Control Denied-The fragile art of existence

Metal Mind
1999/2008 Re-issue

The idea behind this band went all the way back to 1995 when Death frontman and genre legend Chuck Schuldiner thought that "Symbolic" would be Death's final album. In 1996 Chuck recorded two demos for the new project and began finding the right band members. He decided to do one more Death album in "The sound of perseverance", but then got back to his Control Denied project. Schuldiner was insistent that this not be a solo album and wanted equal input from everyone involved. He enlisted Death members Shannon Hamm on guitar and Richard Christy on drums. He also brought in bassist Steve DiGiorgio who had played with Death and Testament. The line-up was complete when Pharoah/Psycho Scream vocalist Tim Aymar came aboard. Schuldiner very much wanted a singer that could do what he couldn't in Death so in Aymar he got a vocalist with a lot of power and range. So the line-up was set and "The fragile art of existence" was released in the fall of 1999. The complexity level here is along the lines of the last few efforts from Death, but perhaps even more well rounded. This is an album that contains numerous musical passages that head in many directions yet they fit comfortably together and they all work towards the same purpose. One of my favorite aspects of this album is how they control the pace and build up singular moments. Younger bands might be too quick to shoot their loads all at once in moments like this. This band had the experience and the confidence that allowed them the liberty of holding onto singular notes and parts before bursting ahead. This allowed them to get the most of every little bit of this recording. Listening to this album is like walking into a building that's larger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Once the music begins it is just so vast that it's beyond what I had figured would be contained on this disc. Yet they also succeed in not being too overwhelming or taking on too much. Although material for a follow-up was prepared Schuldiner passed away from brain stem cancer in late 2001. He left behind a legacy that included perhaps the most influential death metal band of all time as well as this project which accomplished so much with just one release. Metal Mind's re-issue includes a booklet with lyrics and a write-up on the history of this project.