Blessed Are the Sick

...life of, cinnamon ? No, not cinnamon. It's just "sin" I think. But anyways here's another question: which extreme metal record sounded this intelligible in 1991 ? Not that this sounds too pretty. Rather, it just sounds anachronistically crisp, and defined, like having HD television in the early 2000's. Simply outright ahead of its time. Plenty of iconic death metal acts were releasing ground-breaking albums that year, but Morbid Angel here sounds like a band that's had the luxury of years of development. It's as if this wasn't the start of the nineties at all.

The title-track sounds like the work of seasoned veterans, and this is just their sophomore effort. The verse oozes with a writhing agony, completed by the cabalistic (and actually discernible) lyrics, and then that chorus comes on "World... world of sick(ness). Blessed our we, to taste...life of sin". The guitars acquire maximum climax there, heightened by that dramatic triplet right in the middle of the power chord pattern. And those words ring with so much convincing depravity - it's like the perfect death metal refrain. Reveling in earthly desires, like a ceremonial mantra. It seizes the essence of the genre so accurately and with such vivid fervor. It feels like it's right there, a dark spectacle happening right in front of you. The flute solo piece at the end of that track is just further proof that greatness is in motion here, as it adds just the right amount of insidious tension and unexpected variety to the whole, and does it in a few seconds of concise excellence.

This was demonstrated earlier on the short instrumental 'Doomsday Celebration', and it takes on more meaning yet on the disarmingly beautiful 'Desolate Ways'. Judiciously placed near the end of the album, the latter is like the warrior's respite around a campfire. By that point the listener's been bruised and made weary by the resonating maelstrom, so this break comes as passion expressed through pure sorrow rather than the seething affliction experienced so far.

The major quality of this record lies in the combination of that unique high definition; in composition, overall texture and sound; compounded with the utter anarchy at play. Yes this sounds beautiful sonically, but none of the songs' intrinsic filth gets lost in that facet. Parts like the aforestated 'Blessed' chorus certainly belong to the more lordly and exalted variety, but other stretches on here are technically straight up grindcore (just better produced). Ruthless, at times savage mechanical riffs feeding off their absurd repeating pattern; absolute chaos, filled in with the fullness and authority of the power chord, untamed and relentless; backed by the insanity that is Pete Sandoval blasting behind the kit.

The problem on this is because it sets a very high standard for itself with a beginning of 'Fall from grace' followed by 'Brainstorm', later the legendary title-track... the album can sort of fall into the cracks it's unknowingly set for itself, as some of the content distinctly feels like "the other tracks", like mere experimentation with that groove they found; as opposed to the better moments, that are simply canonical for death metal. For instance the last song ('The Ancient Ones'), is basically just a jam with a few random riffs and a bunch of wacky solos that can feel aimless, which isn't a good look for such a legendary album - and it's by far the longest song here. Azagthoth and gang certainly didn't have supreme hindsight overseeing the whole operation, and how could they ? They were caught in the present momentum they were riding, and it's undeniably remarkable enough this came out at that time. The almighty successor 'Covenant' would prove to be more accurate yet, more efficient, sharp and ruthless... and contain more hidden gifts (that bleeding women ate).

Alright, after over a year of writing a review of Morbid Angel's debut album "Altars of Madness", it's about time I started covering their other albums, and to start it off, I'll be checking out their next album that released in 1991 titled "Blessed Are the Sick". While AOM had a dirty and raw style of the OSDM sound, BATS would flesh out their style even further, and continue to cement the band into being the leading force of the then-growing death metal scene.

The opening track is a minute and a half long intro that contains guitars playing a raw and droning riff while some shouts can be heard in the background. It's an okay intro, but it does lead into the next track "Fall from Grace", which is where things get good. Unlike AOM, where the riffs were fast and chaotic, the riffs take on a slower composition, but it can still get fast and chaotic at times, though in a more doom-like nature. The drums have also gotten a bit technical with its beat patterns. And with a cleaner sound, it does lead the guitars well with its slower, yet tight blastbeats. The bass is also decent, though I think it's a slight step-down from the bass play of the previous release due to a noticeably weaker sound. Otherwise, the instrumentals on this track are fantastic at being chaotic and maddening, but also taking on a slower and more technical approach that makes it stand out. Other fantastic highlights besides the first actual metal track include "Brainstorm", "Blessed Are the Sick / Leading the Rats", and of course "Thy Kingdom Come". That last track in particular is easily my favorite song off the album, as it does have a great mix of that AOM sound as well as the unique technicality of BATS. Whether it be the technical-approach of the metal tracks, or the fantastic interludes like "Desolate Ways" or "Doomsday Celebration", BATS's instrumentals are still excellent at having crazy riffs, but also including some slower moments.

As for the vocals, they're still very strong. David Vincent continues to do the vocals, and his voice is still as strong as ever. A good example of this is in the track "Unholy Blasphemies", in which David takes on a different vocal approach. In AOM, he had a higher pitched voice that included more screams. Here, his voice sounds very deep and utilizes more growls. This, in turn, is fitting to the instrumentals, as not only do they flow well with the more chaotic guitars and drums, but they also add in a sinister tone within the chaotic atmosphere. In some ways, Vincent's vocals are slightly improved from the AOM vocals, as its more dark and sinister vocal delivery is fitting to the wild instrumentals.

While this album is slightly longer than the previous album, it still does pack in a more extreme punch. Its slower and technical approach to the instruments give the instrumentals a more evil and dark atmosphere than the pure chaos of the debut, and Vincent's vocals are more deep-growled and horrid-sounding. For some, this is where Morbid Angel started to form their signature sound, and I can certainly agree with that. While I prefer the debut, BATS is still a fantastic OSDM record that I recommend you check out.

So after using the entire month of May to write 17 reviews on the Metal Archives, bringing my total to 25, which knowing how much I used to dislike writing and almost anything involving it, is an amazing achievement in my life, I took an entire week off in Gulf Shores, Alabama, to regroup and take some time to myself, and after this string of reviews coming up, I may have to hiatus again to focus on my summer assignment. My parents and I had a great time, and I had a lot of ideas for reviews, and I knew Morbid Angel had to be the next band I covered, as not only is their debut historically important, but their releases are usually very strong, with only 2 outliers from the 9 album discography that I don't enjoy, being "Latin Diarrhea In-Anus" and "Kingdoms Disdained" many will agree with me in stating that the prime eras of the band were really personified in released from the years 1989-1993 and 1996-2000. Two four year periods of great LP's. Today we'll be talking about an album from the first era of Morbid Angel's combined 8 year prime. The second full-length release, a superior release to Altars in my opinion (Still classic, of course!) An album I avoided for a long time because I was afraid it wouldn't live up to my unrealistic expectations of being the same exact thing as Covenant. Well, honestly my expectations were surpassed by this album. So let's get into this release, my favorite from the band and a change in the sound of Morbid Angel for something heavier and more evil, Blessed Are The Sick.

The record at hand, is a sure change from Altars of Madness. The album focuses more on atmosphere, something I appreciate very much. The album is not a full power assault of speed like the debut, it's a slower, more controlled beast with just as much fury. Pete's drumming being the focal point of the recording, being the busiest part 2nd to Trey's soloing. This is evident on the title track, "Day of Suffering" and "Brainstorm" these three songs are different and alike, while the title track is a slower tempo crusher, the other two are high speed attacks. The constant here is that Pete's drumming is complex and impressive as always. The band writing these slower songs, with more atmosphere and evil tones shows a maturity in songwriting and desire to sound more evil, and it works. The implementation of instrumental interludes as well as a intro track is good, it helps build that tension and want to create musical suspension. The first time I heard this album I was blown away, and the instrumentals always gave me time to guess what the band would do next, and really I was usually right, but it made it no less of an experience, but where these interludes fail, in my opinion is with the outro track, "In Remembrance" it sucks. It's MIDI files, and if I'm incorrect about that, then this piano sounds like crap. Anyway, back to the suspense/tension, the one time I was wrong with guessing what was next, was with the title track, because it was slower and "The Ancient Ones" because it was longer. That 2nd mentioned, track in particular, is my personal favorite. It is the ultimate Morbid Angel song on this recording. The solos by Trey, the growls of David, and Pete's unforgettable drumming make this the track pick for the entire album. The album overall has a dark and evil atmosphere that doesn't rely on speed as much as it does hypnotic riffs, diabolical sounding interludes, and controlled chaos. The production is pretty good for the most part, but there is just one issue I have.

Pete's snare sounds strange, and I've come to appreciate it for the uniqueness it adds to the recording, but it can be an issue. The sound of the snare stands out on the faster part after the beginning of "Fall From Grace" and also one of the parts of the title track where Pete's is playing more busily than usual. The snare, while good in general, is admittedly louder than it should be. This can sometimes be good for Trey's madman parts where he's playing things that seem random, (even though it fits) however, it ends up being a problem on faster sections with blast beats, it's overall sound on the record can and usually will annoy first time listeners. I remember hating it. Other than that, I don't have any complaints on the production, Trey and Richard's guitars have a fantastic tone, and Trey's solo tone is one of my favorites in death metal on this release. David's bass is hard to hear for me, but his vocal performance and the way his heavily improved non-smoker vocals were mixed, is fantastic. Another key thing that happens, is the first usage of David's clean singing, which returns an octave or two lower on "Covenant" specifically on "God of Emptiness" To close my thoughts on this, the overall production values, aside from a small issue with the snare sound, do this record a great service.

To close out this review in my average 5 paragraph school essay fashion, this album gets a 97. The album succeeds at everything it wishes to accomplish, and as a result it is my favorite Morbid Angel album. The album is a step up from Altars in my opinion and it's often overshadowed by that and Covenant in my opinion, but I believe that it should be on a higher pedestal than Covenant. I won't say that it should be on a higher pedestal than Altars, because that achieved so much for the genre and time, it may not be as good in my opinion, but it deserves it's spot as the Morbid Angel crowd favorite. A great album, I recommend you give this album a spin. The songwriting and performances are exceptional and the musical maturity they gained in two years is evident. Check this one out.

