In 1996, guitarist Chuck Schuldiner began looking for a way to branch out beyond the sound of his by then legendary band Death, and the style of metal — “death metal” — they had created.  Schuldiner started writing progressive heavy metal songs mixed with elements of the death metal sound, for a new project completely apart from Death.  After completing the last Death album The Sound of Perseverance in 1998, Schuldiner turned to this new project, and in 1999 Nuclear Blast issued Control Denied’s debut LP The Fragile Art of Existence, now re-released by Relapse Records in a special double CD edition.

As a huge fan of Death, I don’t know why I overlooked this for so long.  This album goes back to the roots of heavy metal, and fuses a number of its disparate subgenres into a single united sound.  Mixing melodic parts with blazing fast shredding parts and epic power metal-esque vocals, Control Denied creates a sound that will appeal to a wide array of metal fans. This double CD collection features the final cuts of the album as well as original demo recordings of many of the songs from their 1997 and 1999 demo sessions.

There is not a bad song on this album or its bonus material.  The songwriting is complex and interesting, with sophisticated and technical riffs featuring strong hooks and blazing fast guitar solos that are full of energy without slowing the momentum with excessive guitar wankery.  The vocals complete the package on every song (except a few instrumental demos) with powerful singing that occasionally dips into shrieks and screams where appropriate.

Choice cuts from the album include “Expect the Unexpected,” “Believe,” and the title track, though there really isn’t a bad track on the album.  Demo tracks of note include the demo versions of the above, the “What if” 1997 demo, and the joke song “Tune of Evil,” Schuldiner’s way of good naturedly poking fun at the metal subgenre he helped create.

It is clear from this one album that Control Denied were a great band with potential to be a driving force in modern metal had Schuldiner lived to carry on the band.  This is more than just an album for Death fans and collectors. Metal fans everywhere should appreciate this album and it should find a home in any metal collection.

(Relapse Records, PO Box 2060, Upper Darby, PA 19082)