Symbolic showed a continued shift in sound from Death's previous albums, and was seen as a "massive shift towards melody", deviating from tropes of traditional
death metal. Matt Mills of
WhatCulture called the album "perfect union of melody, brutality and intricacy that [Death] had been building towards ever since
Scream Bloody Gore." The album has been described as "not as mathematically progressive" as Death's two previous albums. Sam Sodomsky of
Pitchfork said
Symbolic is "the most melodic and refined" release of Death's career. The album's sound has been categorized as
technical death metal and
melodic death metal. Sam Sodomsky of
Pitchfork said
Symbolic is "neither as brutal as the early material nor as outwardly
progressive [as
Human or
Individual Thought Patterns]." He also likened Schuldiner's vocals at certain parts on the album to those common in
hardcore punk, describing them as "shouting through gritted teeth". The album is noted for the higher tone of Schuldiner's vocals compared to the "deep
death growls" on early and mid-career Death releases. The album's lyrics have been described as "mystical," and explore topics such as
political corruption,
surveillance and
class consciousness. ==Tour==