When you mention the band Morbid Angel among the metal fraternity, rather than hearing raucous chants of support like you would with bands like Maiden, Priest, or Sabbath, you'll be met with hushed tones of respect. Morbid Angel are revered worldwide in metal for being pioneers and innovators, responsible for a lot of the growth within the death metal genre.
Since 1983, only original founding member, Trey Azagthoth has blasted his band's frightening worlds through blast beats, unrelenting shredding riffs and scowling lyrics. Now, some 34 years later, we have in front of us studio album number 9, Kingdoms Disdained.
Get Kingdoms Disdained Vinyl Now.
What is it about Morbid Angel that cut through and ascended them to the top of the bloody death metal heap? In high school, I didn't know much about death metal, it wasn't my thing, I was more a thrash metal kinda guy, but Morbid Angel was a band then that you just couldn't escape, especially when Blessed Are The Sick was released. The musical dexterity in songs like Brainstorm was like nothing I had ever heard, and I have to thank whoever was doing a metal show on Triple R in Melbourne at the time (1991) for getting me onto that album, because of that song.
It would be their 3rd studio album, Covenant, however, that would be their breakthrough. Thanks to airplay through MTV Headbangers Ball, along with the clip for God Of Emptiness appearing on Beavis and Butthead. Which now might seem stupid, but at the time, the show's popularity meant that it was definitely an avenue to break a band. Covenant has often been described as the greatest death metal album of all time, and there was a definite and noticeable improvement in production and clarity. Track 2, Pain Divine is a red-hot example of why you should listen to, and respect Morbid Angel. It's mental in every way possible, yet beautiful in its movements. Go listen to that after you watch Beavis and Butthead.
I think that was the attraction for a lot of people. From the beginning, Morbid Angel seemed to stretch what was expected of metal bands and raised the bar for others to reach to in regards to ridiculously fast, playing flying solos, and dark often blasphemous lyrics. Bands like Cannibal Corpse grabbed that vibe and ran with it, HARD, subsequently getting their albums banned in countries, including Australia in 1996. If you weren't around to remember, Death metal was in the news and under fire in the 90's from those who suffered from the ailment of ‘don't understand it, don't like it, therefore it must be bad'. Sure, Morbid Angel, among others, wrote about Satanism and the occult, but it is art, insanely technical art, which has always been misunderstood. Looking back on it all 20 years later, and it seems insane, doesn't it?
For those that wanted to understand it a bit more, there was always this classic 90's style clip for Where The Slime Live from their 1995 album, Domination. Proving that you don't always have to play at a million miles an hour to be heavy as fuck.
Have you noticed that Morbid Angel released their albums in alphabetical order? Apparently, the first two albums were a coincidence, but since then it has been deliberate. It's also at this juncture that I should point out that we won't be talking about Album #8 in their repertoire, Illud Divinum Insanus. If you've heard it, you know why I'm leaving it out. Ok, all I can do is echo drummer Pete Sandoval's (who didn't play on it due to injury, it featured programmed drums) sentiments "I don't know why they did that with the DJs, they could've have [sic] just done a separate project without calling it a Morbid Angel album. That might have been better." Fine, see for yourself.
GREAT news though, as mentioned at the beginning of my ramblings, is that the new album Kingdoms Disdained is out now. Take a listen!
- Higgo
