Chuck Schuldiner
Encyclopedia
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (May 13, 1967 – December 13, 2001) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
Schuldiner was the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band Death, which he founded in 1983, initially under the name Mantas. He also recorded as guitarist and songwriter with his other band, Control Denied
. Schuldiner is often referred to as "The Father of Death Metal
",
and his obituary
in the January 5, 2002 issue of UK's Kerrang!
magazine stated that "Chuck Schuldiner was one of the most significant figures in the history of metal." Schuldiner himself was modest about his part in the history of death metal, noting "I don’t think I should take the credits for this death metal stuff. I’m just a guy from a band, and I think Death is a metal band." Schuldiner was ranked No. 10 in Joel Mclver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists
in 2009 and No.20 in March 2004 Guitar World's "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists".
n descent and a mother from the American South, a convert to Judaism
. Both his parents were teachers. In 1968, his family moved to Florida
. Schuldiner was the youngest of three children. He had an older brother named Frank and an older sister named Bethann.
Schuldiner started playing guitar at the age of 9. His 16 year old brother had died and his parents bought him a guitar, thinking it would help with his grief. He took classical lessons for less than a year in which his teacher taught him "Mary had a Little Lamb", which he did not like very much, and almost stopped completely, until his parents saw an electric guitar at a yard sale and bought it for him. The young Schuldiner immediately took to the instrument. After getting amps, he never stopped playing, writing and teaching himself. Schuldiner was known to spend the weekend in the garage or his room playing his guitar, but was limited to three hours on weekdays when school was in session. Schuldiner first played in public in his early teens.
Schuldiner was originally inspired by Iron Maiden
, Kiss
and Billy Idol
, among others. He was particularly interested in the metal movement known as NWOBHM - New Wave of British Heavy Metal - and cited bands of that genre among his favorites. He frequently cited French band Sortilège
as his personal favorite metal group. Slayer
, Possessed
, Mercyful Fate
/King Diamond
and Metallica
were later influences he would apply more to his own band. Later in his career, Schuldiner frequently cited progressive metal
bands such as Watchtower
and Queensrÿche
as influences. Official Schuldiner website, Empty Words, quotes Schuldiner's mother making the claim that he enjoyed all forms of music except country
and rap. He also apparently particularly enjoyed jazz
and classical music in addition to metal and British alternative acts such as Lush
.
Schuldiner performed well in school, however, he became bored with education and eventually dropped out. He later regretted this decision. He has stated that if he had not become a musician, he would have liked to have become a veterinarian or a cook.
(guitar) and Kam Lee
(drums and vocals). In January 1986, Schuldiner moved to Toronto and temporarily joined the Canadian band Slaughter
. However, he quickly returned to continue as the formation of Death.
Death underwent many lineup changes, however with Chris Reifert
he eventually released his first Death album, titled Scream Bloody Gore
, in 1987. He continued with 1988's Leprosy
with the line-up of former Mantas guitarist Rick Rozz and rhythm section Terry Butler on bass and Bill Andrews on drums, and 1990's Spiritual Healing
, where guitarist James Murphy had replaced the fired Rozz in 1989.
After Spiritual Healing, Schuldiner stopped working with full time band members and instead worked only with studio and live venue musicians due to bad relationships with Death's previous rhythm section and guitarists. This earned Schuldiner something of a 'perfectionist' reputation in the metal community. Schuldiner had also fired his manager Eric Greif
but settled and re-hired him before the recording of his next, influential release.
Death's breakthrough album, Human saw the band evolving to a more technical and progressive style, in which Schuldiner displayed his guitar skills more than ever. He continued in this style (and continued the success of the band) with 1993's Individual Thought Patterns
, 1995's Symbolic, and finally The Sound of Perseverance
in 1998. Throughout his career, Schuldiner was not afraid to take on controversial lyrical subjects, taking an anti-drug stance on "Living Monstrosity" and writing about abortion in "Altering the Future".
He folded Death after this to continue Control Denied
, which he had been putting together prior to the release of The Sound of Perseverance, and released The Fragile Art of Existence
in 1999. Control Denied also had other players from the latest Death album but featured a melodic metal vocalist. Schuldiner also played guitar in the "supergroup" Voodoocult
on the album Jesus Killing Machine in 1994 and played a guest solo on Naphobia's 1995 release, Of Hell on the track "As Ancients Evolve" as a favor to the band's bassist at the time who was a friend of Schuldiner's. Schuldiner was also asked to be one of the many guest vocalists on Dave Grohl
's 2001 Probot
. Grohl, Napalm Death
, Ozzy Osbourne
, and Anthrax
all increased efforts to raise funds for Schuldiner's medical bills with Grohl trying to involve Schuldiner on an album he was working on.
