Legendary extreme metal drummer Gene Hoglan has revisited his lingering discomfort with the 2018 documentary "Death By Metal," about DEATH founder Chuck Schuldiner, saying he still prefers 2025's Hulu docuseries "Into The Void: Life, Death & Heavy Metal" as the better telling of Schuldiner's story.
Speaking with the IMPACT Metal Channel, Hoglan — who played on DEATH's "Individual Thought Patterns" (1993) and "Symbolic" (1995) — explained that his frustration traces back to the making of "Death By Metal" itself. He said he was pressured before filming to speak negatively about Schuldiner. "I was told, 'Hey, throw Chuck under the bus,' essentially... Tell all the dirt stories," Hoglan recalled, saying the request came from someone prominently featured in the film whose portrayal of DEATH's mid-2000s era he considers inaccurate. "I don't trust you, I don't like you, I don't think you should even be involved in this project ever," Hoglan said he told the person at the time, adding that in the years since, "it's being established that people are realizing... that person should have never been involved."
Hoglan said he refused to engage in "mudslinging" during his own interview for the film, choosing instead to report what he saw factually. "The music... Is not death metal controversial enough? The music will speak for itself," he said, adding he holds no ill will toward the filmmakers' overall intentions.
"Death By Metal," directed by Felipe Belalcazar and approved by Schuldiner's family, was released on DVD in 2018 after more than 22 interviews, including the first ever with Schuldiner's mother. Belalcazar has said he wanted to portray Schuldiner as "a regular dude" and dedicated family man beyond the mythologized image many fans hold of him.
Schuldiner, widely regarded as the father of death metal, died in 2001 from a brain tumor. His legacy has remained a source of both celebration and legal dispute in the years since: former DEATH manager Eric Greif, who died in 2021, faced a 2023 lawsuit from Schuldiner's family alleging he withheld royalties owed to the estate. A fully authorized biography, "Born Human: The Life And Music Of Death's Chuck Schuldiner" by David E. Gehlke, was published last November via Decibel Books.