-Nolan

Morbid Angel's second album is leagues better than their debut could ever hope to be. This is due to the band somewhat finding their footing a little. To properly understand the album, it is best to break it down based on each instrument.

First let us start with guitars. The most important change of all is that there is a new, better balance between the slow, galloping riffs and fast tremolo picking that we see on Altars of Madness. On Blessed Are the Sick the split between slow and fast riffs that Morbid Angel had put to use since their earliest days finally matures into a really high-quality formula after they improved their slower riffs. Songs like “Abominations” and “Blessed are the Sick/Leading the Rats” showcase their increased ability to slow down their music while still retaining their brutal sound. This is a skill they would expand upon for pretty much the rest of their career. Regarding Trey’s solos, they start to shed some of their shred-wankery and move toward the sound that they would assume on Covenant, a massive improvement.

Another aspect of Morbid Angel's musicianship that improved vastly was David Vincent's voice. Though he retains his (somewhat improved) Alters-era rasps on songs such as “Brainstorm”, he lowers the pitch of his voice to the form that he would put to use on Covenant and Domination. By far the best part of the album is the song "The Ancient Ones", which embodies everything that Morbid Angel wanted to do on Altars of Madness, but couldn't pull off. The song is notable for having lyrics by Trey Azagthoth, which praise the "ancient ones" as opposed to Vincent's straightforward Satanism. As for the bass on this album, it is nothing particularly special. At one point, I heard it on “The Ancient Ones” and thought it sounded nice. Other than that, there was nothing of significance.

Finally, we have drums. On Blessed Are the Sick, Pete Sandoval slows down his pace, but his overarching style of blast beats and double bass rolls remains essentially unchanged. He may slow down his blast beats and double bass rolls on some songs, but they are still there on all of the main tracks. The production is nice and there is a real low end, though the snare still rings a little bit, perhaps a hang on from the 80s.

Despite all the good things about this album, there are still some problems. In the first place, some of the songs are too short, and don't do much, such as “Day of Suffering” or “Unholy Blasphemies”. Secondly, some of the slower riffs are still under-par, and don't reach their full potential, for example, “Fall from Grace”. The worst parts of the album are the cheesy and unnecessary dungeon synth instrumentals, which take up four full songs, and, for the most part, don't segway into anything, or stand alone as anything special. However, “Desolate Ways”, written by the now deceased Richard Brunelle, serves as a good stand-alone song (Morbid Angel's equivalent of Death's "Voice of the Soul"), and the album intro serves as a good transition into "Fall from Grace". In conclusion, this album marks a huge tempo and quality shift for Morbid Angel, and gives us a taste of what was to come, not only for the Vincent era of the band, but also for the Tucker era.

In my opinion each Morbid Angel album has its own identity, something like a superlative adjective, for example "Altars" is the most aggressive, "Covenant" the darkest, "Gateways" the most epic, "Illud" the most electronic, "Heretic" the most shitty etc and for me without doubt the identity of "Blessed are the sick" is the most "crazy" and I say this both for its experimentation in the musical field and for its historical context.

Blessed are the sick is released in a difficult context, being the predecessor of an album as outstanding as "Altars of Madness" must be difficult and if we add to thatthis being one of the most experimental works of Morbid Angel, and therefore we can consider it also a crazy move. The easy thing would have been to continue with the formula that worked and gives to understand that it will continue working, but the guys from Tampa had other plans, and decide to "bless" us with something that is without a doubt their most experimental and varied work, in this album we can see it in aspects such as giving prominence to less typical l instruments like synthesizers, acoustic guitar, flute and even piano. All have some moments to shine and although they are brief they are completely memorable due to their quality and charisma, for me it is impossible to conceive "Blessed are the sick" without the final flute of "Leading the rats" and I can't listen to "Day of suffering" if the atmospheric "Doomsday celebration" doesn't precede it.

Also one of the things that fascinates me the most about this album is how the band members were able to include such a variety of styles and sounds in the same work, we have totally fast and chaotic songs and at the same time there are slow songs with powerful riffs and in the middle of all that we can find melodic moments as well as others with a great atmospheric component. How is it possible that all this is contained in less than 40 minutes? Well, mainly thanks to the amount of songs and the brevity of many of them, although this does not affect their intensity, the shorter songs are instrumental or are the fastest and structurally varied while the longer ones are allowed to be slower and expand more horizons in the musical scope.

As for the members, I think it is both Trey and Brunelle who shine on this album, the former because he shows a great quality as a song writer and shows a great technical level with the guitar where his trademark solos shine in almost every song, and the latter because he proved that until today he has been the best accompanist of Trey and because "Desolated Ways" will always carry his name as possibly the best instrumental of Morbid Angel. On the other hand Davin Vincent doesn't reach the level he showed us in "Altars" but his role is still solid although not so outstanding, and finally Pete Sandoval is the one who seems to me that he doesn't stand out much in this album, all his contributions are quite normal but I feel that he lacks flashes of quality and virtuosity and that he simply limits himself to comply.

It is an album that I have enjoyed more and more each time I listened to it again, little by little it has become my favorite of the band's discography and therefore I think it is not a work that allows an easy listening in the first attempts, maybe that's why at the time it came out it was so criticized and hated as many members of the band have mentioned, but today it is considered a basic pillar of the golden era of Morbid Angel.

If I really had to comment something negative about the album it would be without a doubt (along with some weak songs) his ending, although I have said that I like experimentation and originality, although I don't even consider that a piano piece has something experimental and original, I don't think that a piano instrumental is the right way to end this work, besides it's the weakest instrumental is used in a quite "cheesy" way and leaves a quite cold and unsatisfactory sensation as an ending, just like the end of my reviews!

The tremendous success of "Altars Of Madness" did not make the band of Trey Azagthoth rest on their laurels or let them down. On the contrary, Morbid Angel decided to forge their style of music and surprise their listeners a lot! Two years later they hit with an lp which was as well as the debut and for me, it's even better than "Altars..." iteself. The reason is very simple, "Blessed Are The Sick" is a death metal even more interesting, much more complex and with a slightly different feeling than its predecessor, and at the same time extreme enough to please all the fans of its predecessor or generally fond of such sounds.

There were just a lot of sensible changes that did not affect the extreme side of music on "Blessed...". The Americans from Morbid Angel, on the one hand, allowed much more layoffs than before and put much more emphasis on the technique and climate (or - to put it bluntly - on the general arrangement), on the other hand, they decided to narrow down the songs, where blasts predominate, and with slow paces they tried to make them as difficult as with the "normal" ones. So they flew quite boldly with it, but naturally, it all fits well with the music. The best example, the first mega hit "Fall From Grace", slower (which does not mean that no blasts!), with a clearly lower vocal by David Vincent and an interestingly developing "spoken" theme in the middle.

However, there are also highlights in the further part of the album. Here it is worth mentioning, for example, "Day Of Suffering", "Abominations", "Thy Kingdom Come" or "Blessed Are The Sick/Leading The Rats", and these are not all of the whole list - I would have to mention all "regular" songs. Well, since I have already gone to the topic of intros, there are 4 of them. The atmospheric "Doomsday Celebration" and "Desolate Ways" are nice, but "Intro" and "In Remembrance" can be easily clicked - they only fill the time unnecessarily. However, there is no need to worry more about this, after all, these are just interludes. Most importantly, the main music breaks through "Altars..." and makes quite an impression to this day. As for me, the debut has been surpassed. Well, the cult of this record is also well deserved!

Originally on: https://subiektywnymetal.blogspot.com/2020/05/morbid-angel-blessed-are-sick-1991.html

Here's an album that took me forever to appreciate. In my early death metal days, I seemed to jive with every band thrown my way. I got into Death, Obituary, and Cannibal Corpse faster than I should have. But there was something about Morbid Angel that didn't sit well with me. Luckily for you, I remember those old thoughts and opinions. Ahem, I recall thinking their sound was sloppy, unpolished, and nonsensical. Looking back, those are the qualities I now realize make the band, and more specifically their sophomore release: Blessed Are The Sick, so amazing and unique. I don't remember when or how it happened, but the album just 'clicked' one day. I hated it for as long as I could remember, yet I loved it all of a sudden. I'll do my best to explain.

I mentioned that the band's sloppy, and nonsensical sound helped make the album so great, and I couldn't agree more. The whole album feels like it's falling apart. Nothing feels overly precise, and there are certain parts that feel slightly off. This is not a bad thing at all, on the contrary, it's a fantastic thing. This way, everything sounds even more chaotic and hellish. The world sounds like it's caving in on itself, and Blessed Are The Sick is the soundtrack to its destruction. I feel transported the hellish plane depicted on the album artwork anytime I hear the monstrous growls, incessant blast beats, and dive bombs that dominate this record. Adding on to all of this, the album is filled to the brim with unbelievably catchy rhythms. I have yet to hear another death metal album come close to the number of memorable melodies found here. Dare I say, this album is hummable. Really, really hummable. The band isn't afraid to try new things either. There are certain parts that sound 'happy' and out of place. The intro to Thy Kingdom Come sounds like a Green Day riff, I swear. But they can get away with stuff like this, unlike other death metal bands. They go ahead and insert a pop-punk riff into one of their most crushing and insane albums, and yet it still sounds extreme. How is that even possible? Maybe it's the tone or the drums or... Rather, I believe it's because the whole album reeks of brutality. There's this aura of evil found throughout. Therefore, no matter the melody, there's this ever-present feeling of dread, as you're aware, yet never truly prepared for beatdown that's about to ensue.

Morbid Angel are certainly adding new ingredients into the mix this time around. The most apparent addition is all the interludes. Four of the thirteen tracks are transition songs that increase the atmosphere of the record. Some sound evil, while others sound sad. Because of this, Blessed Are The Sick is elevated. It's more than a collection of 'bangers'. It's a story; a journey through a sea of emotions. This is a true death metal masterpiece. Nothing sounds like it, and nothing ever will. Blessed Are The Sick is a perfect package, gift-wrapped and tied together with a very poetic and satanic theme. If you still haven't listened to this record, you should get on that. Treat yourself to one of the genre's best.