In 1998, while touring the world for The Sound of Perseverance album, Schuldiner admitted his disdain for the emerging fusion genre of nu metal
. In describing his own music, he referred to it as "...metal - melodic. No hip hop, jumping up and down, baggy trouser crap."
.
In October 1999, Schuldiner’s family announced that the tumor had necrotized and that he was on the way to recovery. In January 2000, Schuldiner underwent surgery to remove what remained of his tumor. The operation was a success. However, the Schuldiner family was struggling financially. The total costs of the operations came to $70,000, a price the Schuldiner family could not afford. Many fundraisers, auctions, and benefit concerts took place to help cover the costs. The money began to come in as the metal community, in total shock, realized that Schuldiner's life was in danger. The metal community and the Schuldiner family showed deep concern because Schuldiner could have lost his life due to lack of funds.
Schuldiner continued to work on his music, continuing his work with Control Denied. About two years after his original diagnosis, in May 2001, the cancer returned and Schuldiner fell ill again. He was originally denied surgery (which he needed immediately) due to lack of funds. A press release called for support from everyone, including fellow artists. Jane Schuldiner urged all who read the statements about Schuldiner and his illness to go out and get insurance, stating her frustration in the American healthcare system. Schuldiner had gotten medical insurance after his first surgery, but the insurer had refused to pay because the tumor existed before he had gotten the insurance. Many artists, including Kid Rock
, Korn
and Red Hot Chili Peppers
, got together during the summer of 2001 to auction off personal items with the funds assisting Schuldiner's medical expenses, an effort covered by MTV. Matt Heafy
, vocalist and guitarist for Trivium
has also stated that the band had played a benefit show for Schuldiner while he was in the hospital in their days as a local band. Schuldiner received a chemotherapy drug called vincristine
to help with his therapy. Like most drugs used in the treatment of cancer, the side effects were harsh and weakened Schuldiner greatly. In late October/early November, Schuldiner became ill with pneumonia
.
Schuldiner died on December 13, 2001, at approximately 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
. He was cremated and MTV reported that recording artists, including Mike Patton
, Dimebag Darrell
, Glen Benton
, King Diamond
, Ville Valo
, Trey Azagthoth
and Max Cavalera
, along with all of the former and active members of Death, attended his memorial service.
Schuldiner had a home and two dogs in Altamonte Springs just outside of Orlando. Schuldiner built a studio inside the garage where many of his songs such as Crystal Mountain were inspired. Schuldiner's home office was the site of the Metal Crusade newsletter and fan club.
A legal battle began from the time of Schuldiner's death on the settlement of the rights to the partially completed second Control Denied album, When Man and Machine Collide
. Demos of these unreleased Control Denied songs, as well as early Death demos and live Death recordings from 1990, were released in the Zero Tolerance
two-part compilation bootlegs by the Dutch Hammerheart Holdings company and the Schuldiners and Greif asserted rights on behalf of Schuldiner's estate. The matter was settled in November 2009, anticipating the project being finished and released in 2010.
Tribute concerts have been coordinated or funded by his mother, family and various Death tribute groups internationally. CKY front man, Deron Miller, who considers Schuldiner an idol of his, got the idea, while working on various projects with former Death guitarist (and brain cancer survivor) James Murphy, to do a tribute album. Murphy announced he would release a Chuck Schuldiner tribute album to commemorate his lasting mark on the metal community and Schuldiner's family publicly offered support for Murphy's effort, though it has never materialized. Schuldiner's sister Beth confirmed via her YouTube
channel that Death: Live in Japan, a behind the scenes Death video, as well as a boxset containing all of Schuldiner's works including some exclusive copies of handwritten notes by Schuldiner are in the works via Relapse Records
. Schuldiner Estate lawyer Eric Greif held a charity Chuck Schuldiner Birthday Bash in Calgary, Alberta, May 13, 2011 featuring speeches by Greif and former Death guitarist Paul Masvidal
, as well as bands performing Schuldiner's music.
, a book about Death and Schuldiner and released it in Iran
. The book includes bilingual lyrics and many articles about the band. The book was sent through the site keepers of emptywords.org to Schuldiner, who in his words was "truly blown away and extremely honored by the obvious work and devotion he put into bringing the book to life". The author of book later formed Angband
.
