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Morbid Angel > Gateways to Annihilation > Reviews
Morbid Angel - Gateways to Annihilation

A colossal release from the death metal legends - 94%

BK2229, March 14th, 2024
Written based on this version: 2016, 12" vinyl, Earache Records (Limited edition, Reissue, UK)

Death metal titans Morbid Angel´s first release of the 21st century is a pivotal moment in the Tampa-based group's career. ¨Gateways to Annihilation¨ showcases how the band continued to prosper after the departure of longtime vocalist and bassist David Vincent. Vincent's replacement, Steve Tucker, shows off his incredible deep vocals adding a lot to the brutality of this record. Pete Sandoval's drumming continues to be some of the best, if not the best, in the death metal world. Hate Eternal guitarist Erik Rutan returns to playing a very solid role In the album, playing the keyboards and guitar. Last but certainly not least, founder and father of Morbid Angel, Trey Azagthoth, continues to create his 6th studio masterpiece by creating an unparalleled atmosphere with epic leads and bone-crushing riffs.

The album starts off with a 35-second instrumental ¨Kawazu¨ that directly leads into the second track ¨Summoning Redemption¨. The 7-minute song is an attack straight out of the gate. The double-layered guitar tracks going in and out of each other are brutal. Pete Sandoval´s incredibly fast double bass action and Trey Azagtoth´s brilliant guitar work define this song, as well as what is to come. The atmosphere the album creates is unmatched by any release of the death metal genre. This atmosphere is at its best on tracks like “I”, “Secured Limitations”, Ageless Still I Am”, and “He Who Sleeps”. Steve Tucker perfects his vocals on every track he is featured on. Trey Azagtoth lets his backing vocals shine most notably on the punishing track “Secured Limitations”. The final track to the record “God of the Forsaken” has to be the weakest song of the album, not that it isn’t good! It just isn’t as great as the other tracks of the record.

Overall, Gateways to Annihilation is as close as Morbid Angel got to perfection. It stands as my favorite release, BY FAR!, by the band. The production, drumming, guitar work, vocals, everything is fantastic. If I had to choose a short list of the top death metal records of all time, Gateways to Annihilation is sure to be on there. LONG LIVE MORBID ANGEL!!!!!

Apocalyptic, as it can get - 92%

Srallica, March 28th, 2023
Written based on this version: 2000, CD, Earache Records (Enhanced, EU)

Morbid Angel has been a pioneer in the death metal genre, and their 2000 album "Gateways To Annihilation" is a testament to their status as one of the most influential and respected bands in the genre. The album showcases a unique sound quality that sets it apart from their previous works, and is considered by many to be a masterpiece of extreme metal.

The production of "Gateways To Annihilation" is gritty and raw, creating a powerful and intense atmosphere that suits the apocalyptic themes of the album perfectly. The drums, played by the legendary Pete Sandoval, are the backbone of the album, driving the songs forward with their frenetic blast beats and pounding rhythms. Although some may find the sound quality to be slightly unnatural, it adds to the overall atmosphere of the album and sets it apart from Morbid Angel's earlier works. The guitar riffs on "Gateways To Annihilation" are heavy and menacing, with a sense of foreboding that perfectly complements the album's themes. The slower, more deliberate riffs on tracks like "He Who Sleeps" and "At One With Nothing" allow for a sense of tension and anticipation, building up to explosive moments of crushing brutality. The solo work on the album is also top-notch, with intricate and memorable guitar lines that add to the overall mood and atmosphere.

Steve Tucker's vocals on "Gateways To Annihilation" are a standout feature of the album, with his deep, guttural growls perfectly complementing the dark and ominous themes of the lyrics. On "Summoning Redemption", Tucker's vocals are particularly powerful, adding to the intensity of the track and driving the message home. His performance throughout the album is a testament to his skill as a death metal vocalist and adds to the overall impact of the music. The themes on "Gateways To Annihilation" are dark and apocalyptic, with a sense of impending doom permeating every track. The lyrics explore themes of destruction, chaos, and the end of the world, creating a sense of tension and unease that is palpable throughout the album. On "God Of The Forsaken", the lyrics delve into the idea of an angry and vengeful deity, creating a sense of urgency and intensity that is reflected in the music itself.