Morbid Angel’s Blessed Are The Sick was a landmark release in the history of metal. Released in May 22, 1991 Morbid Angel’s Blessed Are The Sick transformed death metal music from just an overly aggressive brother of thrash to a serious musical art form. It showed the metal world that death metal can be taken seriously as an art form. The first thing you notice on the album is the gorgeous artwork "Les Trésors de Satan" by Belgian painter Jean Delvile. Instead of the comically looking faces trapped in hell by Dan Seagrave on Altars of Madness we are presented with a much more serious portrait of the human condition just by looking at the cover art alone.

Instead of celebrating the powers of Satan that was demonstrated on Altars of Madness, Blessed’s concept deals with the celebration and rejoice of sins. Everything sinful that man commits such as lust, greed, selfishness Morbid Angel seeps in. Musically this album is far different than its predecessor. Everything has been stepped up quite a bit. The production has a stronger lower end, the drums sound thicker and fuller, and everything is more balanced sounding.

David Vincent is the most improved musician on the album. On altars he had more of a ghoulish rasp, while here he developed a monstrous roar which he credits to him quitting smoking. He also brings out the vocal style employed on altars on tracks like Brainstorm, Abominations, Ancient ones, and Thy kingdom Come. Most of the songs though employ the low end roar he developed over the past two years. Lyrically his subject matter has seen the most improvement. While on altars there were some comically hilarious lines such as

"Ghouls attack the Church
Crush the holy priest
turning the cross towards hell
writhe in Satan’s flames”

To a much more serious and more detailed descriptions of blasphemy and human sins as demonstrated on the song Abominations with some HP lovecraft thrown in

“Churning Sea of Absu; Place of weeping Death
Tiamat, dark serpent, Lord of the morbid Priest
Enraged with Hate for God, The Priests of Chaos chant
From the Book of the Worm, they burn the Symbols of Christ"

While Vincent’s lyrics became stronger and his vocals became more powerful his bass playing stayed the same he pretty much just plays in the background behind Richard Brunelle and Trey.

Azagthoth and Brunelle seriously stepped up in the guitar department on blessed. On Altars the soloing displayed was very chaotic and sloppy to an extent. While, here you cannot say the same. The soloing by Brunelle and Trey became far more cohesive and clear. They actually solo with melody on many of the songs and use much less effects on the guitar to solo relying more on actual playing of scales rather than heavy wah pedal use, or whammy bar abuse. The riffs became more balanced as well. The guitar riffs are often modeled on classical melodies, but delivered like a thunderbolt or an earthquake in finesse and precision. In the booklet Vincent states Mozart was his biggest influence on this album. On Altars most of the riffs are played extremely fast with constant tremolo picking, while here they utilize some doom metal riffs (See Fall from Grace and Day of Suffering intros) on top of playing the very fast tremolo picked passages.

Here the riffs might be slower than altars but they deliver more crushing force due to the production becoming better and the riffs carrying more weight than before. Sure this album doesn’t have guitars as crushing as Effigy of the Forgotten or Dawn of Possession but it is still heavier and better than majority of the death metal that came out in the early 90s. Morbid Angel went from playing a more extreme version of Slayer on Altars of Madness to finding their own musical identity on this album.

Pete Sandoval also grew as a drummer in the past two years. His rolls of the tom and snare became more frenzied and difficult to pull off. His fills and cymbal utilization helped in making this album his best drum performance. His blast beats aren’t too shabby either. Since altars his blast beats have actually gotten faster (see Brainstorm and Thy Kingdom Come). He also is able to utilize to the slower tempos in many of the songs to get really creative with his drumming. For example in Abominations he plays some off kilter snare hits but he is then able to return back to being in sync with the guitarists for when the chugging section shows itself.

All in all Morbid Angel grew as an entire band on this album. They went from energetic youngsters hopped up on Slayer and Kreator to a serious musical cohesive unit bent on destroying the world. A well-oiled machine shall we say that could play circles around most musicians with a very prideful stance among themselves (which is one of the lyrical themes on this album). You had Dave Vincent displaying impressive range with great verbose lyrics, the guitar players Trey Azagthoth and Richard Brunelle who really stepped up in the soloing and riff department, and Pete Sandoval who became more creative in his drumming. Morbid Angel has influence countless bands through this album and Altars such as Immolation, Hate Eternal, Nile, Immortal, and Behemoth and they still continue to influence metal bands all over the world. My suggestion is buy this album it is a definite classic in the metal world.

"Blessed are the Sick" is one of those albums that stands as a true 'shift in direction' piece. Instead of working out a few songs as a demo, to shift channels between the twisted, Possessed-to-the-max, death-thrash found on debut "Altars of Madness," and the pummeling and yet more straightforward "Covenant," Morbid Angel decided to put forth this offering as their second full-length, a perfect blend of both worlds. While sounding more similar to "Altars" than "Covenant," it is interesting to note that the latter half of the album, the metal songs after 'Blessed are the Sick/Leading the Rats,' are all re-recordings off of the infamous unreleased full-length/demo "Abominations of Desolation." As "Altars" was also about half "Abominations" songs, it feels fitting that the band would flesh out final versions of another handful of songs. However, as the band tries some new experiments in addition to the re-recordings, the songs and style of the album often feels rather divided, often made more obvious by the odd production practices used.

The songs themselves are divided mostly between fast-paced thrashers, down-tempo sludge-fests, and atmospheric interludes. The riffs in each individual song, as well as the guitar solos, all seem to be a bit more intricate and technical than the songs and solos found on "Altars." This shows a band more mature, more adjusted to their style and playing with each other as musicians. The drum work on "Brainstorm," the appropriation of beats on "Unholy Blasphemies," the 'lava' on "The Ancient Ones," all point out to Morbid Angel showing off two years of strength building since "Altars." Songs like "Fall from Grace" and "Blessed are the Sick" show the band's new exploration of slower tempos, giving more breathing room to the otherwise chaotic riffs. The interludes, a new addition and experimentation as well, show the beginning of this practice that extends to every album after this in Morbid Angel's discography, and also, out of all the albums featuring interludes, this one has the ones that play it safe the most. Perhaps because this is Morbid Angel's first foray into such atmospherics, but the synthetic symphonic "Doomsday Celebration" and the touching acoustic "Desolate Ways" all seem rather typical of this sort of track on a metal album, and do not quite reach up to the foreboding "Nar Mattaru" of "Covenant" or the strange beauty of "Dreaming" from "Domination," even though they do remain enjoyable tracks in their own right and fit well with the flow of the album.

Speaking of album flow, "Blessed" has got third best out of the Morbid Angel discography, right after "Gateways" and "Altars," only hindered by David Vincent's vocal variations. While the rest of the band pounds along each track, sounding like the same group of musicians as the album previous and next, Vincent switches his vocal style between a throaty snarl, similar to his vocal approach on "Altars," and a deeper growl, a beginning for what is to be found on "Covenant." Vincent's deep growl sounds more powerful on this album, however, as his bellowing on tracks like "Unholy Blasphemies" and "Fall from Grace" is considerably more effective than on the album after this one. Despite a more promising death growl, David's higher vocals do not sound as menacing as what was found on "Altars," they seem more strained, as though Vincent was more keen on his lower vocals, but was somehow forced into continuing to use his old style on some songs by Trey Azagthoth. The production really doesn't help these higher-pitched vocal's case, as they are put to the forefront, and not made more mysterious by reverberating effects as on "Altars."

David Vincent's vocals are not the only thing hindered by the production on this album, as I'd say the only true flaw I can find in this would be the awkward, noticeably amateur production practices. The drums (I had seen in an interview that this album was the first instance of triggered drums in metal), are loud and clangy, and have a queer 'fakeness' to them. Both the slow and fast passages are hindered by the drum tones, as the first blast of "Fall from Grace" comes in sounding strangely off-time, and the trashy high-hat in "Blessed are the Sick" gets almost obnoxious at times. The tom and kick tones are pretty standard affair for an early-nineties Tampa death metal album, but the cymbals and snare sound particularly machine-like, with blatantly poorly-recorded samples. The vocals also being brought to the forefront, as mentioned before, weakens the high style and empowers the low style. The guitars and leads, however, are made much, much stronger than the debut, and bring the standard Morbid Angel guitar tone into their discography, which had only small changes until 2003's "Heretic."

Overall, while not as chaotic as "Altars," and not as repetitive as "Covenant," "Blessed are the Sick" is a transition album for Morbid Angel, filled with memorable new songs and proper versions of choice cuts from the "Abominations of Desolation" demo. While the production is somewhat unfortunately distracting from the quality of the material, it stands as the one of the better Morbid Angel albums, and a true collection of the band's style pre-"Domination." Recommended for fans of the band who somehow haven't heard this one, fans of old-school death metal, occult death metal of any variety, and for new listeners of the genre who have already acquainted themselves with other masterworks of the genre.

I want to kill myself now because I had been writing a review for 20 minutes and I accidentally pressed the backspace button and all was gone :(

Nevertheless, fuck that shit, Morbid Angel back in the early nineties were undoubtedly gods within the death metal scene. While most people seem to be more into Altars of Madness or Covenant, I'm definitely a sucker for the band's sophomore effort, which is like the transitional state between Altars' speed and aggression and Covenant's heavier and sludgier darkness.

So as far as the record itself is concerned, this is a fucking milestone. It begins with a noisy introduction and after a minute and a half, the opening riff of "Fall from Grace" sets the frame. Seconds afterwards, one of my favourite riffs of all time, which is also an "effigy of what's to come" - did you see what I did there? If not, go listen to Suffocation's debut NOW - for the rest of the album cracks the skulls of the feeble. All hell breaks loose and Pete Sandoval's blastbeats are immediately recognizable, and his drumming does not just stay to that, yet flows greatly through the album with insane drum fills and rolls that fit in greatly with the music. The above are naturally testimony to Sandoval's talent, skill, and musical intelligence. Furthermore, equally recognizable is Trey Azagthoth's guitar work, with the truly MORBID riffs and dissonant/atonal leads. However, Richard Brunelle's contribution is not to be overseen as more than half of the solos here are his. David Vincent's bass lines are complementary to the riffs and sound closer to Suffocation than to Obituary. The lyrics are about the ancient gods and all that occult stuff, and David Vincent's vocal performance derives growls adequately comprehensible so as for one to be able to hear almost every single word without being Kyle XY or possessing any superhuman powers in general. Finally, the band has put some orchestral tracks to create an ambiance at some points to close the disc. Especially "Doomsday Celebration" works perfectly as a calm before the storm that is "Day of Suffering". There are no actual highlights on the album since every song is brutally punctual, but I believe that my personal favourite would be one of these: "Fall from Grace", "Brainstorm", "Day of Suffering", or "Blessed are the Sick/Leading the Rats".