When asked about his opinions regarding an afterlife, Schuldiner responded "I don't know", but elaborated that he believed "this is hell", and that demons are in people, as they "create evil". Although his parents are Jewish, Schuldiner did not go through any formal religious training. In the documentary, "666 At Calling Death", he was asked whether Satanism was a part of his music. He replied, "Not at all. I really don't want to involve any type of religious theme in our music. I think that's more of a personal thing. Yeah, I'm not a Satanist and I definitely don't put that into our music. No purpose. I was really young when the band first started out. I was never really into writing Satanic lyrics at all, personally. We did write gore lyrics, but it was more like kind of tongue-in-cheek, horror-movie type level. Nothing like encouraging people to go out and hurt themselves or anything stupid like that. It's pure fantasy-movie type, scary stuff. And then, I just really got into writing about reality, which is what we all have to deal with."
Schuldiner designed the Death logo and its various incarnations during the length of his career. In 1991, before the release of Human, he cleaned up the logo taking out more intricate details and the "T" in the logo was swapped from an inverted cross to a more regular looking "T", one reason being to quash any implication of religion.
Schuldiner was also openly against hard drugs; he is quoted as saying, "I’ve tripped several times. That’s all because I don’t like the hard drugs. And my only drugs are alcohol and grass."
Control Denied
With Voodoocult
Stealth model, an extremely rare model available only through the BC Rich custom shop until 2008, when it was released to the public as the Chuck Shuldiner Tribute Stealth. Prior to this, he used a BC Rich Mockingbird. Most of Schuldiner's sound came from a DiMarzio
X2N pickup placed in the bridge. During the (In)Human Tour of the World (1991–92), Schuldiner briefly endorsed a small Wisconsin custom guitar company called Axxtra, who worked with him on designs, though he still insisted on using his BC Rich during filming of the Lack of Comprehension video in September 1991 in Orlando.
The amp he used towards the end of his career was a Marshall
Valvestate (Model 8100) amp head and Valvestate 4x12 speaker cabinets on Individual Thought Patterns as well as the ITP tour, and eventually started using Marshall 1960 cabs. Before that he used various equipment including Randall
RG100ES heads and Randall cabinets, and on the (In)Human Tour of the World he used a small GK 250ML
miked up, despite having hollow 4x12 stacks 'for show'.
s when performing vocals. As his career progressed, his vocals went up in pitch until, by final Death album The Sound of Perseverance
, he employed high pitched screeching more similar to conventional screaming techniques. His vocal style is an influence to many death metal
bands.
Schuldiner was the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band Death, which he founded in 1983, initially under the name Mantas. He also recorded as guitarist and songwriter with his other band, Control Denied
Control Denied
Control Denied was a band formed by Chuck Schuldiner to create progressive heavy metal, mixed with elements of power and death metal . The band started in 1996 as Schuldiner wanted to procure a more melodic style than was possible with Death...
. Schuldiner is often referred to as "The Father of Death Metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
",
and his obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
in the January 5, 2002 issue of UK's Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine stated that "Chuck Schuldiner was one of the most significant figures in the history of metal." Schuldiner himself was modest about his part in the history of death metal, noting "I don’t think I should take the credits for this death metal stuff. I’m just a guy from a band, and I think Death is a metal band." Schuldiner was ranked No. 10 in Joel Mclver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists
The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists
The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists is a book by British author Joel McIver, published in 2009 by Jawbone Press and featuring a foreword by Glen Benton of Deicide. Foreign-language editions appeared shortly after the original English language version. It contained a list of 100 guitar players in...
in 2009 and No.20 in March 2004 Guitar World's "The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists".
Early life
Chuck Schuldiner was born on May 13, 1967 on Long Island, New York to a Jewish father of AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n descent and a mother from the American South, a convert to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. Both his parents were teachers. In 1968, his family moved to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Schuldiner was the youngest of three children. He had an older brother named Frank and an older sister named Bethann.
Schuldiner started playing guitar at the age of 9. His 16 year old brother had died and his parents bought him a guitar, thinking it would help with his grief. He took classical lessons for less than a year in which his teacher taught him "Mary had a Little Lamb", which he did not like very much, and almost stopped completely, until his parents saw an electric guitar at a yard sale and bought it for him. The young Schuldiner immediately took to the instrument. After getting amps, he never stopped playing, writing and teaching himself. Schuldiner was known to spend the weekend in the garage or his room playing his guitar, but was limited to three hours on weekdays when school was in session. Schuldiner first played in public in his early teens.
