Founded in 1984 by Chuck Schuldiner under the original name Mantas in Altamonte Springs, Florida, Death was among the more widely known early pioneers of the death metal sound, along with California’s Possessed. Inspired by Nasty Savage, Death quickly became a part of, and integral in, defining the famous Florida death metal sound. The band's 1987 debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, has been widely regarded as one of the first death metal records, alongside the first records from Possessed and Necrophagia.
Death is considered to be among the most influential bands in heavy metal music, and remains a pioneering force in death metal to this day.
Death To All operates as a tribute to the original band Death, which dissolved in 2001 following the passing of the group’s founder and frontman, Chuck Schuldiner. The backbone of Death To All comprises original Death members: the legendary drummer Gene Hoglan (Dark Angel, Dethklok), bass beast Steve DiGiorgio (Testament, Sadus), guitarist Bobby Koelble (Death), joined by singer/guitarist Max Phelps (Exist, Cynic).
"His legacy will always live on," says drummer Gene Hoglan, reflecting on honoring Chuck and the formation of Death To All.
"Myself and [fellow former Death members] Bobby Koelble and Steve DiGiorgio, have Death To All going... it's always a absolute blast to play Chuck's material and make it sound cool."
Bassist Steve DiGiorgio elaborates further:
"We did those albums back in the day, and when our cycle was over, we went our own ways. Now we're back together again and it's cool, from my point of view, to do music with some of the best, amazing musicians/guys in the world. It's awesome. And we have a lot of fun every night, man, because we all realize that not only did we make a statement 20-something years ago, but here we are 20-something years later, playing that stuff as we did as young men... everybody's really good at what they do. And that's what it means to me. It means to carry on what we did back then with no idea where we'd be in the future, and here we are doing it with conviction."
Death To All pays tribute to Death's entire catalog, with worldwide performances including material from Scream Bloody Gore (1987), Leprosy (1988), Spiritual Healing (1990), Human (1991), Individual Thought Patterns (1993), Symbolic (1995), and The Sound of Perseverance (1998).
Let the metal flow!