So, I believe there is not much more to be said about this unstoppable death metal beast. If you like extreme metal and you don't like this, you just probably don't really like extreme metal, but you're unaware of that fact. This is simply essential. GET IT!

With all due respect to Altars of Madness, if this was Morbid Angel’s debut, they would have had just as much of an impact they had with Altars if not greater. Most great metal bands have two, three or four albums that fans love, but not too many bands have two albums that instantly go in the top 10, if not top 5 of their particular genre. That’s the stuff Black Sabbath, Metallica and Iron Maiden are made of. And you better fucking believe that this album is top 5 for death metal.

What makes this album great? As usual, it’s variety. While I’m sure to most death metal fans, Chapel of Ghouls 10 times at 10 different fast speeds is all there is to metal, it’s much more impressive to me when a band truly expands their canvas and shows what they are capable of. You have your epic numbers like The Ancinet Ones; your fast face-ripping fuck tracks (to borrow a colloquialism) like Day of Suffering, Thy Kingdom Come, and Unholy Blasphemies (my personal favorite Morbid Angel song); your doomy slow songs like the title track and Abominations. Even the interludes are really awesome. The track “Intro” just might be the greatest non-musical opener to an album ever (and yes that includes “join us” from Hell Awaits), pieces like Desolate Ways and In Remberance are somber moody pieces that are quiet, but don’t overstay their welcome like Fluff, and hell I can even understand if there are fans out there who think you can’t play Day of Suffering without playing Doomsday Celebration first. Then there’s the albums real first song, Fall From Grace, which I put mid-tier for songs, but has this fine piece of poetry:

“I am Belial...I bend my knee not but for my selfish desires.”

Not only is the best line on the album, but it is probably the definitive statement for all death metal. Before this album, death metal was a slightly laughable cult following for those who wanted a little more rape and guts with their thrashy festivities. After this album, death metal was legitimized as an artform—whether it’s fans wanted it to be or not.

It is always interesting to review albums that are as old as your humble reviewer. Whereas others are able to make comments about the atmosphere of the music scene at the time, I am only able to comment on the music itself and how it affects me. So it is with an irreverent shrug that I continue this review sans the 'cold wind blowing in 1991' and 'I eagerly awaited the release of Blessed Are the Sick' style of commentary.

Blessed Are the Sick is an album that I have had an interesting relationship with for the past three years, ever since I became enamored with the death metal genre. Morbid Angel was one of my first death metal acts. I was air drumming to Maze Of Torment before I was even aware of bands such as Cryptopsy or Gorguts (and as an aside, air drumming to Maze Of Torment is a great aerobic workout -- try it sometime). So, when I was fishing for new albums to try in this exciting and brand new (to me) genre, Blessed Are The Sick often came up. I was told it was the personification of all that was death metal (presumably with the exception of the parts that were personified by Chuck Schuldiner, RIP). I was told that it was a masterpiece. And so naturally I sought it out eagerly.

My first listen elicited enjoyment only from the track Doomsday Celebration. Yeah, I liked the interlude; in fact, I only liked one of the interludes, because I didn't even get far enough into the record to hear the other two. The 'metal', I thought, was absolute garbage. Reflecting back, I know now that my opinion was predicated solely on the production. And what awful production it was! I don't mind lo-fi sound. I don't mind static. Albums like Death's Human, Asphyx's The Rack, and even the infamous black metal productions didn't turn my ears away. No, my eternal hatred was bestowed solely on albums like Blessed Are The Sick, with the sterilized and clicky drums; the weak atmosphere; the lifeless guitars; and the muddy, too-high-volume vocals. But it was only Blessed Are The Sick that was ever completely ruined by this kind of production. I could still listen to and enjoy albums like Obituary's Cause Of Death (another one of my firsts), despite their clicky drums. But this.. this was a horrible production that would've killed any album, no matter how great. And Blessed Are The Sick really is great.

I never did completely dismiss the album. At the constant urging of my fellow death metal listeners, I would give the album yet another try every few months, and every few months I would put it back largely disappointed. Though I must admit, each time I put it on, I would find a new part that I'd like, and I'd usually get further into the album before I had to switch it off and listen to something with meaty production, like Suffocation's Pierced From Within. Songs like Fall From Grace, with its relentless riff and meaty vocals, stood out of course.

And then -- today in fact -- I found the secret to enjoying Blessed Are The Sick. That secret is the 2009 release/remaster. It puzzles me how they managed to decrease the volume of the vocals without a remix, but they did it. I realized, "Holy shit, there really is a guitar in Brainstorm!" The drums, while still not the thundering madness on Pierced From Within, became enjoyable and listenable. Of course, the bass was never there, but the bass rarely is in death metal. Shame. But moving on.

Once I could HEAR THE DAMN THING, I found Blessed Are The Sick to be a truly unique and highly enjoyable album, and probably the best Morbid Angel has to offer (that being very hard to judge, considering jaw-dropping pieces like Altars of Madness, Covenant, and Gateways of Annihilation). I took off ten points, though, because the album is highly inaccessible. A newbie to death metal simply stands no chance of appreciating the fine time changes and intricate guitar work of the incomparable Trey Azagthoth. But that's okay -- send them to Altars of Madness first and let them enjoy that amazing gem of death metal before recommending Blessed Are The Sick. Standout tracks include the truly ominous and intelligently evil Fall From Grace, the sinful title track, and the melancholy acoustic piece Desolate Ways. Just do yourself a favor and buy the remastered album.

Now this album rocks my socks off. Sure, you could pretty much say the same for any of Morbid Angel's releases; from 1989's classic "Altars of Madness" to 2003's phenominal "Heretic", they have all been freakin' awesome, but this one is different. This one sticks on the mind like flat Ginger Ale would when spilled all over the new hard-wood floor. It's not that there is a specific element of this release that makes it more worthwhile than other such classics from the band, though there is a much more obvious focus on tempo-changes, with certain songs being all out thrash-fests and others being more subtle, death/doom numbers, as well as a more pronounced focus on "weird riffs" and a darker, more cerebral atmosphere. However, none of these elements are what make this album what it is. Rather, it's something deeper, and I know what it is...

Okay, I shouldn't have led you on like that. I don't have any fuckin' clue what it is, but what I do know, is that I like this album. I feel like it's one of Morbid Angel's most...well, most everything album. It's no doubt in possession of some of Morbid Angel's catchiest riffs (see: main riff to "Fall From Grace"), as well as containing some of the band's strangest musical ideas (though they are not even close to being as prominent as can be heard on "Heretic") (see: opening rhythm to "Abominations"). As well, David's vocals are far more varied on this album than on later efforts, featuring both the style we all know and love from "Altars of Madness" (as heard in "Brainstorm"), as well as the style he would later adopt for the bulk of "Covenant" (as heard in "Blessed Are the Sick/Leading the Rats"). He delivers both styles extremly well, arguably better than delivered on their respective albums! Come on, just listen to "Day of Suffering" and try to tell me those vocals aren't just fuckin' killer (note: this is not up for debate)!

The album is kicked off with it's most controversial track, the Intro. Pretty much, it's guitar distortion, some creepy industrial sounds (one of which sounds distinctivly like a steam presser), and some buried, infant screams (which add to the horror of it all, and serve as our first legitiment proof that Trey Azagtoth is actually a child molester). This is one of the creepiest intros I've ever heard, actually, (though Sodom's intro on "Obsessed by Cruelty" definatly gives this a run for it's money) and I can't begin to understand why so many people seem to think it's "retarded" (when I hear this, I think, have you ever heard of a band called Cannibal fucking Corpse? A song called "Meathook Sodomy"? Dare you to listen to that and tell me this is stupid!)

Anyway, this is when Trey Azagthoth really came into his own realm musically. Whereas on the previous albums, the riffs and solos had been done in a more traditonal sense, here he experiments more with other styles, namely thrash and doom metal, as well as some prominent classical influence in his solos and lead-work. And let's not forget those fuckin' instrumentals...the haunting "Desolate Ways", the disturbing "Doomday Celebration", the ominous "Intro", and the beautiful "In Remembrance". Rhythm guitarist Richard Brunelle is no weakling either, though. While most of the solos are done at the hands of Trey Azagthoth, every now and then the duo will trade off, leaving Brunelle to supply the shreddage while Azagthoth keeps the pace. A good example of this happening is none other than the unforgettable, yet painfully short solo which serves as the opening to "Abominations". What makes this so cool, is that there is such an obvious chemistry between the two guitarists, making it sound like they are really working together to create a cohesive work of art through the solos, as opposed to just pointlessly shredding way. As well, Brunelle is the man behind the utterly heart-wrenching acoustic piece known as "Desolate Ways" which appears towards the end of the CD (and is, unfortunatly, his only writing credit for the album). This alone should be proof that he doesn't receive even close to as much credit for making this band so amazing as he deserves.