Schuldiner was originally inspired by Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
and Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
, among others. He was particularly interested in the metal movement known as NWOBHM - New Wave of British Heavy Metal - and cited bands of that genre among his favorites. He frequently cited French band Sortilège
Sortilège (band)
Sortilège was a French heavy metal band from Paris, whose style lay between Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Regarded by many as a cult band of the French scene, the group ceased to exist in 1986.-Biography:...
as his personal favorite metal group. Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Possessed
Possessed (band)
Possessed is an American death metal band, originally formed in 1983. Noted for their fast style of playing and Jeff Becerra's guttural vocals, they are routinely called the first band in the death metal genre...
, Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate
Mercyful Fate was a Danish heavy metal band from Copenhagen. Initially active from 1981 to 1985, they reunited in 1992. The band went on hiatus again in 2000, when frontman King Diamond decided to continue his solo career...
/King Diamond
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...
and Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
were later influences he would apply more to his own band. Later in his career, Schuldiner frequently cited progressive metal
Progressive metal
Progressive metal is a subgenre of heavy metal originating in the United Kingdom and North America in the late 1980s...
bands such as Watchtower
Watchtower (band)
WatchTower is an American progressive metal band based in Austin, Texas. The band were influenced by late 1970s progressive rock and acts such as Rush and UK as well as the burgeoning New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
and Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
as influences. Official Schuldiner website, Empty Words, quotes Schuldiner's mother making the claim that he enjoyed all forms of music except country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and rap. He also apparently particularly enjoyed jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and classical music in addition to metal and British alternative acts such as Lush
Lush (band)
Lush were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1998. They were one of the first bands to attract the "shoegazing" label...
.
Schuldiner performed well in school, however, he became bored with education and eventually dropped out. He later regretted this decision. He has stated that if he had not become a musician, he would have liked to have become a veterinarian or a cook.
Musical career
Schuldiner formed Death as Mantas in 1983 when he was 16 years old. Original members were Schuldiner (guitar), Rick RozzRick Rozz
Rick Rozz is an American guitarist. Spent his formative years in Apopka, Florida, attending Lake Brantley High School. He is best known for his work with the death metal bands Death and Massacre...
(guitar) and Kam Lee
Kam Lee
Kam Lee is an American singer. He is best known for his vocal contributions to an early incarnation of Death in 1983–84, and later joined Massacre in 1985, founded and formed by Bill Andrews....
(drums and vocals). In January 1986, Schuldiner moved to Toronto and temporarily joined the Canadian band Slaughter
Slaughter (Canadian band)
Slaughter was a Canadian death/thrash band. They formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1984 playing thrash metal and briefly featured Chuck Schuldiner on guitar in 1986. Originally, they released two demos and two full albums...
. However, he quickly returned to continue as the formation of Death.
Death underwent many lineup changes, however with Chris Reifert
Chris Reifert
Chris Reifert is an American musician, and one of the pioneers of the death/doom genre. Although his music is more death metal than doom metal, he is one of the first musicians that blended the two styles. He played drums on the Death debut album, Scream Bloody Gore...
he eventually released his first Death album, titled Scream Bloody Gore
Scream Bloody Gore
Scream Bloody Gore is the debut album by American band Death, released in 1987 and considered "the first true death metal record". Chuck Schuldiner plays bass, wrote all the songs on the album and provides vocals in addition to guitar for the album...
, in 1987. He continued with 1988's Leprosy
Leprosy (album)
Leprosy is the second album by death metal band Death, released in 1988. Notably different in tone and quality from the 1987 debut, it is the first example of Scott Burns' work heard on many of the death metal and grindcore albums of that era...
with the line-up of former Mantas guitarist Rick Rozz and rhythm section Terry Butler on bass and Bill Andrews on drums, and 1990's Spiritual Healing
Spiritual Healing (album)
Spiritual Healing is the third album by death metal band Death, released in February 1990. This album is currently out of print but will be reissued by Relapse Records in 2011....
, where guitarist James Murphy had replaced the fired Rozz in 1989.
After Spiritual Healing, Schuldiner stopped working with full time band members and instead worked only with studio and live venue musicians due to bad relationships with Death's previous rhythm section and guitarists. This earned Schuldiner something of a 'perfectionist' reputation in the metal community. Schuldiner had also fired his manager Eric Greif
Eric Greif
Eric Greif is a lawyer and entertainment personality known first for a management career within the heavy metal musical genre in the 1980s and later within the legal profession...
but settled and re-hired him before the recording of his next, influential release.