"Gateways To Annihilation" is a landmark album in the history of death metal, showcasing Morbid Angel's skill and innovation in the genre. From the powerful drumming of Pete Sandoval to the heavy riffs and haunting melodies, the album is a perfect blend of aggression, atmosphere, and skillful musicianship. Although the sound quality may be divisive for some listeners, it adds to the overall atmosphere of the album and sets it apart from Morbid Angel's earlier works. For fans of extreme metal, "Gateways To Annihilation" is a must-listen album that showcases everything that makes Morbid Angel such an important and influential band in the genre.

Humans, I shall feast upon your ignorance... - 90%

Slater922, June 22nd, 2022
Written based on this version: 2000, CD, Earache Records (Enhanced, EU)

Last time we've talked about Morbid Angel, their new vocalist Steve Tucker surprised folks with a new record that showed that the band can still continue the legacy, even though Steve's vocals weren't as strong as David's vocals. Regardless, in 2000, the band rolled up yet another album titled "Gateways to Annihilation", and if you're a fan of the last record, let's just say that this record is right up your alley.

The album begins with the track "Kawazu", which is a 30 second track that consists of chirping crickets. Odd start, but things do pick up with the next track "Summoning Redemption". The first thing I noticed is that the instrumentals sound an awful lot like that of Formulas Fatal to the Flesh. I mean, the guitar riffs still have that slow and technical composition that is a bit reminiscent of Domination, but there's still a lot of writing of that FFTTF sound with its emphasis on technicality. The drumming is also slowed with its blastbeats and can feel a bit basic at times. Nevertheless, the beats are still powerful enough to carry the riffs with a consistent tempo. The bass is also just about the same as the last album, and there really isn't a whole lot of changes in the bass play. This might sound like it's gonna be blend on paper, but this slower track does feel a bit welcoming, as it does have some Domination writing in it. Other fantastic tracks besides the first one include "He Who Sleeps", "At One with Nothing", and "God of the Forsaken". The last track in particular is more fast and chaotic, which is fantastic at ending the album off in a more disoriented mess. While there aren't any new surprises in the instrumental department, the riffs and drums are still good at what they do.

What is a surprise, however, is the vocals. In the previous record, Steve's vocals were good, but there could've been improved a bit. Here, they've been improved a lot. A good example of this is in the track "Opening of the Gates". While the Deicide-influenced vocals weren't the best in the last track, they work here, as the deep growls sound more sincere and brutal, and further enhance the dismal atmosphere of the dark riffs. The pitched up vocals have also been improved a lot, as the pitching isn't too extreme, but their personality is still bad enough to evoke a morbid and sinister vibe within the tracks. Steve's vocals have improved a lot since the last album, and they genuinely provide some great vocal performances in much of the tracks.

At first, some folks might be turned off by this record for sounding a bit too much like the previous records, and even I kind of wish there was a bit more variations in the sound execution. Regardless, the guitar riffs and drumming are still as extreme and brutal as ever, and Steve's vocals also carry through the tracks with his vastly improved voice. If you enjoyed Formulas Fatal to the Flesh, then I don't think you'll have much trouble enjoying this one.

Perfect Annihilation - 100%

Hames_Jetfield, March 20th, 2021

I've always preferred Morbid Angel with Vincent in the line-up, but I'd be lying to say that "Formulas Fatal To The Flesh" and "Gateways To Annihilation" already recorded with Tucker are some craps. The former delighted with the level of extremes, the latter...that it was possible to record a much slower and even more interesting album! You don't hear about it often (so far, I won't go into why), but yes, "Gateways..." is one of the best Morbid Angel albums made without David Vincent. It has absolutely everything that is brand-new for the sound of Morbid Angel, a piece of excellent compositions (each one in turn, of course) and some novelties introducing diversity (here still reasonably).

These novelties are manifested mainly in the aforementioned slow - as for them - paces (although there was also some blasting), vocals (much less typical for Steve's abilities - just listen to the first "Summoning Redemption"), guitar virtuosity of Trey Azagthoth and Erik Rutan (who in the meantime returned to the band for a while) and the atmosphere of the whole. So generally in this respect, where the previous album might not be fully satisfying (with nonsense intros at the fore). The whole "Gateways To Annihilation" is so equal (even with the "Awakening" intro) that you would have to replace all the "regular" songs to confirm how high the level these four Americans managed to keep here. I will limit myself to mentioning "He Who Sleeps", "God Of The Forsaken" (here for a change to the blasting), "Ageless, Still I Am" and two cosmic departures i.e. "I" and "At One With Nothing" (where the solo parts sometimes fly off to the cosmic atmosphere). Each of the mentioned (and also not mentioned) equally "draws in" and delights more than the vast majority of their songs from older albums!