Pete Sandoval's drumming is nothing beneath completly phenominal on this album. While most drummers simply blast on and on ad nauseum, Sandoval instead supplies a huge amount of variety, as well as still performing constant blast beats, giving us everything from groove-oriented odd-time signatures (as seen in "Fall From Grace"), to purist black metal blast beats (as seen in "Day of Suffering"). The aforementioned rhythm in "Abominations" is a good example as well, as is his all-around insane performance with "Thy Kingdom Come" (namely in the double bass department!). As far as tone goes, his snare has a distinct echo to it, which certainly adds to the epic aspect of the whole deal, and his bass drum...well, let me paint a vivid picture for you of how this bass drum sounds:

You're a solider in WWII. You're hiding in the shadows, in an alleyway, when all of a sudden you spot an enemy walk past a window in the building adjacent to your position. To get a better shot, you spring forth from the shadows and pull the trigger of your assault rifle. You watch as the bullets spray into the young soldier's body, throwing him to the floor in a violent blast of blood and guts. Before you can fathom what you have just done, that you have just sent a burning soul screaming into the void, you feel a sudden, sharp pain in your lower back. You fall down on your back, wounded but still breathing, shot by a sniper who was hiding in the church's tower, just a little ways down the road. Before the sniper can finish you off, however, a rocket is hurled in the tower's direction, sending bits of brick and cement flying through the air. However, before you can rejoice, a large chunk of the cement comes flying in your direction. Though it misses, it manages to hit a street light which is beside you, and as fate would have it, the street light falls, pinning you to the ground before you have a chance to get up. Then, you hear that familiar sound...that loud, mechanical, industrial rumbling which instills fear into the hearts of every soldier, regardless of which side they take. You turn your head in it's direction, and gaze upon the face of death itself. You see before you a tank, slowly rolling on, crushing all in it's path. You try to scream at the cold, demonic, monsterous thing, for it is all you can do before those metal tracks meet your flesh, and your burning, screaming soul shall be cast unto the void of eternity...

Now, imagine that the low, rumbling I mention there is the bass drum. While it is powerful and terrifying, it's a far cry from the fake, overly triggered bass drums of modern day drummers. As well, the tone fits the bass drum patterns like...like...like boobs fit the human hand. Yes, and I mean that sincerely.

Anyway, some people genuinly don't like this album, and while that makes sense, I suppose (I can see how some of these odd rhythms may confuse some of our more purist members, fuckin' sissies!), as a huge fan of this band I must say that I, for one, am in love with it. I feel like it's one of Morbid Angel's best albums, not only because it sounds fuckin' killer, but also because it doesn't try to make the other albums, like "Altars of Madness" or "Covenant", seem obselete. In fact, I think that this album makes me want to listen to those albums even more, as it contains significant elements of both albums fused together (the more "evil" elements of "Altars" mixed with the more purist death metal approach of "Covenant", for instance).

I suggest this album to fans of "Testimony of the Ancients" by Pestilence, "Human" by Death, "The Spectral Sorrows" by Edge of Sanity, "Nespithe" by Demilich, or any other Morbid Angel album. Fuck it, just check it out regardless of your musical taste. It's got a little bit for everyone.

One needn't comb very far into the depths of the Morbid Angel sophomore to recognize that this is a very different beast than the band's exhilarating debut. The Jean Delville painting used for the cover (which had, coincidentally already been used by the Danish thrash band Hexenhaus for their debut several years prior) hints at a more classical, if no less diabolic premise, but the real aesthetic shift comes in the composition. Where Altars of Madness was a day at the hellhound tracks, Blessed Are the Sick is a stroll through the abyss, utilizing far more controlled tempos throughout the track list, as if the band were sobering up from the massive hangover they received from the blasting, precision chaos of its predecessor.

The truth is, the actual change of pace is not what cripples this album. The band still pulls out the stops where necessary, allowing Pete Sandoval more breathing room as he swerves between taut and manic bursts of speed and slower, swaggering grooves. The ideas circulating through these tracks will continue to turn up through the band's career, fleshed out further through albums like Domination, Formulas Fatal to the Flesh and Gateways to Annihilation. Nor would I lay the flaws upon the doorstep of David Vincent, who experiments with a more stolid death grunt in tandem with his bludgeoning barks. Blessed is the Sick is a beloved album, and an important album due to its chronological placement. In 1991, a lot of people were turning towards death metal as it emerged from the thrash landscape as an alternative to the shoegazing, funk, grunge and rap explosions of the period. I wouldn't be surprised if Blessed Are the Sick (like Human, or Tombs of the Mutilated, or Effigy of the Forgotten) was the first death metal album many were exposed to, and it makes sense: this is far more forgiving, and much less overwhelming than the band's 1989 masterwork.

The problems I have with Blessed Are the Sick, and have held for nearly 20 years despite numerous attempts to let it 'grow' on me, lie in the fact that the album is too clean for its own good, and too short on memorable songs. As the album lacks the labyrinthine punishment of the debut, there is nothing here that forces its way to the surface upon repeated listens. It's all laid out bare and accessible for the initial consumption. This wouldn't be an issue if I found that the content was memorable, but I can't think of a single song here that I'd ever turn to if I was in need of a Morbid Angel fix. When the instrumental adornments on your album, like the fluted and creepy "Leading the Rats" outro, the plucky acoustic segue "Desolate Ways" and the cheesy and pompous synthesizer march "Doomsday Celebration" number among its more distinct offerings, then certainly the metallic core is lacking for something...

That said, I could never accuse the Floridian demi-gods of lacking some variation here, because if the sophomore has any leg up over its monolithic predecessor, its the more even split between faster and slower climes. You still receive the rapid brutality of "Brainstorm", "Rebel Lands", "Day of Suffering" or the smaller bursts in "Thy Kingdom Come", which are all pulled straight from the altars, yet uninhabited by individual riffs of such quality. More intricacy seems to have been placed in the crawling compositions like "Fall From Grace", "Abominations", and "Blessed Are the Sick" itself, which alternate between the slower passages of the debut, simpler chugging maneuvers and a glaze of occasional propulsion to ensure that the listeners (and Sandoval) do not fall asleep. Often, the band will incorporate some nice atmospheric touch, like the low growl that casts a cavernous din over "Abominations", or the popping, copious leads that slice through "The Ancient Ones", but neither seems to amplify the quality of the track.

Morbid Angel tries a lot here, despite the fact that the sophomore seems like the grizzled reduction of a piece of fine meat, its beautiful fat evaporated and a less juicy and tasty sirloin tip left behind for the consumer. Blessed Are the Sick is not a poor album, nor is it even unpleasant to sit through a few times, but it's incredibly underwhelming when there were such exorbitant alternatives in the field, fully delivering on their riffing value and morbid, atmospheric motifs. The ritualistic lyrics, often from the first person perspective, are not all bad. If I had to pick favorites among the metal tracks, I'd probably run with "Fall From Grace", "Rebel Lands", or "Blessed Are the Sick" (though "Caesar's Palace" expands its lurching strides with delicious misanthropy), but these deliver only a fraction of the brilliant, shiver inducing madness of a "Chapel of Ghouls", "Suffocation" or "Maze of Torment".

Evolution and innovation are not foreign concepts to Blessed Are the Sick, and the novelty of its placement in the death pantheon seems to have granted it the status of the sacred calf, leaving not a marginal influence in its wake (certainly there are scores of albums mirroring its sluggish and varied dynamics). Alas, next to the eponymous transgression of the debut, and the potential ghastly feast I had desired from its successor, this was and remains naught more than Meals On Wheels. Tore off the plastic, put it in the microwave, got a nice bite or two and some essential proteins, but too soon was I salivating over the next morning's breakfast.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

I’ve professed my love of Morbid Angel before. To this day, Altars Of Madness is always the first death metal album I recommend to anyone new to the genre. It just embodies everything that death metal should be in such a perfect manner. What I haven’t touched upon is the fact that Morbid Angel was also a rather diverse band, both for better and for worse. While I appreciate their efforts in trying something different with their next albums, I feel that none of them even hold a candle to their debut. In many underground death metal circles, Morbid Angel’s first three albums are considered to be all high quality releases. I disagree with this notion. In fact, while I like Covenant quite a bit for what it is, I just do not like Blessed Are The Sick whatsoever.

Where do I start? Well, one of the most glaring problems with this album is its utterly thin and sterile production. The guitars have absolutely no life to them whatsoever, leaving every single riff sounding lifeless. Normally, bad production wouldn’t be much of a deterrent, but it literally sucks the life out of the music to the point of no redemption on this album. That, combined with the fact that the riffs are nowhere near as heavy, catchy, and thrashy as before leads to a stark contrast between this album and Altars Of Madness. The bass is practically non-existent, occasionally appearing, but not really adding the punch that it should. The drums just sound like shit. The kick is too clicky and thin, and the snare is just too artificial sounding, leaving the drums at the point where they sound like a child’s first drum set. Listening to anyone trying to play blastbeats with this sound is just depressing. Lastly, the vocals, while sounding fine, are just way too fucking high in the mix. They’re just distracting.

Now, to the music. As I’ve said, the riffs just lack the punch they had on Altars Of Madness. Even when they sound like they have potential, such as on songs like ‘Brainstorm,’ they just feel so inferior by comparison. But a larger issue here is that Morbid Angel changed their style of death metal to a slower version of what they originally created. Frankly, this just sounds forced and empty to me. Some bands can pull off this slower style of death metal exceptionally well (Fleshcrawl immediately springs to mind), but Morbid Angel just isn’t one of them. Songs like ‘Blessed Are The Sick/Leading The Rats’ could have benefited so much from a bit of their old songwriting style. Really, these songs aren’t that bad, they’re just missing some of the essential core elements of their sound that they established on Altars Of Madness. Hell, that section at 1:24 of ‘Blessed Are The Sick’ is great, but it just sounds like so much more could have been done with it. Hell, a meatier guitar sound might have done the trick, or maybe a slightly faster riff beneath the slow one would have done the trick. Whatever it is, I just feel like the bad moments on this album are insufferably boring, and the good ones are hurt by the fact that it’s so painfully obvious that they could have been better.

Some songs, such as ‘Thy Kingdom Come,’ retain the glory of Morbid Angel’s debut. However, the songs that don’t do so just seem to fall flat on their faces in my opinion. Of course, some of those songs are the ones written long ago and released on Abominations Of Desolation, so the songwriting changes that I mention on this album basically don’t apply to those tracks.