Death's breakthrough album, Human saw the band evolving to a more technical and progressive style, in which Schuldiner displayed his guitar skills more than ever. He continued in this style (and continued the success of the band) with 1993's Individual Thought Patterns
Individual Thought Patterns
Individual Thought Patterns is the fifth album by the death metal band Death, released in 1993. The album continues to expand on the technical, progressive style that began with Human, and incorporates elements of jazz as well...
, 1995's Symbolic, and finally The Sound of Perseverance
The Sound of Perseverance
The Sound of Perseverance is the seventh and final album by American metal band Death. The album was released on September 15, 1998 through Nuclear Blast.- Overview :...
in 1998. Throughout his career, Schuldiner was not afraid to take on controversial lyrical subjects, taking an anti-drug stance on "Living Monstrosity" and writing about abortion in "Altering the Future".
He folded Death after this to continue Control Denied
Control Denied
Control Denied was a band formed by Chuck Schuldiner to create progressive heavy metal, mixed with elements of power and death metal . The band started in 1996 as Schuldiner wanted to procure a more melodic style than was possible with Death...
, which he had been putting together prior to the release of The Sound of Perseverance, and released The Fragile Art of Existence
The Fragile Art of Existence
- Credits :* Tim Aymar - vocals* Chuck Schuldiner - lead & rhythm guitar* Shannon Hamm - lead & rhythm guitar* Steve DiGiorgio - bass* Richard Christy - drums-Production:* Produced by Jim Morris & Chuck Schuldiner* Engineered, mixed & mastered by Jim Morris...
in 1999. Control Denied also had other players from the latest Death album but featured a melodic metal vocalist. Schuldiner also played guitar in the "supergroup" Voodoocult
Voodoocult
Voodoocult was an international thrash metal band formed in 1994 by Phillip Boa, vocalist of the alternative band Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub. The project was especially notable for the reputation of the participating musicians, such as Chuck Schuldiner , Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, and Mille...
on the album Jesus Killing Machine in 1994 and played a guest solo on Naphobia's 1995 release, Of Hell on the track "As Ancients Evolve" as a favor to the band's bassist at the time who was a friend of Schuldiner's. Schuldiner was also asked to be one of the many guest vocalists on Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
's 2001 Probot
Probot
Probot was a heavy metal side project of ex-Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist and lead-singer Dave Grohl. An album was recorded out of the material and released in February 2004...
. Grohl, Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, and Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
all increased efforts to raise funds for Schuldiner's medical bills with Grohl trying to involve Schuldiner on an album he was working on.
In 1998, while touring the world for The Sound of Perseverance album, Schuldiner admitted his disdain for the emerging fusion genre of nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
. In describing his own music, he referred to it as "...metal - melodic. No hip hop, jumping up and down, baggy trouser crap."
Battle with cancer
In May 1999, Schuldiner experienced pain in his upper neck, which he initially thought was a pinched nerve. He consulted with a chiropractor followed by a massage therapist/acupuncturist who recommended an MRI Exam. Upon having an MRI, it was discovered that the pinched nerve was being caused by a tumor. On his 32nd birthday, May 13, 1999, Schuldiner was diagnosed with a high-grade pontine glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer that invades the brainstem, and immediately underwent radiation therapyRadiation therapy
Radiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
.
In October 1999, Schuldiner’s family announced that the tumor had necrotized and that he was on the way to recovery. In January 2000, Schuldiner underwent surgery to remove what remained of his tumor. The operation was a success. However, the Schuldiner family was struggling financially. The total costs of the operations came to $70,000, a price the Schuldiner family could not afford. Many fundraisers, auctions, and benefit concerts took place to help cover the costs. The money began to come in as the metal community, in total shock, realized that Schuldiner's life was in danger. The metal community and the Schuldiner family showed deep concern because Schuldiner could have lost his life due to lack of funds.
