucous" and "just absolutely pissed off".[4]Invisible Oranges described the album as sounding "softer" than Scream Bloody Gore and "not as technical" as Spiritual Healing, the album that followed."[6] Scott Burns' production on the album has been described as "unfussy" and "organic", and musically, it has been said to retain the "morbid inertia" of its predecessor.[7] It is considered the band's final "straightforward" death metal release, as they would take a more technical and progressive approach on later releases.[8] The lead guitar stylings of Rick Rozz on the album utilize whammy bar divebombs, drawing comparisons to Kerry King of Slayer. By contrast, Chuck Schuldiner’s guitar solos on the album have been described as "more technical".[6] Some of the album's guitar riffs have been described as melodic, with some publications noting influence from the New wave of British heavy metal.[7] The songwriting on the album has been called "structurally audacious." Jonathan Horsley of MusicRadar assessed, "Even this early in his [career], Schuldiner was a provocateur, upending the songwriting rule book, eschewing repetition, operating like the editor of an action movie in cutting together contrasting riffs and ideas with brutal efficiency."[7] The lyrical content on Leprosy has been said to be more mature, darker and more "bleak" than its predecessor, Scream Bloody Gore.[1] While the latter contained lyrics pertaining to fictional subject matter such as zombies, Leprosy saw Schuldiner beginning to explore nonfictional topics in his lyrics as well.[6] Topics explored by Schuldiner on the album have been described as "more psychologically unnerving",[8] and include social stigma, war, and existential dread.[4] "Pull the Plug" is written from the perspective of a person who is being taken off of life support,[9] and has been called "a death metal contemporary of Metallica’s One".[7]
Reception and legacy
Released in 1988, Leprosy is considered to be ahead of its time musically. According to Eduardo Rivadavia of Loudwire, the album made it apparent that the death metal genre was "already advancing by leaps and bounds."[10]
In a poll by the German Rock Hard magazine, Leprosy was voted the number one of the 25 most important death metal albums of all time. On April 29, 2014, a three-disc remastered edition containing bonus tracks was released via Relapse Records.[11]
The title track was covered by the blackened death metal band Akercocke on their 2007 album Antichrist. Dutch melodic death metal band Callenish Circle covered "Pull the Plug" as a bonus on their Flesh Power Dominion album, released in 2002; shortly thereafter, Norwegian band Zyklon also recorded "Pull the Plug" to be used as a bonus track. Finnish thrash metal band Mokoma covered the track "Open Casket", with lyrics in Finnish and titled "Avoin Hauta", on their EPViides Vuodenaika. "Pull the Plug" was also covered by American band Revocation.
All music written by Chuck Schuldiner and Rick Rozz, unless stated. All lyrics written by Chuck Schuldiner. All songs published by Mutilation Music.[12][13]