Whatever it is, something about this album just doesn’t click with me. The non-Abominations-era songs just sound empty compared to Morbid Angel’s previous work, and the production just makes this point all the more clear. While some of the songs are genuinely good songs, others just aren’t, and those are ones I tend to remember most from this album. I know that a lot of the death metal-loving population likely disagrees with me about this, but I just have never been able to like this. It just feels weak. Luckily, they made up for this a bit with Covenant.

Oh yeah, fuck the cheesy interludes. They’re garbage.

http://thenumberoftheblog.com/

When I first listened to this album, the first thing that struck me was the change in tempo. Not that this bothered me - I love slower, sludgier death metal songs, and Morbid Angel does them about the best of any death metal band, something that they proved with their next two records Covenant and Domination, both of which had at least one sludgy song, just like this album does, and those songs were great too. That isn't a problem at all.

No, the main problem with this album is this: the sheer number of non metal interludes. I find them to be more annoying, unnecessary, and interrupting than on any other Morbid Angel album, mostly because of their placement. Altars of Madness has no interludes at all, Covenant has only one, and Gateways to Annihilation has only two tiny ones. However, on Domination and Formulas Fatal to the Flesh there are also quite a few interludes - but on those albums, the interludes are not at both the start and the end of the albums. In fact, Domination both starts and ends with metal songs, while Formulas Fatal to the Flesh starts with a metal song and ends with an non metal track. This is ok on both counts. On this album, however, there is a non metal interlude at both the start and end of the album, plus two more in the middle, which can be extremely annoying to some, myself included. I love the song "Fall from Grace", the way it starts out sludgy, then builds to a faster tempo is great. But I have to wait through nearly 1 and a half minutes of weird ambient noises that make up the intro before I get to this great song, which can be really off-putting. And then, after the two songs following Fall from Grace there is another instrumental track! That is what I call instrumental/ambient track overkill.

That aside, the actual metal songs here are great as usual. Morbid Angel has always worked great together as a band, and this album is no exception. However, the production here leaves much to be desired. The guitar tone is actually thicker and heavier sounding overall than on Altars of Madness; however, the guitars feel much lower in the mix than they do on Altars of Madness, while the vocals are much higher in the mix. Too high, in fact. This can be really annoying, because you turn up the album to get it loud enough so that you can enjoy the guitarwork, and then David Vincent's voice comes in, and it is way too loud and is either deafening, or it drowns out the guitars. This is really irritating and quite a shame, because that aside, these songs are some of the best songs Morbid Angel has ever written. "Fall from Grace", the title track, and "Thy Kingdom Come" are all fantastic, but most of the other songs are great too.

Unfortunately, the number of interludes and their placement within the album combined with the weird production that makes the vocals louder than the guitars means that this is not an album I listen to very often. Covenant has better songwriting, only one tiny interlude, and some truly fantastic songs. This album is in some ways more interesting though I have to admit, and some of the interludes are actually good. The interlude track "Doomsday Celebration" is excellent, and sounds really creepy, spooky, evil, and satanic. I just wish that the interludes they had created were more in this creepy style, rather than mostly creating boring filler instrumentals. This interlude/instrumental is the only really good one on the whole of this album. The intro track is pointless, "Desolate Ways" is unnecessary, and "In Remembrance" sounds almost sad, something a death metal band should never do. Even worse, it's a piano track and it ends the album! Why did they do that? Surely the last metal song on here, "The Ancient Ones" would have been a good album closer?

This album is often claimed to be one of Morbid Angel slowest albums, but I wouldn't say that is an entirely accurate statement by any means. The four biggest songs here all have slower moments, but only one song on the entire album is pure sludge without a hint of real speed, and that is the title track. All of the other songs that have slower moments in them also have faster moments. And there are several pure speed songs. As such, I wouldn't say this album is particularly slow at all. Domination is in many ways much slower and Gateways to Annihilation is far, far, far slower.

The bottom line, however, is that regardless of this album's flaws(bad mixing in the studio causing the vocals to be louder than the guitars, too many interludes, and not quite long enough to match its 'epic' style), it is still a very good death metal album to say the least. Songs like "Fall from Grace" and "Blessed are the Sick" are famous within the death metal world for a good reason: they're great songs, and also extremely memorable. The faster songs are also extremely well written, fairly memorable at times, and very good overall. The whole album creates a great atmosphere just like its predecessor; it's whole vibe is one of scorn and hatred of humanity in general, as well as a desire to be free from the control of lying monotheistic religions and to experience all the carnal, physical pleasures of life. This album is by no means as satanic, vicious, anti-Christian, or misanthropic as Morbid Angel's next album Covenant; but it still has that vicious, scornful, and of course otherworldly vibe that pretty much every Morbid Angel album does.

This album is a piece of death metal history for a good reason. Although it's short length could be said to be a drawback, especially since four of the tracks on the album are instrumental interludes, it also makes the album more direct and to the point despite it's more epic vision and style in comparison to Altars of Madness. Besides this, it contains some of Morbid Angel's best ever songs, plenty of variety to keep things interesting from beginning to end, and David Vincent's brilliant growling vocals. The not quite right mixing in the album's production does not really take away that much from the album, and as long as you are prepared to put up with that, it will likely be a great listening experience. Any fan of Morbid Angel should definitely own this album. It's weaknesses, annoying as they can be, are not crippling, and the greatness of so much of everything else in the album more than makes up for them.

Man was I disappointed when this album came out. Like many others here on the Continent I got introduced to the phenomenon of Morbid Angel when Altars Of Madness came out. I played that album like a madman, eventually got my hands on the “Thy Kingdom Come” EP etc. Compared to everything earlier, “Blessed Are the Sick” was slick commercial crap. Listening back now after 16 years it actually has a few good moments preventing it from being bashed entirely.

First of all half the album was filled with old demo songs (“Thy Kingdom Come”, “Unholy Blasphemies”, “Abominations” and “The Ancient Ones” aka “Azagthoth”). Pretty weird it took them 2 years to come up with enough material to fill only half an album including a lot of obsolete instrumental intermezzos and intros. Sounds pretty much like writer’s block to me. To emphasize this, the old songs are also actually the best songs present.

Secondly some of the new songs were lame and doomy. Especially “Fall From Grace” and “Blessed Are the Sick / Leading the Rats” are weak sludgy songs which could be acceptable if Lord Of Putrefaction or Alastis (or some other really bad doom-death band) had written them but are very weak compared to the Morbid Angel standards. Other new songs like “Brainstorm” and “Rebel Lands” tend to sound more like Morbid Angel but are rather short, under-developped and immature compared to the compositional effeciency of their previous album.

Thirdly the vocals and production were cheesy. Dave Vincent does not sound like the Dave Vincent we knew from “Altars Of Madness”. His voice was less raspy and consisted more of low grunting. Rather disappointing and in those days generic already. His earlier raspy voice gave Morbid Angel such a character. This was now lost.

The production was too sterile and too clean for 1991 standards. The album just didn’t sound brutal enough. The drums were played with fury but they sounded harmless and triggered. The guitars sound deep, clean and the feeling of aggression and speed seems lost. This sound, together with the generic grunting by Dave Vincent made the album sound childish and radio-friendly compared to “Altars Of Madness”.

All in all this album sounds as if the band were trying to sound more mature. Did they try to prove something? Well, by trying to do so, they failed. Also because of the clear case of writer’s block of course. Morbid Angel are best when they are fast, furious and evil. Never change a winning team.

It still give this album 65 points because it features some great old songs which I love to have in my collection (even though the early demo versions sound more brutal and evil) but the rest of the songs, intermezzos and the production just doesn’t do it. The quality of their next album “Coventant” confirmed even more how weak “Blessed Are the Sick” actually was.

When one discusses the most overrated albums in all of death metal, Morbid Angel are one band whose work is usually exempt from the list. People will shit upon Death, upon Cynic, upon At the Gates, upon Cannibal Corpse, upon Wintersun, and upon a thousand others, but Morbid Angel’s first three albums are generally considered untouchable as far as criticism goes. Allow me to be the voice of dissent, then, against their second album, Blessed are the Sick. While both Altars of Madness and Covenant are complete, original, breathtaking spectacles of death metal finesse, Blessed are the Sick is a chronically overrated album full of half-ideas, boring sludgy passages, and an abundance of ambient instrumental tracks.

My first big complaint is with the severe unevenness of the album. A pulsing intro begins the album, building tension for a good minute and a half before anti-climaxing into “Fall from Grace,” a song mostly characterized by the sludgy riff set that begins it. The title cut is similar to this, in that it sticks to a slow tempo and never picks up. This by itself would not be problematic, except that the absurd production strips the guitars of their heaviness and leaves slower passages like these sounding incredibly hollow. The rest of the album’s first half consists of short, underdeveloped death metal that is anything but atypical and a cheesy sort of mood-building instrumental in the middle that’s completely out of place. Had the album continued in this fashion, they might as well have entitled it Blessed are the Suck, because that’s the only thing it really does well.

Fortunately, things pick up by “Thy Kingdom Come,” which is the first solid tune on the album up to this point. It’s followed by two more of a similar devastating quality: “Unholy Blasphemies” and “Abominations.” Anyone’s guess why these songs rule? Besides the fact that they’re all faster and heavier than the earlier tracks (and generally more technical as well), they all have the distinction of having been written as far back as ’87, a time before Morbid Angel felt that their albums required bullshit ambient tracks to make them interesting. As far as I’m concerned, the only one of the four (five if you count the little flute thing at the end of the title track) instrumental tracks that actually fits appropriately into the album is “Desolate Ways,” which serves as a chilling introduction to “The Ancient Ones,” the album’s other standout track (and another one that, unsurprisingly, was written back in the 80’s). It seems the band felt that adding these instrumental departures would allow them to create a truly unique album in order to stand out from amongst their peers. But wait, didn’t they already have that with Altars of Madness? I thought so, but apparently they felt the need to take their vicious and unpretentious style and fuck it up.

