Leprosy, the second album by Death, the forefathers of Death Metal, sounds heavier than its predecessor Scream Bloody Gore. The production is better, the sound is fatter and the songs are a bit more complex. But Leprosy is still an infant in the future of Death and Chuck Schuldiner. The lyrics are somewhat evolved from the more “childish” themes of Scream Bloody Gore. This is more social conscious. Still, the themes are about death and disappear of course.
Musically, Leprosy hasn’t evolved into genuine Death Metal yet, even if it’s one step closer than Scream Bloody Gore was. The Songs are longer, there’s more solos and effort to make the song structure more complex. It’s more aggressive and the line between Thrash Metal and Death Metal starts to be defined. There’s more to the riffs than tremolo picking and pedal notes.
The sound image on Leprosy is darker than the debut which is positive. The overall production is much better as well. It still doesn’t compare to some other masterful produced albums of the era but it’s a giant leap in the right direction. Rick Rozz handles an additional guitar apart from Chuck who also played the Bass on the album. Drummer is Bill Andrews.
