Morbid Angel : Altars Of Madness Album Review

I have to say this straight  up  if  you  don't like metal  this is  not  for  you , now  if  you are still reading  this   and appreciate  brutal  sounding blast  beats , chunky riffs and demonic  vocal delivery  this  is for  you , I don't know where to  begin on this 10 track debut from four gifted individuals from Florida it   blows my mind  on  so many levels .

The cover art  is  by Dan Seagrave and is a representation of the different moods of human  beings they seem to stare at you like the spirits are in  another dimension  it is truly great  visual   art

First  i think  the songwriting  is   perfection its  evil  ,  the  album   is a cornerstone  in death metal and  while  the  production  of the album is considered poor it just adds to the whole  raw sound , evilness and  genius  that  is  Altars of Madness  

The drumming  is second to none  Pete sandoval  is a  gifted individual  he is  relentless  his drumming  is  just about as  good as  it  gets  listen to the blast beats in bleed for the devil  its  the equivalent to Mozart  with drumsticks on  some serious   powder

The guitar work is  pretty  impressive also  there are plenty  of solos in this album   they  are nearly as memorable  as the drumming    they are  gifted individuals respectfully and deserve full praise

The lyrics are  hard to  put into words  they are harrowing   raspy  and seem to  come from a another dimension  i  heard Dave  Vincent had a cold  during the  recording process so it gave  this unique sound thank god he did  

This album   came out  in 1989 and it  is a huge influence to other death metal  bands  That whole album is so amazing”- Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse

UK magazine Terrorizer rates this album as Morbid Angel’s and death metal’s finest hour, describing it as “bludgeoning and raw but also technical, exacting and intimidatingly consistent.”

Now  to the song details  this album  has been out a long   time   and once again i found a review that  is  spot on with  my  thoughts  so i am  going to  paraphrase this  and will leave  you a link to the review at bottom  of the post  i hope  you  enjoy  it  i wish i wrote it :(

 

1		Immortal Rites	4:03
2		Suffocation	3:14
3		Visions From The Dark Side	4:09
4		Maze Of Torment	4:24
5		Lord Of All Fevers & Plague	3:28
6		Chapel Of Ghouls	4:57
7		Bleed For The Devil	2:23
8		Damnation	4:10
9		Blasphemy	3:31
10		Evil Spells	4:13

 

"Immortal Rites" - Backwards/swirling sounding guitars open the album. The drums pummel in at a breakneck speed and the tempo then switches to a midtempo chugfest. Vincent's vocals are throaty/growl like. The song goes from thrash to Sabbath and back, with some wicked guitar solos. A tune about rites of immortality. A sonic assault to the ears that demolishes all musical boundaries. A fantastic piece!

"Suffocation" - VERY FAST drumming begins the onslaught. Numerous tempo/rhythm changes abound. There is one brief moment in which Vincent gets a two second bass solo, and then he fades into the background as Sandoval/Azagthoth/Brunelle resume control and resume crushing the wind out of your lungs with their technical power. There is one part during the second verse where Vincent almost sounds like he's rapping ala "Baby's Got Back"...'Caverns below, await the wine to flow, rape the harvest of souls.' Listen to that verse and you'll hear what I mean. The song has an abrupt ending. Overall, another superb piece.

"Visions From The Dark Side" - or 'Hey!It's just Capitalism!' Very fast and tight drumming/rhythm. Sandoval is just great with the dexterity/speed/force of his drumming! The lyrics are anti-war and anti-corporation.."Dogs of war, satan's own, plotting all their sins. Weapons aimed at liberty. My vision - no one wins." Lets hope Vincent's vision isn't right, but it appears it might be! There are numerous guitar solos from Brunelle/Azagthoth as well as multiple tempo changes. Another superb, gem of a tune!

"Maze Of Torment" - Swirling guitar and then....BOOM! SUPER FAST drumming with a very fast, tight, guitar rhythm screaming along-side. Many tempo shifts. A MercyFul Fate vibe on steroids exists. It's the Maze of Torment! You'll feel dazed and amazed after listening to this!

"Lord Of All Fevers And Plague" - Short, reverse sounding guitar solo from Azagthoth and then the rest of the band storms in! Vincint's "singing" is just awesome on this one! The lyrics are in Sumerian and as I chant along with David, I swear I feel the "Lord Of All Fevers And Plague" trying to rip through the vortex on the album cover! "IA, ia sakkakh iak sakkakth, ia shaxzul. IA kingu, ia cthulu, ia azbul, ia azabua" Just f'n mind blowing! AWESOME SONG! My favorite on the album! The tempo is hard, crunching, very heavy. It has a EARLY Metallica/Slayer vibe, but turned to 11! There are numerous solos from Brunelle/Azagthoth and a sudden ending. Aw shoot! The incantation did work! I hope the Lord Of All Fevers And Plague is a vegetarian! 

"Chapel of Ghouls" - Opens with very heavy guitar and then Vincent growls his way in..."Ghouls attack the church. Crush the holy priest." Hey man, I'm outta here! All I wanted was some bread and wine! Swirling guitars along with a tight/pounding drums/bass/guitar builds a solid wall of music that is impenetrable! There are some light synthesizer "choir voice" effects that helps to give the song added mood and color. A combination of early Slayer/Metallica/Mercyful Fate, but again done heavier/harder/faster. My second favorite song. Just perfect!

"Bleed for the Devil" - Tempo begins very fast. Damn! Sandoval is pure speed king on the drums! It is unbelievable how fast he can play! The guitar solos are very fast and technically superb!The lyrics are corny, but the musicianship is topnotch!

"Damnation" - The melody is heavy and chunky as Vincent growwwwls his way in. The lyrics ARE pretty good (if visions of destruction and plague are good) The tempo is fast, but it kind of sounds like the other songs on this album. Nothing special about this one. Multiple guitar solos and tempo changes, but repetitive.

"Blasphemy" - The sound of numerous gunshots begins this track (remember, the band is from Florida!) and then a VERY FAST tempo is unleashed and assaults the hearing. Vincent once again growls his way in..."I am the god of gods, Master of the art. I desecrate the chaste. Writhe in the flesh." Well, I for one would rather do the backstroke. Writhing is to tiring! There is also a nod to Mr. Crowley in the lyrics.."Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Rebel against the church." The song is very fast with a warped/distorted bell/chime sound to fade out the tune. I like this one alot.

"Evil Spells" - The song has multiple changes in tempo and rhythm along with swirling mass of guitar. The tempo ranges from very fast thrash to Sabbath chugging and density towards the end. Guitar solos remind me of KK Downing "Sinner" stuff and Iommi riffing. A solid piece of metal.

 

Conclusion :This album has it all really  i can sum it  up in  words like Demonic, Intense , insane , Extreme , harrowing , haunting , unforgiving  a true legacy   and a masterpiece of satanic  art  and death metal in general  . A  testament to the heights  bands  can scale to  i'm not  sure there are too many other death metal bands  that  sit at the peak  with them  perhaps  Death only . A must for any Metal head . My favourite song  would be  Chapel of  Ghouls   it   really hits you  the energy  and rawness of  it  and the lyrics are memorable " Dead your god  is dead " and "Satan in the fires  of hell awaits "  8.5 / 10 priceless