While today it’s hailed as a death metal masterpiece, legendary drummer Gene Hoglan says that Death’s 1995 album, Symbolic, was “absolutely hated” by fans upon its release. In a new interview on “The Garza Podcast,” Hoglan recalled the visceral backlash the band received for the album’s melodic and progressive direction, a sound that was ahead of its time.
“It was hated. Hated. Hated. Absolutely hated. One hundred percent hated,” Hoglan said, reflecting on the initial reception.
He explained that fans, who were accustomed to the raw, brutal sound of the band’s earlier works like Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy, were not ready for Chuck Schuldiner‘s shift toward a more melodic approach. The music was seen as too “musical” and “bulls**t,” a departure from the established norms of death metal.
“The only people who didn’t hate it were some of the journalists who reviewed it, but the fans hated it. Everybody hated it, because they were, like, ‘What the hell did you do to my favorite band? Where’s Scream Bloody Gore? Where’s Leprosy? Where’s Spiritual Healing? This is musical bulls**t, melodic. What is this?’ The world wasn’t ready. They weren’t used to it. They were used to hearing their death metal really, really brutal and not melodic. And so that is one thing that I will give Death, Chuck, whoever was involved in it,” he said.
This initial rejection, however, has since been reframed as a testament to Schuldiner‘s visionary influence. Hoglan argued that Death played a crucial part in the creation and evolution of not one, but three distinct metal subgenres. While the band was an integral part of the infancy of brutal death metal, their subsequent albums like Individual Thought Patterns and Symbolic had a significant impact on the emergence of both technical and melodic death metal.
Hoglan highlighted this as a unique achievement, stating: “To help be the creators of three different genres, there’s something to be said for that. So, way to go, Chuck. Way to go, Death. Absolutely.”
Today, the album’s legacy is celebrated. This fall, Hoglan will be performing songs from the album with Death to All, the official touring tribute to Chuck Schuldiner. The band, featuring former Death members Steve DiGiorgio and Bobby Koelble, is set to embark on a North American tour to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Symbolic, along with the 35th anniversary of Spiritual Healing.