In terms of production, someone can have small reservations about the drums (and more precisely, to the very sterile snare drum), but looking at the rest of the slightly "mechanical" and sluggish part of this music, everything fits together perfectly for me (especially when Pete goes for double kick drum or Trey will play a riff à la the opening riff from "Summoning Redemption"). So much for more detailed information about music on "Gateways...". I have already mentioned that this one is perfect; I will just add that this is the last such a sensible longplay by the Morbid Angel. In the later years of their activity, unfortunately it was clearly worse.

Originally on: https://subiektywnymetal.blogspot.com/2020/05/morbid-angel-gateways-to-annihilation.html

Annihilation Awaits! - 98%

Worm_Mcsquirm, December 28th, 2020
Written based on this version: 2008, CD, Earache Records

It was the new century, two years after Morbid Angel have truly established themselves as the dominant death metal band, they return with a different experience but almost equal to the predecessor.

Gateways to Annihilation has the band focusing on the grooves that they had spread throughout their “F” album. In Gateways, you’ll find the heaviest songs the band have ever written such as “Summoning Redemption”, “He Who Sleeps” and “At One With Nothing”, which have all their focus on slow grooves and ugly chugs. Any speed on this album comes in quick bursts or in their own brief sections of the songs. The lone exceptions being “To The Victor the Spoils” and “God of the Forsaken” which are all around speed tracks.

The production gives the album so much more power than prior albums, but also has a good open sound that makes it sound like it’s being played on a mountain or over a cityscape! The drums have a very triggered, but large sound that adds to the grand sound of the music. The guitars are especially crunchy on this album but unfortunately drown out the bass a bit.

The Solos! Oh my Lord the solos! Trey’s solos in particular are at their best here, making you feel like you’re flying high and falling simultaneously! The way the solos ride with the rhythm is so hypnotizing. Unlike many wanky solos from other death metal bands or even Slayer, Trey knows how to make it sound atmospheric and memorable.

The song “I” has Morbid Angel doing a mid-paced head-banging groove throughout the song, but sprinkles in moments of psychedelic sounding guitar leads. The highlight of the album for me.

Trey Azagthoth shines bright with his punchiest riffs and his most off-the-wall soaring guitar solos, Beside the drum sound, Pete Sandoval comes in with another great performance, giving his most impressive moment on the colossus “Opening of The Gates”. Steve Tucker’s vocals are a vast improvement this time adding more power and force in his delivery, making him sound much more evil. Returning from the Domination album, comes Erik Rutan with his great addition to melody in his soloing that rivals Trey’s dissonant monster solos, a dynamic almost similar to Marty Friedman and Dave Mustaine.

This is Morbid Angel at their heaviest and dare I say, brutal. If you want heavy, Gateways To Annihilation delivers more than just your average heavy death metal album.

Chug Chug, Solo Solo, Chug Chug - 85%

GorgutsFan1998, October 2nd, 2020
Written based on this version: 2000, CD, Earache Records (Enhanced, EU)

Gateways to Annihilation, Morbid Angel's sixth album, released at the turn of the millennium, marked a huge slowdown in their overall sound. The slow, chugging riffs that they had begun to experiment with on Blessed are the Sick and expanded with Domination reach their peak here. Songs like “Summoning Redemption”, “He Who Sleeps”, and “At One With Nothing” display some of the slowest overall songs in Morbid Angel's entire discography. The riffs, though great, are quite simple by Morbid Angel standards, and run the risk of falling flat on their face if the listener doesn’t find them heavy enough.

The production on the album is almost perfect on the stringed instruments and vocals, giving the tremolo picks of Trey Azagthoth a resounding echo, and enhancing the bellows of Steve Tucker. Speaking of Mr. Tucker, this could easily be his best vocal performance, as he shies away from the high pitched Gojira-like screams that permeate Heretic. His bellows are deep, and, at times, almost echo.

Another factor that must be mentioned is the guitar dynamic between Trey Azagthoth and Erik Rutan. Gateways marks the most notable presence of a second guitarist. You can instantly tell form the solos who is playing. For example, on “Summoning Redemption”, there are two solos. The first solo is a melodic solo by Rutan, and the second is a wild Trey Azagthoth solo that, as usual, borders on shred-wankery, but does not cross that fine line. The two solos combine in such a way as to make it one of the best song bridges in Morbid Angel history. Also worthy of note are two songs that light up the second half of the album: “Secured Limitations” and “God of the Forsaken”. “Secured Limitations” has Trey himself on vocals, and features one of his best solos, which takes the entire final part of the song. The final song on the album is “God of the Forsaken”, which is notable for being written by Erik Rutan, and sounding almost exactly like a Hate Eternal song, which could be either good or bad.

