Spiritual Healing  by Death

Spiritual Healing, released on February 16, 1990, is Death's third album and the defining turning point in their career. It is the record where Chuck Schuldiner began to abandon the "gore" aesthetic of previous years in favor of social issues and more complex musical structures.

The recording took place at the legendary Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida. The record is characterized by the transition from raw horror to the "real" horror of society. The songs tackle religious hypocrisy (Spiritual Healing), drug addiction during pregnancy (Living Monstrosity), genetic interventions (Genetic Reconstruction), and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia (Defensive Personalities). The record is one of the most characteristic transitions from extreme thrash metal sound to death metal. The production of Spiritual Healing is much cleaner compared to Leprosy, with an emphasis on melody and technical expertise. Murphy's presence brought some of the most impressive solos in the history of the genre.

Although initially divisive among fans who wanted more violence, today Spiritual Healing is considered the foundation of progressive death metal. It prepared the ground for the masterpiece Human and established Schuldiner as a "thinking" musician unafraid to experiment.