Leprosy (album)

1988 studio album by Death

Leprosy

Studio album by

Death

Released| November 16, 1988
Recorded| April 1988
Studio| Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida
Genre| Death metal
Length| 38:37
Label| Combat
Producer| Dan Johnson
Death chronology
| Scream Bloody Gore
(1987)  | Leprosy
(1988)  | Spiritual Healing
(1990)

|
|

Leprosy is the second studio album by American death metal band Death, released on November 16, 1988, by Combat Records. The album is notable in its different tone and quality from the band's debut album Scream Bloody Gore (1987), and is the first example of producer and engineer Scott Burns' work heard on many of the death metal and grindcore albums of that era.[1]

It is also the first Death album to feature drummer Bill Andrews, and is the band's only studio album to feature guitarist Rick Rozz.

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."[2] It is considered to be a groundbreaking achievement in the genre, and was voted the 64th best Hard Rock or Metal album of the 80s by Loudwire.[3]

## Background

[edit]

After releasing their debut album Scream Bloody Gore, the band cancelled a planned tour after rehearsing with Steve Di Giorgio of Sadus in Concord. Chuck Schuldiner then returned to Florida and recruited his former band mate Rick Rozz, along with his bandmates in Massacre, Terry Butler and Bill Andrews.[4]

## Music and lyrics

[edit]

### Musical style and instrumentation

[edit]

Leprosy has been described as sounding "raw", "raucous" and "just absolutely pissed off".[1] Invisible Oranges described the album as sounding "softer" than Scream Bloody Gore and "not as technical" as Spiritual Healing, the album that followed."[5] 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.[6] It is considered the band's final "straightforward" death metal release, as they would take a more technical and progressive approach on later releases.[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."[6] 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".[5] 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.[6]

Chuck Schuldiner's vocals have been described as "stygian".[citation needed]

### Lyrical themes

[edit]

The lyrical content on Leprosy has been said to be more mature, darker and more "bleak" than its predecessor, Scream Bloody Gore.[8] Author Jeremy Wagner described the album as "eight tracks of miserable fates and sobering nightmares," and went as far as to call the album's themes "abysmal" and "pure horror".[9] While Scream Bloody Gore contained lyrics pertaining to fictional subject matter such as zombies, Leprosy saw Schuldiner beginning to explore nonfictional topics in his lyrics as well.[5] Topics explored by Schuldiner on the album have been described as "more psychologically unnerving",[7] and include social stigma, war, and existential dread.[1] "Pull the Plug" is written from the perspective of a person who is being taken off of life support,[10] and has been called "a death metal contemporary of Metallica’s One".[6]

## Artwork

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The album's cover artwork has been described as exhibiting a "robed and goulish figure riddled with skin lesions and tissue loss." Author Jeremy Wagner stated that the album cover gave him "an immediate impression of heaviness and unease."[9] Joe DiVita of Loudwire said the artwork "might be the scariest thing to be dominated by pink hues with the hooded leper pulling a piece of cloth over his malformed face."[11]

## Reception and legacy

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [8]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal| 4/10[12]
Metal Storm| 9.7/10[13]

Released in 1988, Leprosy is considered to be ahead of its time musically, and a groundbreaking achievement in the genre.[1] The staff of Loudwire wrote, "In regards to the ‘80s, not much was more extreme than the brutal savagery of Leprosy."[14] According to Eduardo Rivadavia of Loudwire, the album made it apparent that the death metal genre was "already advancing by leaps and bounds."[15] Jonathan Horsley of Guitar World wrote, "There is an argument to be said that, of all the great death metal bands, Death were the least heavy. [But,] if Leprosy is not the heaviest death metal guitar album, it’s possibly the gnarliest, worthy of Ed Repka’s career-best cover art, and essential listening."[16]

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.[citation needed] On April 29, 2014, a three-disc remastered edition containing bonus tracks was released via Relapse Records.[17]

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 EP Viides Vuodenaika. "Pull the Plug" was also covered by American band Revocation.[citation needed]

The album cover is featured in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey.[citation needed]

In 2013, author Ian Christe wrote: "Now, twenty-five years and twenty-five thousand death metal bands later, Leprosy sounds almost normal. The essence of these cries has echoed with a tormented dimension all along. As you breathe the rotten scent, try not to go insane with awe that Death's early brilliant depravity could change the world so completely. Leprosy proved that this death metal shit was for real, and today it has become inescapable."[18]

In 2024, Joe DiVita of Loudwire named the album's cover artwork as one of the "31 Scariest Metal Album Covers of All Time".[11]

## Track listing

[edit]

All music written by Chuck Schuldiner and Rick Rozz, unless stated. All lyrics written by Chuck Schuldiner. All songs published by Mutilation Music.[19][20]

No.| Title| Music| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Leprosy"| Schuldiner| 6:19
2.| "Born Dead"|  | 3:25
3.| "Forgotten Past"|  | 4:33
4.| "Left to Die"|  | 4:35
5.| "Pull the Plug"| Schuldiner| 4:25
6.| "Open Casket"|  | 4:53
7.| "Primitive Ways"| Rozz| 4:33
8.| "Choke on It"|  | 5:54
Total length:| 38:37

2008 Century Media remastered digipak version[21]No.| Title| Length

|
|

9.| "Open Casket" (live)| 4:49
10.| "Choke on It" (live)| 5:50
11.| "Left to Die" (live)| 4:35
12.| "Pull the Plug" (live)| 4:26
13.| "Forgotten Past" (live)| 4:33

