The Fragile Art of Existence is the only studio album by Control Denied, a progressive metal band founded by Chuck Schuldiner. It was released worldwide on Nuclear Blast America in 1999. Metal Mind Productions reissued the album on April 15, 2008 (February 11, 2008 in Europe). The release was digitally remastered and limited to 2,000 copies. The album was again re-released in 2010 by Relapse Records, available in two-disc and three-disc editions. The three-disc edition was limited to 1,000 copies.
| The Fragile Art of Existence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 30, 1999 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:46 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast Relapse Records (2010 reissue) | |||
| Producer | Jim Morris, Chuck Schuldiner | |||
| Control Denied chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [1] |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles | 9/10[3] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 8/10[4] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[5] |
This was also Chuck Schuldiner's final studio album before he died of brain cancer on December 13, 2001.
Track listing
editAll songs written by Chuck Schuldiner.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Consumed" | 7:24 |
| 2. | "Breaking the Broken" | 5:41 |
| 3. | "Expect the Unexpected" | 7:17 |
| 4. | "What If...?" | 4:29 |
| 5. | "When the Link Becomes Missing" | 5:17 |
| 6. | "Believe" | 6:10 |
| 7. | "Cut Down" | 4:50 |
| 8. | "The Fragile Art of Existence" | 9:38 |
| Total length: | 50:46 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Consumed (1999 Demo)" | 6:40 |
| 2. | "When the Link Becomes Missing (1999 Demo)" | 5:20 |
| 3. | "The Fragile Art of Existence (1999 Demo)" | 9:30 |
| 4. | "Breaking the Broken (1999 Demo)" | 5:44 |
| 5. | "Breaking the Broken (1999 Demo) w/ Chuck Schuldiner on Vocals" | 5:45 |
| 6. | "Believe (1997 Demo)" | 6:16 |
| 7. | "What If...? (1997 Demo)" | 4:27 |
| 8. | "Cut Down (1997 Demo)" | 5:01 |
| 9. | "Tune of Evil (Comedy Demo)" | 3:15 |
| Total length: | 51:58 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What If...? (1996 Demo)" | 4:25 |
| 2. | "Cut Down (1996 Demo)" | 4:54 |
| 3. | "Expect the Unexpected (1996 Demo)" | 6:37 |
| 4. | "Believe (1996 Demo)" | 6:08 |
| 5. | "The Fragile Art of Existence (1996 Demo)" | 8:25 |
| 6. | "What If...? (1996 Demo)" | 4:23 |
| 7. | "Expect the Unexpected (1996 Demo) w/ Chuck Schuldiner on Vocals" | 6:51 |
| 8. | "What If...? (1996 Demo) w/ Chuck Schuldiner on Vocals" | 4:25 |
| 9. | "Cut Down (1996 Demo) w/ Chuck Schuldiner on Vocals" | 4:53 |
| Total length: | 50:58 | |
Credits
edit- Tim Aymar – vocals
- Chuck Schuldiner – lead and rhythm guitar
- Shannon Hamm – lead and rhythm guitar
- Steve DiGiorgio – bass
- Richard Christy – drums
Additional musicians
- Scott Clendenin – bass on 1996 and 1997 demos
- Chris Williams – drums on 1996 and 1997 demos
- Chuck Schuldiner – vocals on 1996 and 1999 demos
Production
- Produced by Jim Morris & Chuck Schuldiner
- Engineered, mixed & mastered by Jim Morris
Production
editThe lineup that recorded Death's album The Sound of Perseverance (TSOP) (along with singer Tim Aymar) was originally intended to release the Control Denied album (and had completed the recording process), though bassist Scott Clendenin was let go in April 1999.[6] Schuldiner contacted frequent Death collaborator and bass player Steve DiGiorgio and requested that he record new basslines to replace the ones recorded by Clendenin. In some instances, DiGiorgio kept the bass lines recorded by Clendenin; he viewed it as a way to "return the favor", as Clendenin kept some of the bass lines that DiGiorgio played on the demos for TSOP.[7] Schuldiner remarked in a January 2000 Metal Maniacs interview that Clendenin "just didn't seem into it, I don't know if it was the material or what, but he didn't seem happy with what was going on, so we had to just let him go."[8]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ About.com review
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ "Hardwares". Archived from the original on May 1, 2012.
- ^ Chronicles of Chaos review
- ^ Popoff, Martin (2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 85–86. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
- ^ "News 1999". Empty Words. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Vick, Kerry (November 1999). "Steve DiGiorgio and the new beginning of sorts". Empty Words. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ Wagner, Jeff (January 2000). "Talk About Perseverance..." Metal Maniacs. Retrieved November 18, 2024.