I’ve been writing this review for a fairly long time (since I acquired the album months ago), giving me plenty of opportunities to listen to it repeatedly, hoping to finally discern what gives it such grand appeal. Clearly people enjoy this for its atmospheric departure from typical death metal, which prior to this album’s release, had not really been attempted. Now, I’ll admit that repeated listening has managed to lighten some of my gripes (“Fall from Grace,” for instance, though mostly boring, has a primary riff-set that shows as intriguing a sense of abandon as some of the later tracks. Trey’s solos throughout create a similar effect. Consequently, the score I gave it is much higher than that I originally intended), but their potency still remains. This is a mediocre stepping-stone between Morbid Angel’s best two albums, evident from the riffs to the lyrics and even to David Vincent’s vocals. His delivery on Blessed are the Sick is pretty bland compared to the shrieky rasp from Altars and the pervasive growl from Covenant. Conclusively, Blessed are the Sick just lacks substance, praised for its artistry and influence rather than its musicality.

This album’s fans will insist that I “just don’t get it.” Now drone doom I don’t get. Ambient black metal I don’t get. This I get: it just ain’t that goddamn special. Even the better tracks on the album have much more sinister demo versions in existence (the old version of “Thy Kingdom Come” for instance). Blessed are the Sick is basically a poor first draft of what would eventually lead to Covenant. My suggestion? Just skip straight to that album and leave this one alone, unless you’re curious to hear Morbid Angel at their most pompous and nonlethal.


Originally written for: http://www.metal-observer.com

Well, after my life-altering experience with the previous Morbid Angel album 'Altars Of Madness', it's no surprise that I immediately purchased the rest of their rather extensive catalogue. Quite logically, I eagerly anticipated this album, often having heard of it being the best of the classic Morbid Angel trilogy ('Altars Of Madness', 'Blessed Are The Sick', and 'Covenant'). As one of the most revered albums in death metal history, routinely nearing the top of most lists of great metal albums, my standards were quite high. Unreasonable? Perhaps. Understandable? Certainly.

Even in the very first contact with this album, I realized that something had fundamentally changed with the band. A cursory look at the album cover will tell you all you need to know. While the art of 'Altars Of Madness' was professional but still had an endearing, amateur quality, 'Blessed Are The Sick' was much darker and, in a way, more serious. The comic-book style tortured faces had been replaced by a beautiful and grotesque painting that still seems to perfectly embody the spirit of this album. That spirit being the inherent sickness of the human condition, all of our excess and sin wrapped up in a package of flesh. The art flawlessly conveys it, with an unbroken chain of throbbing, nude humans drifting into a demon's horrific yet sensual maw.

In a way, the concepts of this album are direct reversals of those of the previous. Where 'Altars Of Madness' was a celebration of the metaphysical power granted by Satan, this album is quite worldly, celebrating sin not for it's strike against god, but for pleasure in and of itself. 'Altars' reveres strength; 'Blessed' reveres the weakness and infirmity of mankind, drowning on its disease and mortality. While Satan is the protagonist of 'Altars', crafting Morbid Angel into willing tools of his bidding, the band seizes control of its own destiny in 'Blessed', only worshipping a pantheon of H.P. Lovecraft's mythical demiurges for their own motives, not for an actual reverence of those powers greater than them. Even on the very first true song, David Vincent expresses is directly and succinctly: 'I am lord I take command!'

Speaking of songs, the album opens on an intriguing note, with an ambient 'Intro'. This is quite important for a number of reasons. First and foremost, this is the first step into ambience for Morbid Angel, where such experimentation would become a staple of their later albums. One should notice how every single Morbid Angel album after 'Blessed Are The Sick' has at least one if not more small intermezzos of this type. Secondly and more importantly, this represents one of the first major experiments in atmosphere in the history of death metal. While introductions and intermissions of this sort are now commonplace, this was at one point a very large departure from death metal, which had still mostly been concentrating on formulating precisely what the still-new genre of death metal would be composed of. Finally, this underlines the main emphasis of this album, that being atmosphere. While the first release had been one of sonic violence, 'Blessed Are The Sick' shows Morbid Angel functioning as a more cohesive whole.

One of the things that was such a shock to me upon hearing this LP was the immediate realization that Morbid Angel had entirely changed as a musical entity. While 'Altars Of Madness' was lightning-quick and perpetually overdosing on enthusiasm, 'Blessed Are The Sick' is far more professional and musically even. One might draw an aeronautical analogy, in which 'Altars Of Madness' is the speedy, agile fighter, while 'Blessed Are The Sick' is a slower, more deliberate, and, in some ways, more devastating bomber. One can hear this as early as the second track, 'Fall From Grace', with it's slow, menacing riff draped over bass-heavy drum work. Morbid Angel seems to relish in a build-up of this sort throughout the album, dedicating a full forty-eight seconds to this tension-laced uphill climb before the blasting begins on this particular composition. The overall tempo of this album is slightly lower than that of the previous, though with some clear exceptions; as Trey Azagthoth says on the linear notes of the re-release, 'Brainstorm' is faster than anything that occurred on 'Altars Of Madness'.

The production of this album is an obvious improvement over 'Altars Of Madness'. The sound now has a genuine low-end and has lost most of the original's thin, screeching production. While the textures of the individual instruments are diminished, it makes up for it in a thicker sound, appropriate for the general atmosphere of the album. Of particular note would be the drum production, which would set the standard for death metal for years to come. If one listens carefully to the sound of the bass drum, one can hear that same flat, wet, thudding tone like a hammer on flesh repeated in future albums. The lack of triggering makes everything sound more organic, especially when combined with the newly churning riffs that define this album. Overall, one could describe the production as 'fleshy', as most of the instruments have a very warm, soft, but still heavy, tone.

Performance wise, the band improves manyfold over their debut. The guitar duo of Trey Azagthoth and Richard Brunelle plays similarly to their debut, with the obvious exceptions of differing melodies and technical evolution. One of the central differences is a larger experimentation with the rhythm of the guitars, such as on 'Blessed Are The Sick/Leading The Rats', somewhat resembling the off-kilter groove of earlier classic 'Maze Of Torment'. The guitar tone, while not as sharp and venomous as that heard on the previous release is quite capable, with a similarly organic tone as the drums. Solos are not quite as manic in their intensity, although still as discordant as before. They, like most of the album, are more cohesive and studied as a whole, dropping the endless barrage of 32nd notes and savage abuse of the tremolo bar in favor of more dynamic rhythm and melody. Bass, like the first album, is mostly inaudible and follows the guitar, although this is not to the detriment of the album as a whole.

At this point, bassist/vocalist David Vincent now had a handle on his vocal stylings. A large change from the throaty rasps of 'Altars', he now adopts a simple yet unique growl. Interestingly, this seems to be one of the earlier examples of a technique that would be popularized in later years; namely, where melody is approximated through a less or more guttural approach, corresponding to a higher or lower pitch, respectively. This would later be used by vocalists such as Lord Worm of Cryptopsy or Mike Majewski of Devourment to great effect. Rounding out the squad is the inimitable Pete 'Commando' Sandoval, who's drumming is still world-renowned. One of the most distinctive features of Sandoval's drumming is his exquisite ability to match a guitar riff with his own rhythm pattern, and it is on this album where that skill takes center stage. Yes, his mechanical blasts and double bass are mighty impressive (the blasting on 'Fall From Grace' is terrifying), but when he slows down his performance moves into the section of sublime. Take the vivid, shuffling bass drums and hi-hats of 'Rebel Lands', or the grim, rumbling toms of 'Blessed Are The Sick/Leading The Rats'. The sound of his drums has also improved, with a clearer, thicker tone overall, fitting the increased production budget on this release.

Lyrically, Satan has been entirely left behind, as well as most anti-Christianity. No, the violence in this album is directed at the very humanity that Morbid Angel at once seeps in and despises, not unlike a sort of post-coital loathing, where one is filled with both absolute love and absolute disgust. Of course, some of their past remains (the savage 'Unholy Blasphemies' contains charming lines such as 'Ghouls who pray the death of god/Destroy Jehovah's church/Vomit upon the cross/And burn the book of lies', but overall, the album concentrates on the human experience. One might compare this progression to the Renaissance, where divine themes were rudely shunted aside to focus on the human experience. Often the lyrics express a joy of freedom and sickness, best expressed in the lines of 'Blessed Are The Sick/Leading The Rats', such as 'So many years, my seed condemned/Now free to soar!' or 'World of sickness/Blessed are we to taste/This life of sin'. Vincent makes no qualms about it: weakness and decadence are the whole of the law. Improvement will not occur, so one might as well make haste with the world's downfall. Humanity is fucked.

It would be somewhat amiss to speak of standout tracks, as they all retain a unique identity. However, if it came down to personal favorites, I would nominate thundering opener 'Fall From Grace' and it's ominous development, 'Day Of Suffering’s utter chaotic misanthropy, and the horror of 'Unholy Blasphemies'. However, the champion of this album is by far 'Blessed Are The Sick/Leading The Rats'. I cannot stress enough how well this song functions, not only upon it's own merits (which it certainly does), but as a mission statement for the album, as well as a flawless example of mid-paced death dirges in the early 90s that would be upheld by artists such as Autopsy and Obituary. As an adjunct, I would also submit 'Desolate Ways'. This acoustic piece is both heart-wrenchingly beautiful and deliciously decadent. Like an island in a sea of chaos, it functions as an anchor to beauty without sickness. I'd also like to commend Richard Brunelle on his guitar playing; anyone who has attempted it knows how difficult it is to replicate his stunningly clean performance.

Originally, I didn't particularly enjoy 'Blessed Are The Sick'. I found it lacking the spirit of 'Altars Of Madness', and musically not as direct. These are both legitimate complaints on my part. However, the latter is simply a matter of progression, (genuine, not artificial) which one should not antagonize an artistic piece over. The former, however, I still view as the album's central flaw. While the LP works very well and is by all means a brilliant piece of art, it inherently lacks the beauty and enthusiasm of the first release. While one might say that it was impossible to maintain that sort of passion for more than one album (which may very well be true) that does not mitigate the fact that the pure, balls-out passion of 'Altars Of Madness' is not present on this release. However, it has grown on me over time, and I now view it for what it really is: a beautiful and brilliant, if not flawless, album.

