Scream Bloody Gore came out in 1987 on Combat Records. It was the first full-length album from Death, and a lot of fans call it the first true death metal record. You can stream the whole thing below.
Why this album matters
Chuck Schuldiner wrote the songs, played guitar and bass, and did the vocals. Chris Reifert played drums. Reifert went on to start Autopsy not long after. Randy Burns produced it in Los Angeles.
The sound is raw and fast. The lyrics come straight out of horror movies. Zombies, gore, and possession. That mix of thrash speed and splatter-film themes set the template for a whole genre. Bands from Florida to Sweden picked it up and ran with it.
Track list
- Infernal Death
- Zombie Ritual
- Denial of Life
- Sacrificial
- Mutilation
- Regurgitated Guts
- Baptized in Blood
- Torn to Pieces
- Evil Dead
- Scream Bloody Gore
Zombie Ritual and Evil Dead are the two most fans point to first. If you only have five minutes, start there.
What came next
Death got more technical with every record after this. Leprosy, Spiritual Healing, Human, Individual Thought Patterns, Symbolic, and The Sound of Perseverance each pushed further. Chuck passed away in December 2001. Scream Bloody Gore is still where it all started.
Want to wear it? We carry the Scream Bloody Gore 1987 vintage Death t-shirt and a Death Scream Bloody Gore tee. Browse more in our death metal t-shirts.