Review Summary: Painfully underrated.
When getting into discussions about which Death album was the worst, people usually either flock to either Spiritual Healing or The Sound of Perseverance as their answers. While I can perfectly understand and agree with the latter, it always breaks my heart to see the former being chosen. Spiritual Healing may not be the best Death album ever, but it's a damn good one.
As usual, Chuck Schuldiner plays lead vocals (and guitar, of course), and he's as good as ever. You'll probably notice the little vocal effect the album puts on Chuck's voice (what it is specifically is beyond me), and while some might disapprove of this, in my eyes it adds to the wonderful atmosphere that Spiritual Healing sets up. As for the vocals themselves, they're what you would expect from Evil Chuck. Using his signature death growls and screams, he really makes the album all that more enjoyable to listen to.
So how's about them instruments? Well, simply put, they're great. While Spiritual Healing may be slower than both Scream Bloody Gore and Leprosy, the riffs here are still a joy to listen to. Within the Mind's heavy-ass intro will always have a place in my heart. The solos are great, the drumming keeps the songs together, and Chuck and James both exchange some great guitar-playing. Unfortunately, the bass is pretty much inaudible and irrelevant for this one.
Lyrically, this might just be Death's best album. Moving away form the typical horror movie-esque lyrics, Chuck decided to take some shots at a few real-world problems found in society back then that still have some relevancy now. Abortion, drug babies, serial killers, all of those pleasant kinds of things. Plus, "SHE'S A STUPID BITCH" is one of the best lines ever growled in death metal.
Spiritual Healing is a beauty. It does a great job at serving as a sort of transition between Death's old-school death metal and Death's more technical death metal, while still managing to be an incredible album in its own right. I urge anyone who's interested in getting into Death to do themselves a favor and NOT skip this. You won't regret it.
