Spiritual Healing by Death

Spiritual Healing is the third studio album by American death metal band Death, released on February 16, 1990, by Combat Records. This album was out of print, but it has been reissued by Relapse Records as of November 2012. It is the band's only album to feature both guitarist James Murphy and bassist Terry Butler and the last to feature drummer Bill Andrews. This is the first of Death's albums to show Schuldiner's lyrics moving away from the gore and horror themes of previous works, focusing instead on themes of society including abortion, genetics, and televangelism, a direction that would be further refined on 1991's Human album. The musical content is more obviously melodic, a facet highlighted by James Murphy's characteristic lead guitar playing. The members of Death and their manager/co-producer Eric Greif stayed in a single motel room at the Safari Inn, near Busch Gardens, for the entire six weeks the album was recorded and mixed, although bassist Terry Butler and drummer Bill Andrews frequently went home as they lived in the Tampa area. This was the final Death album cover painted by Ed Repka. This period was one of massive controversy for Death, as Butler and Andrews toured Europe without Schuldiner (who refused to do the tour on the basis that it had been badly organised), with vocalist Louis Carrisalez in his place. Butler and Andrews were dismissed from the band following this incident. Greif played a Kawai K1 keyboard part in the middle of title track "Spiritual Healing".