From Relapse Records Instagram

A modern hero does not need to save the world. Instead, they need to change the way people see it. Chuck Schuldiner, the founder of the band Death, did that through music, authenticity, and dedication to do what he truly loved. He is widely regarded as the Godfather of death metal, a genre often misunderstood due to its aggressive sound, dark themes, and, in some bands, the use of satanic imagery, which ends up masking the meaning in the songs and the talent of the musicians.

At first, claiming that a death metal musician is a modern hero might seem crazy, but Chuck did not create music to glorify violence or cause shock; he didn’t want to be the most brutal, or the fastest, or make the most evil-sounding music, which bands like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, and Deicide were doing at the time. He stayed true to himself and instead used his abilities and popularity to create emotional songs with philosophical reflections while expressing his personal beliefs.

Between 1987 and 1998, Chuck released seven studio albums with Death, transforming death metal. Their first album, Scream Bloody Gore, has a fast and chaotic style. While their third album, Spiritual Healing, was the full turning point for the band, as it shifted towards addressing social and moral issues like abortion, death penalty, and religion. The title track, “Spiritual Healing,” confronts the way Christianity has become so commercialized and politicized. After that, Death went on to become one of the most famous and influential death metal bands of all time, while also helping create technical death metal with their fourth album, Human.

 Chuck Schuldiner is arguably one of the best songwriters ever due to his willingness to confront uncomfortable truths about the world.  Instead of ignoring the world’s problems, Schuldiner always confronted them in his songs. In “Without Judgement” he explains how we judge others to hide our own weakness, arguing that our understanding of the world would be much bigger if we stopped thinking in such a limited way: “Without judgement perception would increase a million times.”

Integrity is a defining characteristic of the modern hero, and despite his influence, Schuldiner rejected the rock-star lifestyle, describing himself as someone who loves life, friendship, and animals. He also tried to distance himself from the metal musician stereotype of being “anti-life” and was against the use of hard drugs. Although there are talks about Chuck not being an easy person to work with due to his perfectionist nature and desire for consistency in his music, he is widely known to be one of the nicest guys the metal scene has ever had.

The best example of his heroism is how he faced adversity. In 1999, he was diagnosed with malignant brain cancer, but rather than retreating, he continued to work on his music while fans around the world organized events to support him. His final album was with his second band, Control Denied, where they released one album in 1999. As his cancer got worse, working on the follow-up, When Man and Machine Collide felt like a race against time, in which he didn’t win. He passed away at 34 years old on December 13, 2001.

The impact Schuldiner had on metal and on the fans is the kind most of us can only dream of making. He started playing guitar at age 16 to cope with his brother’s death, and later went on to help others do the same, changing the views people like me had about the world and music. He is the reason why many (including me) pick up the guitar every day, even when we don’t feel like it. He was not just a fantastic musician but also an amazing person who left the world in a better place than he found it. Schuldiner stayed true to himself and to what’s right, even in the face of a horrible world. Through fast riffs, mind-blowing solos, and, for some, scary vocals, he left his mark in history.