Schuldiner continued to work on his music, continuing his work with Control Denied. About two years after his original diagnosis, in May 2001, the cancer returned and Schuldiner fell ill again. He was originally denied surgery (which he needed immediately) due to lack of funds. A press release called for support from everyone, including fellow artists. Jane Schuldiner urged all who read the statements about Schuldiner and his illness to go out and get insurance, stating her frustration in the American healthcare system. Schuldiner had gotten medical insurance after his first surgery, but the insurer had refused to pay because the tumor existed before he had gotten the insurance. Many artists, including Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
, Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, got together during the summer of 2001 to auction off personal items with the funds assisting Schuldiner's medical expenses, an effort covered by MTV. Matt Heafy
Matt Heafy
Matthew Kiichi "Matt" Heafy is a Japanese-American musician, best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for the American Metal band Trivium. Heafy is also the vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's former producer Jason Suecof.-Biography:Heafy is Japanese from his mother...
, vocalist and guitarist for Trivium
Trivium (band)
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
has also stated that the band had played a benefit show for Schuldiner while he was in the hospital in their days as a local band. Schuldiner received a chemotherapy drug called vincristine
Vincristine
Vincristine , formally known as leurocristine, sometimes abbreviated "VCR", is a vinca alkaloid from the Catharanthus roseus , formerly Vinca rosea and hence its name. It is a mitotic inhibitor, and is used in cancer chemotherapy.-Mechanism:Tubulin is a structural protein that polymerizes to...
to help with his therapy. Like most drugs used in the treatment of cancer, the side effects were harsh and weakened Schuldiner greatly. In late October/early November, Schuldiner became ill with pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
Schuldiner died on December 13, 2001, at approximately 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. He was cremated and MTV reported that recording artists, including Mike Patton
Mike Patton
Michael Allan "Mike" Patton is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and actor, best known as the lead singer of the metal/experimental rock band Faith No More. He has also sung for Mr...
, Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
, Glen Benton
Glen Benton
Glen Benton is an American heavy metal musician best known as the vocalist and bassist for the death metal band Deicide, although he prefers not to use the 'death metal' terminology. He is also the studio vocalist for Vital Remains, and has performed live with them on a few occasions...
, King Diamond
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...
, Ville Valo
Ville Valo
Ville Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer, songwriter and frontman of the Finnish rock band HIM. He has received the "Golden God" award in 2004 by the heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer. Valo has a baritone vocal range. Valo was ranked number 80 in Hit Paraders Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time...
, Trey Azagthoth
Trey Azagthoth
Trey Azagthoth is an American musician best known as founder and guitarist of the Florida death metal band Morbid Angel. Azagthoth began playing at the age of 16...
and Max Cavalera
Max Cavalera
Massimiliano Antonio "Max" Cavalera is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band Sepultura, before forming Soulfly in the late 1990s...
, along with all of the former and active members of Death, attended his memorial service.
Legacy
His mother, Jane Schuldiner, sister Beth and former manager Eric Greif handle his legacy. Jane Schuldiner frequently interacts with Schuldiner's fans and has stated many times that she enjoys his music. Beth Schuldiner and Greif keep track of his recordings and handle Schuldiner's intellectual property. Beth Schuldiner has a son named Christopher, who also plays guitar and has all of Schuldiner's guitars except his first one, which his mother keeps. BC Rich also released a statement in their 2008 catalog stating that Schuldiner's signature model Stealth will be available for purchase.Schuldiner had a home and two dogs in Altamonte Springs just outside of Orlando. Schuldiner built a studio inside the garage where many of his songs such as Crystal Mountain were inspired. Schuldiner's home office was the site of the Metal Crusade newsletter and fan club.
A legal battle began from the time of Schuldiner's death on the settlement of the rights to the partially completed second Control Denied album, When Man and Machine Collide
When Man and Machine Collide
When Man and Machine Collide will be the name of a posthumously released second album from the progressive metal band Control Denied, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the death of guitarist and vocalist Chuck Schuldiner. The band initially began work on the album around 2000, but never...
. Demos of these unreleased Control Denied songs, as well as early Death demos and live Death recordings from 1990, were released in the Zero Tolerance
Zero Tolerance (album)
Zero Tolerance is a compilation album released by Karmageddon Media under the name Chuck Schuldiner. The album consists of demo tracks for the second Control Denied album and various Death demos and live recordings...
two-part compilation bootlegs by the Dutch Hammerheart Holdings company and the Schuldiners and Greif asserted rights on behalf of Schuldiner's estate. The matter was settled in November 2009, anticipating the project being finished and released in 2010.
