Well, finally picked this up on CD to give it the "quality" review it deserves. Not as great of a leap as the SH/Human one, but further progression is evident here, best noticed on fusion-death showcases Overactive Imagination and the title track. In fact, the whole beast is just another amazing tech fest, Chuck here losing the Cynic guys from Human (Focus being recorded around the same time as this) but picking up legends Andy LaRocque and Gene Hoglan. Having LaRocque around guarentees that the axework is first rate, and anything with Hoglan (outside of Old Man's Child) has got to kick serious butt. The largest change to my ears is due to Hoglan, who, while not as jazz oriented as Sean Reinert, manages to up the ante on both speed and intesity. He does manage to spice things up, Hoglan style, but the boy's talent lies in being able to play smoothly at any tempo, and this is used wisely here. Presence of bass phenom Steve DiGiorgio is also noticed, with some tasty licks hovering back there in the mix. In fact, the only thing lacking, which is something common to all Death albums pre-1998, are the vocals (in my opinion). Although Chuck pretty much pioneered this sound back in the late 80's, it tends to sound a little dated, and with the growth that the music has taken, they almost don't fit anymore. Overall, another progressive metal classic, which, while not as memorable as others, is a worthy entry into the hall of fame. Hey, with Death, you just can't go wrong! <br><br>2005 Perspective: I still play this all the time. A true measure of a 10 scale record!