Register Forgot login?

© 2002-2024
Encyclopaedia Metallum

Privacy Policy

Morgoth > 1987-1997: The Best of Morgoth > Reviews
Morgoth - 1987-1997: The Best of Morgoth

An Excellent Compliation - 89%

Erin_Fox, October 28th, 2006

This is a massive collection from one of the top purveyors of death metal in the late eighties and early nineties. Morgoth were slaying crowds with their unique brand of aural violence when most of today’s death bangers were in nursery school. Marc Grewe possessed a voice that was the sickest thing this side of Tardy, vomiting out the possessed, demonic sounding screams that gave the band it’s undeniably brutal nature. This superb career retrospective encapsulates a decade where Morgoth would rule the death metal stages of Europe with a unforgiving vengeance. The power inherent in this group’s forceful, hell-spawned sound runs through the course of this retrospective. From the band’s original ‘Pits Of Utumno’ demo through their more adventurous foray into sonic madness, ‘Feel Sorry For The Fanatic’, the group explores numerous pummeling avenues of musical brutality. Despite their experimentation with different aspects of musical darkness, Morgoth never failed to deliver an exaggerated attack of thrashing, deathly force.

‘Burnt Identity’ is just as uniquely savage sounding as it was when released back in 1990. This signature song is one of the most catchy vomiting death songs ever written and it stays entertaining with some interesting tempo switches that enhance the song’s overall weightiness. ‘Body Count’, from the ‘Cursed’ album is a track that is well named for it leaves the corpses piled to the sky in its wake. Within the somber chords of ‘Isolated’, listeners find the group taking an approach of pure doom that further serves to emphasize the tracks gargantuan strength as Grewe spills his trademark vocals forth like a tanker of blood, thick and messy.

On the group’s final album ‘Feel Sorry For The Fanatic’, the group took a more commercial turn that sadly lacked the vomitous vox of previous releases. Tracks like ‘This Fantastic Decade’ show that the band could pull off a creative left turn just as easily as bands like Tiamat were experimenting with during that time period. ‘Decade’ contains low-fi production that makes the band’s tone dirty, yet without a doubt, more melodic than any previous Morgooth offering. Meanwhile the diehard fans of this act will greatly appreciate the inclusion of the ‘Pits Of Utumno’ demo in this package, offering a glimpse into the product of the formative years of the act that is truly a crucial piece of death metal history.

The inclusion of 24 audio tracks overall in this 2 disc set should be enough to satisfy any Morgoth follower’s appetite, but it’s the inclusion of six videos with this package that turns this compilation from a great set to a mandatory purchase. With videos for ‘Isolated’, ‘Cursed & Sold Baptism’, Under The Surface’ and ‘Last Laugh’ as well as two great live clips, ‘Body Count’ and ‘Resistance’ this comprehensive assemblage from the most mighty of the European death metal groups is to fucking die for.