Tribute concerts have been coordinated or funded by his mother, family and various Death tribute groups internationally. CKY front man, Deron Miller, who considers Schuldiner an idol of his, got the idea, while working on various projects with former Death guitarist (and brain cancer survivor) James Murphy, to do a tribute album. Murphy announced he would release a Chuck Schuldiner tribute album to commemorate his lasting mark on the metal community and Schuldiner's family publicly offered support for Murphy's effort, though it has never materialized. Schuldiner's sister Beth confirmed via her YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel that Death: Live in Japan, a behind the scenes Death video, as well as a boxset containing all of Schuldiner's works including some exclusive copies of handwritten notes by Schuldiner are in the works via Relapse Records
Relapse Records
Relapse Records is an independent record label based in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Matthew F. Jacobson in 1990.-History:The label was started by Matthew F. Jacobson in August, 1990 in his parents' basement in Aurora, Colorado...
. Schuldiner Estate lawyer Eric Greif held a charity Chuck Schuldiner Birthday Bash in Calgary, Alberta, May 13, 2011 featuring speeches by Greif and former Death guitarist Paul Masvidal
Paul Masvidal
Paul Albert Masvidal is the guitarist, singer and a founding member of the progressive band Cynic and previously led the alternative rock band Æon Spoke. Born in Puerto Rico, Masvidal grew up in Miami, Florida and currently resides in Los Angeles...
, as well as bands performing Schuldiner's music.
The Book
In January 2001, Mahyar Dean, a classically trained Iranian musician, wrote DeathDeath (book)
Death - Chuck Schuldiner's lyrics is a book about the American death metal musical group Death.- Overview :Published in Iran in 2000, written and translated by a classically trained musician named Mahyar Dean who later formed the power metal act Angband...
, a book about Death and Schuldiner and released it in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. The book includes bilingual lyrics and many articles about the band. The book was sent through the site keepers of emptywords.org to Schuldiner, who in his words was "truly blown away and extremely honored by the obvious work and devotion he put into bringing the book to life". The author of book later formed Angband
Angband (band)
Angband is a Persian power metal/ progressive musical group, formed in 2004 in Tehran.-Band history:Angband was formed in 2004 in Tehran by Mahyar Dean, a classically trained musician and author who is known for writing books about the bands Death and Testament...
.
Beliefs
Schuldiner once described himself as "a lover of life", "friendship", and "animals". "I would like to live forever, if it was possible", he once said in an interview. He commonly spoke out against artists who were "out of control", garnering negative attention to the death metal scene. Schuldiner openly condemned and disavowed stereotypes of metal musicians as being harmful to animals, people, or being "anti-life".When asked about his opinions regarding an afterlife, Schuldiner responded "I don't know", but elaborated that he believed "this is hell", and that demons are in people, as they "create evil". Although his parents are Jewish, Schuldiner did not go through any formal religious training. In the documentary, "666 At Calling Death", he was asked whether Satanism was a part of his music. He replied, "Not at all. I really don't want to involve any type of religious theme in our music. I think that's more of a personal thing. Yeah, I'm not a Satanist and I definitely don't put that into our music. No purpose. I was really young when the band first started out. I was never really into writing Satanic lyrics at all, personally. We did write gore lyrics, but it was more like kind of tongue-in-cheek, horror-movie type level. Nothing like encouraging people to go out and hurt themselves or anything stupid like that. It's pure fantasy-movie type, scary stuff. And then, I just really got into writing about reality, which is what we all have to deal with."
Schuldiner designed the Death logo and its various incarnations during the length of his career. In 1991, before the release of Human, he cleaned up the logo taking out more intricate details and the "T" in the logo was swapped from an inverted cross to a more regular looking "T", one reason being to quash any implication of religion.
Schuldiner was also openly against hard drugs; he is quoted as saying, "I’ve tripped several times. That’s all because I don’t like the hard drugs. And my only drugs are alcohol and grass."
Discography
Death- 1987: Scream Bloody GoreScream Bloody GoreScream Bloody Gore is the debut album by American band Death, released in 1987 and considered "the first true death metal record". Chuck Schuldiner plays bass, wrote all the songs on the album and provides vocals in addition to guitar for the album...
- 1988: LeprosyLeprosy (album)Leprosy is the second album by death metal band Death, released in 1988. Notably different in tone and quality from the 1987 debut, it is the first example of Scott Burns' work heard on many of the death metal and grindcore albums of that era...
- 1990: Spiritual HealingSpiritual Healing (album)Spiritual Healing is the third album by death metal band Death, released in February 1990. This album is currently out of print but will be reissued by Relapse Records in 2011....