When all is said and done, one can see the leap that occurs between the first two releases of Morbid Angel. While I view the debut to be superior, I thoroughly enjoy this album, and agree that it should be recognized in the pantheon of great artistic achievements throughout history. Truly a brilliant work, and not one that shall ever be forgotten.

Since having changed the face of death metal with their debut and inspiring a clutch of pretenders in the process, Morbid Angel returned to make their mark once again. And what a job they did, as Blessed Are The Sick is the equal of Altars Of Madness in most departments and it’s better in others.


An odd programming note: for some reason the band decided to fill the album’s first side with “new” or at least current songs, choosing to pack the flip with elder songs from their demo tape days, most notably their shelved 1986 album Abominations Of Desolation. In truth, Earache records would actually give “official” though limited release to that most bootlegged of recordings in ’91as well.


But whatever the track order, Blessed is a masterpiece of both its deathly genre and of metal as a whole. Firstly, the production is deeper, darker, and more assured here, lending a bleaker tinge to the proceedings. And while the album actually kicks off with one of it’s weaker tracks (“Fall From Grace”) it soon regains it’s footing. “Brainstorm” and “Day Of Suffering” are quick and grinding tunes that provide the extremity Morbid Angel were renowned for, whilst the slow, churning, methodical title track is not only musically sanctified with one of Trey Azagthoth’s more cerebrally deranged riffs, but also impressive lyrics and a haunting flute outro entitled “Leading The Rats.”


On the flip we delve into the band’s lo-fi past. Now dusted off and powered by this band’s premiere membership. Azagthoth and fellow six-string blasphemer Richard Brunelle lay forth the structures, as Pete Sandoval’s machine gun drum assault nails the proceedings to an unmovable inverted cross of might. Elder and classic cuts like “Thy Kingdom Come” and “Unholy Blasphemies” streak by with impressive fury, but it’s the immortal, sublime riffs of “Abominations” that remain the highlight here, as they did in their original demo tape incarnations. And no kidding kids, “Desolate Ways” (one of many brief forays that dot the album) is one of the most sublime and haunting pieces of music I’ve ever laid ears on. An acoustic guitar piece that expresses remarkable forlorn woe, it’s the single piece of music I want played at my funeral.


As if it wasn’t enough to revolutionize death metal, Morbid Angel proved here that they would also become among it’s most accomplished composers as well, writing material untouchably in their own intimidating style. Change would be the watchword for the band going forward and not all of it being positive change at that.

Taking the foundations laid down by the speed metal of Slayer, Morbid Angel incorporate their own techniques to forge a highly influential record in the development of Death Metal’s heritage. The songs are based around recursive structures, flowing in and out of tempo fluctuations, combing both ultra-fast riffing and slow bludgeoning with amazing grace. A variety of tempos are employed in a non-procedural fashion. This makes provision for an eloquent template combining lessons learned from the aforementioned Slayer and the primal sludge riffing that Black Sabbath bore upon this world.

The riffs are often “interrupted” with counter sections or scalar fills, only to arrive back on the same path with precise fluency. Central motifs are concurrent, with composition being of a progressive nature, laden with soloing that concentrates on either atonality or conversely a flavoursome display of melody at selected intervals. The songs encompass riffs of contrasting natures against each other This development of style enabled later bands to move away from recumbent cyclic riff-sets, instead focusing on counter-point exploration and progression of themes within a song. Yet, “Blessed Are The Sick” does this better than most because of their precision, brevity and a caution not to waste a note.

The drumming fits in meticulously with these procedures, making use of deft fills to provide an excellent control of spatial feeling. The aggressive clarity of the vocals completes the repertoire, capping of a potent mixture that attacks the basis of modern society by promoting traditional values with the espousal of mythology.

By far one of the biggest highlights of the early Florida movement, this is a testament to the genre as whole and is essentially one of its strongest pillars – denying both time and later advances to remain a classic.

My word...this album is just as good as its predecessor, the beyond brilliant "Altars of Madness"! And that oughta tell y'all something, seeing as how I hold that album (well, the first three MA albums, actually) in VERY, VERY high esteem.

The production is not quite as clear as "Altars", but the added thickness in the guitar department really helps, as does the extra low end on the bass guitar. And speaking of guitars, Trey and Richard really owned on this album! Their signature wildly inspired soloing and crazed riffing was unchanged and in fact even more chaotic on this album--check out Trey's keening, Middle Eastern sounding whammy bar work in the first solo of "Rebel Lands", for example. RIchard's somewhat more restrained and melodic work offset Trey's more weird and atonal style very well, and his solo acoustic piece, "Desolate Ways", is very appropriately titled with its lonely feel and subdued picking.

"Ancient Ones" simply flattens everything in its path like a runaway tank, as does "Unholy Blasphemies" , due in no small part to Pete Sandoval's organized chaos approach to his playing. But really, pretty much the entire album slays with the exception of the ending piano piece, "In Remembrance"--pretty, but not the best way to end an album. But then again, that shows just how MA, back in the day, didn't give a damn for conventionality and made that approach work. Another classic in the canon of USDM, y'all!

After discovering Altars of Madness, I finally discovered what people found in Morbid Angel, since I had only heard post-Covenant before. Afterwards, I heard a few of the slower tracks off of this album and didn't like it, mistakenly thinking that Altars of Madness was the sole good Morbid Angel album and this was only a precursor to the Covenant-era stuff. I never liked the style on Covenant or later, with its chunky guitars, excessive blast beats that don't blast, and crummy vocals -- save for the song Angel of Disease, which is much more reminiscient of how much of this album sounds. However, after hearing the rest of this album at a later point, I realized that there were some killer songs on there I somehow stupidly missed, and that this album slays and I must have it. I listened through it as a whole, I learned to like the other ones though I still don't like Covenant or anything after, save for Angel of Disease.

The introduction is nothing more than a minute grinding noise with a few random whining noises thrown in. It's nothing remarkable, and I usually skip it.

I always seem to dislike first tracks, and as such Fall from Grace is just ok. It begins relatively slowly, with a doom-style to it. It begins to pick up, and at 45 seconds stays with the riff but has some blastbeats that don't exactly fit, but aren't too out of place. Vincent's voice is a bit deeper than usual, but remains powerful. The guitars are a bit slower and repetitive, and the drums don't blast. This song is the beginning of the style used on later albums, but is still far better than any of those. At 2:45, it slows down again, but is redeemed by an insane Azagthoth / Brunelle twin solo full of squealing and fast tapping.

Brainstorm -- something of a stupid name for a killer song about demonic empowerment through reading unholy books, in my opinion -- is where the album begins to pick up. The riffing is much faster and more creative, making great use of chaotic chromaticism and staying interesting the whole time. The vocals are sicker sounding and work perfectly with the great lyrics and its catchy chorus. The drums are fucking artillery from hell. It's short, but very memorable, and will bring on headbanging, even through the slowdown. This song owns.

Rebel Lands is heavier and still rather fast, with everything being absolutely vicious, though not out right insane like any of their other words. Doomsday Celebration is a very cool keyboard song, and is a nice break to add atmosphere put the album in perspective.

Day of Suffering begins slow, with deeper vocals and guitars, but quickly picks up half a minute into the song with insanely pummelling drumming and fast tremolo riffing. For roughly a minute and a half, it will beat the crap out of you and force you to headbang.

Blessed are the Sick is the slow song on the album, and is almost an evil doom song, with Vincent's growls and the occasional double-bass. The remastered edition even comes with a video of it, most of it being David Vincent shirtless, showing off his piercings after getting dragged off through the woods to some lesbian coven. Though I hated it at first, I've come to actually like this song.

Now, to the best of the album:

Thy Kingdom Come brings back the speed with a vengeance! Though it's not Bleed for the Devil, it contains chaotic atonal riffs, vicious vocals, ferocious drumming, and a great chorus. The soloing at 2:06 is straight out of hell -- screaming like a completely insane and chaotic maniac. This song is a total frenzy will kick your ass.

Unholy Blasphemies -- not to be confused with Blasphemy from Altars -- is a remake of one of their old mid-80s songs off Abominations, completely realizing its potential. The heavy and fast riffs and pounding drumming continue their rampage non-stop through out the song, and Satan commands to headbang to it. The vocals are deeper than usual in the song, but have the effect of being very bold when delivering the great anthemic lyrics: "Ghouls who pray [for the] death of God, destroy Jehovah's church, vomit upon the cross, and burn [the] book of lies!" It's a bit short, but a perfect length for stomping you into the ground.

Abominations is the perfect way to do a fast, heavy groove song. I generally don't like any groove, but this one does a killer job with speed, ferocity, and chaos. The drumming goes along perfectly. Vincent continues his vicious and harsh yet understandable vocals while pumping out solid bass work are more great evil anthems: "We spit on the virgin lamb and mock the words he spoke, his ways not worthy of me, we choose to burn in the pits of Hell." The lead guitars punctuate throughout the song, sounding like demons torturing souls in hell.

Desloate Ways is one of my favorite songs on the album. It's entirely acoustic, but is so ghostly, sad and... desolate, it's almost haunting.

Ancient Ones is a remake of the mid-80s Abominations song Azagthoth. It begins with a killer solo by Azagthoth that sounds unholy, as if it is the emergence of Ctulu from the seas of Absu over pounding drumming and solid and heavy riffing. The riffing, bass work, and drumming is absolutely crushing, the vocals harsh, evil, and the lyrics straight out of the Necronomicon with an indelible chorus that will make you rewind this song to listen to it again and again until your neck is sore. However, it wisely does not capitalize in on that and repeat it ad nauseam -- the middle two and a half minutes is entirely instrumental, but is still great. The chorus returns, but does not repeat itself for the rest of the song, and instead winds down for roughly another minute in the same fashion. I couldn't stop listening to this song nearly every day for something like two months.

In Rememberance is a piano piece that while not as good as Desolate Ways, is still very sad and forsaken, and is a great way to end the album.

Though it's not a perfect album or as good as Altars of Madness, it has some killer, absolutely classic songs that you should not live without. You will listen to them repeatedly. The rest of it is great as well, even if it took me two or three listens to appreciate it.