The Final good thing about this album is that they cut down vastly on the shitty dungeon synth instrumentals. Thankfully there are only two instrumentals on this album: “Kawazu”, a recording of frog croaks that serves as a segway into “Summoning Redemption”, and “Awakening”, a traditional dungeon synth instrumental. Unlike Formulas Fatal to the Flesh and Heretic, which are clogged with instrumentals in the second half of their albums, and make them a drag to listen to despite the fact that they are alright otherwise, Gateways only has one. Even though it shouldn't be there at all, it's good enough considering what came before and after.

Now, regrettably, I must discuss the under-par sections of this album. In the first place, the drumming of Pete Sandoval was nerfed on this album. Through the whole album, Sandoval only shines on "Summoning Redemption", where he is allowed a drum solo between Azagthoths chuggy tremolos. For the rest of the album, the drums are just flat blast beats and plastic-sounding double bass rolls. Granted, this isn't uncommon for Pete Sandoval, but the production on the drums makes it far worse.

Another bad part of the album is the nature of the riffs. There aren't as many riffs on this album as on Formulas Fatal to the Flesh, and it shows. Granted, they are good, but they suffer from what I will call grooveitis. Grooveitis is where a riff either resonates deeply with you as "heavy" or "groovy", or does not hit any chords with you at all and comes off as boring and repetitive. Bands that suffer from this include Pantera, Gojira and Meshuggah. Due to the grooveitis on this album, I would not recommend it to anyone unless they have experience in groove metal. However, if you or someone you know enjoys bands labeled as "groovy" such as Gojira or Pantera, this album will serve as an excellent introduction into Steve Tucker-era Morbid Angel. However, if you or your hypothetical friend look down on Gojira and Pantera as boring and repetitive, stay far away from this album and just listen to any of Morbid's first three albums because with Gateways, all you will get is chug chug, solo solo, chug chug. Take it or leave it. I took it.

85/100
Best Songs: Summoning Redemption, He Who Sleeps
Worst Songs: Awakening

A Listening Paradox - 69%

TheBlackClam, February 13th, 2020

It’s really hard to put your finger on why certain riffs can pull your soul through your skin, and some can go in one ear and out the other. Just when we think that maybe historic significance does actually trump genuine musicality (different from skill) when it comes to one’s perception of an album or song, an underground, intentionally retro-styled modern band playing 30-year recycled phrases comes in with genuine spirit and creates something undeniably good and musically interesting. The historic catalogue of all metal almost proves that a single artist, however, simply cannot continue to release quality material, or at least refreshing material. Morbid Angel seems to understand that, and capitalizes on other factors to produce an album that more than once makes you want to listen to it, even when the music itself does not engage you in any way.

Regarding the music itself, it really is hard to find headbanging or underbite frown-face moments amongst the repetitive beats and guitar work. There are a lot of “rolling” type riffs (best word I can think of) and burst-chug power chords that create a steadily moving pace that doesn’t seem to fluctuate much throughout all tracks. Occasionally we hear the classic Azagthoth spider tremolo bursts sprinting off on the higher strings, but they don’t have the same effect without a murderous core riff to spawn from. It’s still a plus to have that variation. The melodies and note choices are for sure intentionally bizarre, and it is understandable, as veteran song and riff-writers sometimes drift towards more obscureness in an attempt to escape their dreaded realization of the limitations of music itself. The drums and rhythms seem to lack of inspiration. The drum work is expertly played and is physically impressive, but does not introduce many varied or unique beats, and the guitar picking rhythms seem to have lost the berserk, frantic flair of classic Morbid Angel. Part of death metal’s duty is to not only grab your attention, but to re-grab your attention many times. This is why shuffling beats and occasionally digging out a primitive funk or jazz beat is a staple of engaging death metal music. The music on Gateways is masterfully crafted, but does not generate very many, if any, strong visceral moments of agonizing riff sorcery. The vocals are fairly generic, but were really only of consistent quality on Altars; most MA vocals, regardless of singer, are usually not a standout aspect of their work.