- 1991: Human
- 1993: Individual Thought PatternsIndividual Thought PatternsIndividual Thought Patterns is the fifth album by the death metal band Death, released in 1993. The album continues to expand on the technical, progressive style that began with Human, and incorporates elements of jazz as well...
- 1995: Symbolic
- 1998: The Sound of PerseveranceThe Sound of PerseveranceThe Sound of Perseverance is the seventh and final album by American metal band Death. The album was released on September 15, 1998 through Nuclear Blast.- Overview :...
Control Denied
- 1999: The Fragile Art of ExistenceThe Fragile Art of Existence- Credits :* Tim Aymar - vocals* Chuck Schuldiner - lead & rhythm guitar* Shannon Hamm - lead & rhythm guitar* Steve DiGiorgio - bass* Richard Christy - drums-Production:* Produced by Jim Morris & Chuck Schuldiner* Engineered, mixed & mastered by Jim Morris...
- 2011: When Man and Machine CollideWhen Man and Machine CollideWhen Man and Machine Collide will be the name of a posthumously released second album from the progressive metal band Control Denied, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the death of guitarist and vocalist Chuck Schuldiner. The band initially began work on the album around 2000, but never...
With Voodoocult
- 1994: Killer Patrol (Single)
- 1994: Metallized Kids (Single)
- 1994: Jesus Killing MachineJesus Killing MachineJesus Killing Machine was the debut album by German thrash metal band Voodoocult, released in 1994.Lyrics written by Phillip Boa, music by Waldemar Sorychta , Dave Ball , Dave Lombardo , Phillip Boa , Mille Petrozza -Track listing:# "Killer Patrol" - 3:57# "Metallized Kids" - 4:26# "Jesus Killing...
(Full-length Album)
Equipment
Schuldiner's primary guitar throughout most of his career was the B.C. RichB.C. Rich
B.C. Rich is a manufacturer of guitars and bass guitars founded by the late Bernardo Chavez Rico in 1969. Currently, most B.C. Rich guitars are manufactured in Asia, but luthiers of the company's custom shop continue to hand-make instruments. The Hanser Music Group, based in Kentucky, operates B.C....
Stealth model, an extremely rare model available only through the BC Rich custom shop until 2008, when it was released to the public as the Chuck Shuldiner Tribute Stealth. Prior to this, he used a BC Rich Mockingbird. Most of Schuldiner's sound came from a DiMarzio
DiMarzio
DiMarzio, Inc. is an United States manufacturer best known for its revolutionary direct-replacement guitar pickups. The company also produces miscellaneous guitar accessories, such as cables, straps and hardware.DiMarzio became known for its Super Distortion model, which was the first after...
X2N pickup placed in the bridge. During the (In)Human Tour of the World (1991–92), Schuldiner briefly endorsed a small Wisconsin custom guitar company called Axxtra, who worked with him on designs, though he still insisted on using his BC Rich during filming of the Lack of Comprehension video in September 1991 in Orlando.
The amp he used towards the end of his career was a Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
Valvestate (Model 8100) amp head and Valvestate 4x12 speaker cabinets on Individual Thought Patterns as well as the ITP tour, and eventually started using Marshall 1960 cabs. Before that he used various equipment including Randall
Randall Amplifiers
Randall Amplifiers is a manufacturer of guitar amplifiers, a subsidiary of U.S. Music Corporation. Its products are/were used by artists such as Chuck Schuldiner, Dimebag Darrell, Metallica, King's X, Nirvana and Anthrax...
RG100ES heads and Randall cabinets, and on the (In)Human Tour of the World he used a small GK 250ML
Gallien-Krueger
Gallien-Krueger, also referred to as 'GK' , is an instrument amplifier manufacturer. The company is based in Stockton, California, and was founded in 1968....
miked up, despite having hollow 4x12 stacks 'for show'.
Vocal style
In the early days of Death, Schuldiner used death growlDeath growl
A death growl, also known as death metal vocals, guttural vocals, death grunts, and harsh vocals among other names, is a vocalisation style usually employed by vocalists of the death metal and black metal music genre, but also used in a variety of heavy metal and hardcore punk subgenres.Death...
s when performing vocals. As his career progressed, his vocals went up in pitch until, by final Death album The Sound of Perseverance
The Sound of Perseverance
The Sound of Perseverance is the seventh and final album by American metal band Death. The album was released on September 15, 1998 through Nuclear Blast.- Overview :...
, he employed high pitched screeching more similar to conventional screaming techniques. His vocal style is an influence to many death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
bands.