Death: Ranking All 7 Studio Albums

7. Leprosy (1988)

Despite its place at the very bottom of this ranking list, it is important to note that Leprosy is not a bad album by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, taking into account everything from the song-writing to the production to even the artwork, it actually stands as one of the best discs to come from death metal’s infancy.

Following on from their abrasive game-changer of a debut, Scream Bloody Gore, Leprosy saw Death refine the manic approach of their first outing: the musical content was far more skilled in balancing pure, unbridled heaviness with Chuck Schuldiner’s incomparable guitar godliness. The lyrical content also matured somewhat, shying away from the graphic horror, rape and occultism of Scream Bloody Gore in favour of more psychologically unnerving territory.

The reason Leprosy finds itself starting this list, however, is that it exists primarily as a transitional piece. As their second and final venture into straightforward death metal territory, Death’s 1988 release would never have been able to match the raucous, genre-defining explosion of their debut, while its maturations in music and lyrics would soon pale in comparison to the progressive nirvana that Chuck and co. would first discover on Spiritual Healing.