What carries the album is its atmosphere. It’s conceivable to believe the droning sound was intentionally crafted to create a trance-like feeling. In this case the drums and guitar have a different purpose, and it’s not to create visceral musical breakthroughs in intensity. This makes it a bit more OK to have an intentionally steady and churning pace. The artwork also undeniably plays a big big role. It’s just a great fuckin painting, and itself maintains a buzzing, rolling pace. Certainly the best of their covers next to Altars, the dominance of blacks and browns expresses a certain barrenness, add to that the hyper red evil logo looking like it was melted onto the canvas and it just makes an ace piece of cover artwork. The power of this image genuinely moves the needle a good amount on the overall worth of this work and definitely imparts a noticeable effect on one’s perception of the music on this album.

Side B manages to pull out a few nice riffs, but ultimately it’s the strange atmosphere that makes you give this album repeated spins. It manages to leave enough of an effect that it has become a go-to when discerning what other albums sound like. As Morbid Angel was likely still being worshipped by young, active, 2000’s musicians, it’s easy to say “that sounds like Gateways” when you hear something from around the same time and with similar production and similar churning riffs. Every time I put this on I question why I bother listening to it, but after it ends for some reason the feel of the cover artwork is there and I conclude in some way that I do like this album as a thing, if not for its music, and so the listening paradox continues. It’s worth listening to as this does still stand out as distinctly Morbid Angel in style. Differences in riff taste and/or appreciation for strict machine-like drumming could make this loved by many.

Titan of pounding Brutality - 85%

we hope you die, January 5th, 2019

Fair enough, the title is somewhat hyperbolic, but let's take a look at a foundational death metal artist as they were in the middle of their career. By the late 1990s it’s fair to say death metal was struggling. Alt rock, nu-metal, groove metal, and a Western World on the home straight to stability, all chipped away at the driving impulses behind death metal as a movement. As ever, exceptions abound, but metal in general was decimated by the early 1990s rise of ‘cool’ and was left squarely on the outside looking in. Brave soldiers marched on however, keeping the flame alive long enough for the dread new world of the 21st Century, which provided fertile new soil for the sound of misery.

But back in 2000 things looked very different. And the pillar of American metal that is Morbid Angel were in their third incarnation and sixth studio album ‘Gateways to Annihilation’. Gone are the Mike Browning days of visceral occult metal, and the lumbering tanks of the celebrated David Vincent era. Vincent took his leave after the release of their weakest effort at the time, 1995’s ‘Domination’, preferring instead to get with the times and join his wife’s industrial/alternative band Genitorturers. ‘Domination’ – although a quality release – showed signs of Morbid Angel succumbing to the groove epidemic of the time. Enter Steve Tucker, who took the reins on vocals and bass. Follow up, 1998’s ‘Formulas Fatal to the Flesh’ saw a return to form somewhat, before at last we come to this monolithic slab of death metal.

‘Gateways to Annihilation’ is perhaps their slowest release, happy to kick back and let the lumbering horror unfold with patience and grace as opposed to their manic early releases. The guitar tone is fat yet clear, able to carry the weight of the doom riffs whilst doing justice to Trey Azagthoth’s unique tremolo strummed melodies. Most of this music is played at a marching pace or slower, with the occasional blast beat knitted throughout. But more often than not the legendary Pete Sandoval works his trademark intricate rhythms and fills throughout. Drum-purists may resent the triggered effect that Sandoval favoured, but here it adds to the almost mechanical precision of the finished product.

Contrary to what Jeff Wagner states in his book ‘Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Metal’, Morbid Angel’s first priority was not simply to pummel the listener, although they were very good at this. This claim ignores the restrained neo-classicism of their music, which proved to be a great influence on tech death giants such as Nile. Worked into the intimidating tapestry of riffs are plenty of progressive metal leanings, solos which touch on euphoria in their manipulation of key, and unusual time signatures and chord patterns.

Azagthoth has always had a complex relationship with major keys. He is responsible for some of the happiest riffs in death metal (Angel of Disease), but he always manages to blend them seamlessly into more sinister passages of brooding darkness. One of death metal’s most intriguing guitarists regardless of the depths his more recent works sank to. My one complaint about GTA – which is not really a complaint at all – is that the solos are so well written and well produced that they completely tyrannise the music when they appear. They make the listener forget the riffs just gone and mourn the riff that follows for not being as memorable. Although worked well into each composition (as opposed to having the composition serve endless fret-noodling), these solos simply dominate the sonic landscape in a way rarely heard. This however, could be construed as a plus depending on what side of the bed I woke up on.