2014 reissued Relapse Records version (bonus disc 1)No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Open Casket" (Rehearsals September 23, 1987)| 4:55
2.| "Choke on It" (Rehearsals September 23, 1987)| 6:15
3.| "Left to Die" (Rehearsals September 23, 1987)| 4:41
4.| "Left to Die - Take 2" (Rehearsals September 23, 1987)| 4:34
5.| "Left to Die" (Rehearsals May 12, 1987)| 4:27
6.| "Open Casket" (Rehearsals May 12, 1987)| 4:42
7.| "Pull the Plug" (Rehearsals May 12, 1987)| 4:17
8.| "Choke on It" (Rehearsals May 12, 1987)| 5:37
9.| "Born Dead" (Rehearsals May 12, 1987)| 3:19
10.| "Forgotten Past" (Rehearsals May 12, 1987)| 4:26

2014 reissued Relapse Records version (bonus disc 2)No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Leprosy" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 6:24
2.| "Open Casket" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 4:59
3.| "Zombie Ritual" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 4:40
4.| "Pull the Plug" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 4:20
5.| "Left to Die" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 4:41
6.| "Mutilation" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 3:40
7.| "Forgotten Past" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 4:35
8.| "Born Dead" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 3:23
9.| "Denial of Life" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 3:24
10.| "Primitive Ways" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 4:22
11.| "Infernal Death" (Live at Backstreets, Rochester, NY - December 13, 1988)| 4:21
12.| "Leprosy" (Live at The Dirt Club, Bloomfield, NJ - December 11, 1988)| 7:29
13.| "Pull the Plug" (Live at The Dirt Club, Bloomfield, NJ - December 11, 1988)| 4:43
14.| "Forgotten Past" (Live at The Dirt Club, Bloomfield, NJ - December 11, 1988)| 4:51
15.| "Primitive Ways" (Live at The Dirt Club, Bloomfield, NJ - December 11, 1988)| 4:45
16.| "Open Casket" (Live at The Dirt Club, Bloomfield, NJ - December 11, 1988)| 5:09
17.| "Mutilation" (Live at The Dirt Club, Bloomfield, NJ - December 11, 1988)| 4:29
18.| "Infernal Death" (Live at The Dirt Club, Bloomfield, NJ - December 11, 1988)| 3:31

## Personnel

[edit]

### Death

[edit]

* Chuck Schuldiner – vocals, guitar, bass
* Rick Rozz – guitar
* Bill Andrews – drums
* Terry Butler – credited with bass but did not play on the album[22][23]

### Production

[edit]

* Dan Johnson – production
* Scott Burns – engineering
* Michael Fuller – mastering
* Edward Repka – artwork
* Eric Greif – management
* Frank White – photography
* David Bett – art direction
* Alan Douches – mastering (2014 reissue)

## References

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1. ^ a b c d "Roundtable: Death's 'Leprosy' (35 Years Later)". lambgoat.com. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
2. ^ Lindsley, Shaun (April 3, 2020). "Every Death album ranked from worst to best". louder. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
3. ^ Loudwire Staff (November 22, 2022). "Top 80 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1980s". Loudwire. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
4. ^ Belalcazar, Felipe (director) (2016). Death By Metal (documentary). 15 minutes in.
5. ^ a b c Staff, Invisible Oranges. "Death - Leprosy". Invisible Oranges - The Metal Blog. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
6. ^ a b c d Horsley, Jonathan (June 18, 2021). "5 songs guitar players need to hear by… Death". MusicRadar. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
7. ^ a b Mills, Matt (July 14, 2018). "Death: Ranking All 7 Studio Albums". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
8. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "Leprosy - Death". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
9. ^ a b Wagner, Jeremy. As quoted from the liner notes of the deluxe reissue of Leprosy
10. ^ DiVita, Joe (July 18, 2013). "10 Best Songs by the Band Death". Loudwire. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
11. ^ a b DiVita, Joe (October 29, 2024). "The 31 Scariest Metal Album Covers of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
12. ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 88\. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
13. ^ Herzebeth. "Death - Leprosy review".
14. ^ Loudwire Staff (November 22, 2022). "Top 80 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1980s". Loudwire. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
15. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (November 1, 2018). "11 Florida Death Metal Albums You Need". Loudwire. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
16. ^ Horsley, Jonathan (March 21, 2022). "The 30 heaviest guitar albums of all time". Guitar World. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
17. ^ Huey, Steve (March 20, 2014). "DEATH's 'Leprosy' Album To Be Reissued With Bonus Material". Blabbermouth. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
18. ^ Christe, Ian. As quoted from the liner notes of the deluxe reissue of Leprosy
19. ^ Primitive Ways as registered at BMI.com Archived November 6, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, the percentage filed is 75% Schuldiner, 25% DeLillo (Rozz)
20. ^ Death (Official), Facebook page administered by Relapse Records and Eric Greif (the lawyer for Chuck Schuldiner's Estate), (retrieved November 18, 2011)
21. ^ "Death (2) - Leprosy (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com. June 2, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
22. ^ Frank Albrecht (December 1991). "Counterattack". Rock Hard. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
23. ^ Death by Metal. 2016. Event occurs at 20 minutes 34 seconds.

## External links

[edit]

* Lyrics to every track on Deaths official website

* v
* t
* e

Death

* Chuck Schuldiner
* Shannon Hamm
* Scott Clendenin
* Richard Christy

Studio albums|

* Scream Bloody Gore
* Leprosy
* Spiritual Healing
* Human
* Individual Thought Patterns
* Symbolic
* The Sound of Perseverance

Live albums|

* Live in L.A. (Death & Raw)
* Live in Eindhoven
* Vivus!

Demos|

* Reign of Terror
* Mutilation

Compilations|

* Fate: The Best of Death

Videos|

* Live in L.A. (Death & Raw)
* Live in Eindhoven
* Live in Cottbus '98

Related articles|

* Discography
* Band members
* Death (book)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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