Death - Leprosy (1988)

Death return with a slightly more polished effort than their gore-ridden debut, and the first of many line-up changes which Chuck Schuldiner would administer throughout the bands career.
'Leprosy' is another old school masterclass, where the listener is bombarded by speed, precision, blastbeats, slower grind, and Chuck's impressive guitar work backed up by Rick Rozz.
Death never failed to impressive with their quality of musicianship, and that's what made Death stand head and shoulders above the rest, and spawned so many acts to form what was to become the Florida death metal scene.
Opener 'Leprosy' is a heavyweight slab of searing death metal, there's plenty of melody too, a theme which Chuck never failed to show on every release however technical or brutal the band were. The drumming here is relentless, the grooves ranging from full throttle juggernaut to mid-paced battery.
Death matured so rapidly from the splattery of 'Scream Bloody Gore', and although the theme here is still horror/disease based, there is such a sensibility to it all instead of merely attempting to gurgle some indecipherable sick garbage.
If you call yourself a true death metaller than the first three Death albums are essential purchases...the albums afterwards are pure wizardry but of a different formula from a band regarded, alongside Slayer, as the kings of their extreme field.
8/10