Control Denied was a band formed by Chuck Schuldiner to create progressive heavy metal, mixed with elements of power and death metal (recognizable in his earlier band Death). The band started in 1996 as Schuldiner wanted to procure a more melodic style than was possible with Death. The project was interrupted by Death's release The Sound of Perseverance in 1998, but finally the debut album The Fragile Art of Existence was released in 1999. A second album, tentatively titled When Machine and Man Collide, was partly recorded, but the death of Schuldiner in 2001 put the recordings on hold. Remaining band members have expressed a wish to complete and release the material.