Hi folks! This week's album of the week is a very special one: Altars of Madness. Let me know your thoughts etc below!

Loved it then, love it now, and I still consider it probably their best album. I loved how fast and tight the playing was, and how unique the "Wah Wah Pedal Freakout" guitar solos were. Everything about it was good.

Great album, great early OSDM. I recently listened to the Abominations versions of each of the Altars tracks, then the 1989 versions, just to compare them, and the extra 3 years of polish did them so much good. The altars versions are far more threatening and better for the most part, though without that nwobhm-ness. Yes it would have been crazy to release Abominations in 1986, but the albums we got are way better I'd say

Fuckin S+ legendary tier. It wasn't the first death metal band, or even the first death metal band I bought, but it was an album that made me realize I need to dive deep in the sub-genre of death metal. Any list that doesn't have this in top 3 is bogus. Even though I personally would rate Blessed Are The Sick as the greatest death metal, this is a firm number 2.

David Vincent before he started doing the Randy "Macho Man" Savage vocals.

I still remember when I heard it for the first time. It was mind blowing. One of the best albums ever made. I listen to this album all the time still to this day.

Never heard of this band before. Maybe I should check them!

Not sure if joking, but if so, I'll do a more obscure album next week. I've just had Altars on repeat all week and thought it'd be a good pick!

If serious, you're in for a treat!

Agreed; his vocals on this album were the best. "Chapel of Ghouls" will always be one of my favorite songs to shout along to.

My favorite Vincent-era album was Covenant. I do kinda hate how they sprinkle in "Angel of Disease" as if to say "hey, we've still got that sound in our back pocket, but we're only going to do it on one song this time, loser!". Who am I kidding? It all rules.

This, so much this. My problem with Morbid Angel was always David Vincent's voice, this is the only album by them that I like. Great album though, a landmark in old school death metal. One of the first truly death metal albums that were made in the 80s.

What about Formulas and Gateways (the albums with Steve Tucker instead of Vincent)?

Easily their best album.

Oooh yeah!

Personally, Gateways to Annihilation is my favorite of the Tucker-era albums. Sounds like it was spawned in the deepest of swamps.

On any day its either my favorite MA album of all time, or #2. And its probably the same for favorite DM album of all time. Just a total classic, in terms of playing, songwriting, vocals, leads, drums, etc.

It's pretty amazing how an album from 1989 still sounds so fresh and current 35 years later. The energy it captures is immeasurable and has rarely been replicated, quite unbelievable that it's a debut (even though technically it isn't). I love the thrash elements and it's probably the OSDM album that best carries the Seven Churches influence, a true masterpiece in every sense of the word.

Still the best album from Morbid Angel!

best death metal album of all time

I prefer Blessed but it's their second best. I also have a suggestion for whoever makes these threads, you should ask us to give our favourite track on it as well. I would have to say Immortal Rites for the pure classic factor but Chapel of Ghouls comes close. Visions from the Dark Side is the most underrated imo.

Unpopular opinion, but I can never get too excited about this one, honestly. It's obviously foundational and was probably pretty insane for the time it was released, but the riffs don't do much for me. Like the cover art, the music rarely feels very genuinely malevolent. Their songwriting doesn't pull me in somehow. Never heard a MA album I particularly felt like revisiting.

Will do! Good suggestion

While I'm here, I figured I'd drop in to talk about this album. I think this is probably my favourite Morbid Angel album, though I love all of the A-H albums. This was one of the first death metal releases I ever heard after Scream Bloody Gore. I feel like no album has ever entirely recaptured the atmosphere of this one. Evil Spells is probably my favourite song on this one. Also incredibly annoyed at the Earache cover swap they pulled after the Dan Seagrave legal issues. I'm not sure what caused David Vincent's vocal change that was on many of the songs on Blessed, and all but one song on Covenant, but I've always loved both approaches. The next album by the band I listened to was Covenant, and it took me a while to dig into that album as I thought it sounded like a different band, but it has grown on me tons since, and is now one of my go-tos. Funnily enough, both Covenant and Death's Individual Thought Patterns released the same day. I can't imagine picking both of those up the same day!

Weird take imo, I can understand not considering Altars music as evil as the heights they reached with Blessed and Covenant, but even in that aspect it's still austounding, it balances in an incredible way a macabre atmosphere and the most vertiginous speed.

My favourite track is a tough choice, but I think I'll go with the classic "Chapel of Ghouls", superb performance by everyone.

Chapel of Ghouls was one of the first DM tracks I heard back in the day. The delivery and lyrics blew me away
it was on the Grind Crusher Sampler and was my gateway to DM

Amazing album. Big fan of "Maze of Torment." The frantic riffs and blast beats are just amazing.

My favourite Morbid Angel album, and one of my favourites of all time. In all of their following albums I think they haven't really been able to match the energy of Altars.. of course, they're all different beasts.

Best !!!!

It's an incredible piece of work - the frenzied, chaotic playing and the dark atmosphere are pretty much my blueprints for how the best DM always is. A wonderfully occult and bizarre piece. No wasted moments.

I feel the same way, Altars always felt like the point where the genre truely began. (Although I love classics like Scream Bloody Gore, Seven Churches etc).
Agreed on Blessed also. My two favorite metal releases

Loved this album back in the day, contrasts in a big way compared to the tucker albums. Both eras have a lot of great songs in them, but the best part for this album for me was the speed of the killer riffs and solos. It actually feels like a dark and spiritual album, I'd put it over the next few albums which certainly bad either. Hope we get to see another album soon, what with how unhealthy Trey has looked in a few recent videos.