Albums like this kept the spirit alive so that my generation who were kids in the 1990s could enjoy and build the thriving scene that we have today. Although ‘Gateways to Annihilation’ could certainly make this claim, Morbid Angel undid a lot of this good with the follow up ‘Heretic’, which saw the excesses go too far, and disintegrated into a confused mess. The same could be said of them shitting out tracks from ‘Illud Divinum Insanus’ across the festival lineups of the world in 2011, but that is a story for another day.

Originally published at: Hate Meditations

Of spires and skulls - 75%

triggerhappy, November 12th, 2014

Among Morbid Angel's catalogue, Gateways to Annihilation is often cited as their best post-Covenant (if not post-Altars) effort. While I might not agree with such an assertion, I must admit that it certainly is their most atmospheric, due to the increased emphasis on Trey Azagthoth's and Erik Rutan’s colossal, torturous riffing alongside the cavernous bellow of Steve Tucker (who previously fronted a pretty average death/thrash band named Ceremony). Trey also lends a hand on the song Secured Limitations, but it turns out to be no more than an embarrassing and tacky black metal shriek – a poor imitation of former vocalist David Vincent in his heyday. Remember that guy from 1349? Yeah, Trey sounds something like him but more... childish, confused. Anyway, his solos can get rather irritating too. Such exercises in atonality were justifiable back then, and a number of those found here are quite intense, like the haunting cries of At One with Nothing, but mostly they only serve to needlessly prolong the tracks – Summoning Redemption, the worst offender, is about three minutes longer than it should be, all because Trey needed to desperately scratch his fretboard itch. Fortunately, Pete Sandoval’s drumming is as dexterous as it’s ever been, demonstrating remarkable restraint on the agonising dirge He Who Sleeps, but still capable of flattening cities when required on God of the Forsaken.

The album draws a lot of its sound from the two that preceded it, but goes about it in a much more refined manner. At One with Nothing picks up where Where the Slime Live left off, channeling a similarly brooding aura, and the subtle but definitely noticeable booms (timpani? I can’t really tell) add a tremendous boost to the low-end frequencies of Opening of the Gates. Also of note are the spacy leads and frighteningly consistent galloped chugs on I. While the former is nothing new for the band – this ‘echo chamber’-type lead guitar tone has been kept relatively constant since Domination – they’re now executed with a very stern professionalism. The album ends on a destructive note with the unforgiving God of the Forsaken, a whirlwind of monolithic chords, light-speed blasting, and what is possibly the best solo on the album; if there was one track to represent Gateways, this would be it.

Though its flaws prevent me from being as fervent in my praise as most others (I for one actually prefer the rawer style of Formulas Fatal to the Flesh), the monumental air of Gateways to Annihilation cannot be denied. Yes, Mithras would shamelessly take this template, slice off all the fat that came with it, and inject a huge dose of vicious brutality all while maintaining its epic scope (thereby approaching perfection on Worlds Beyond the Veil), but they have this album to thank for starting it all.

Far beyond the gleam of Tony Robbins' teeth - 80%

erebuszine, April 26th, 2013

While almost every single Morbid Angel album up to, and including, 'Domination' met a scene rapt with anticipation, eager to explore the enthusiastic guitar pyrotechnics or death metal innovation that was doubtlessly contained within, it seems that the 'official' fervor surrounding this band had dimmed ever since the departure of David Vincent and the solidification of Morbid Angel's approach to songwriting. Did 'Formulas' really contain anything new? And yet, were there that many death metal albums released at the same time than can be seen now as somehow more 'groundbreaking', or, at the very least, worth listening to? With their decision to pursue a more personal, subjective, and completely 'Azagthothian' direction now at least two or three years behind them, I don't think this band can really be compared to any other - what's the point? What would you learn from doing so? No, they might not be the hardcore innovators they once were (listen to 'Altars of Madness' again), but they still don't have any competition at all when it comes to determining the direction of the death metal scene. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Morbid Angel: the death metal institution. Because of this, I was both anticipating this new record and somehow dreading its release - what could it offer? Where could Morbid Angel go from the last record? Would they finally decide to turn in a more commercial direction, out of sheer exhaustion or boredom?

From the very first song, you will see that this is not the case. The production and guitar sound are what hit you first: Eric Rutan and Trey's seven-string Ibanez guitars being bent and twisted back and forth to sound out massive, sweeping, low-end rhythm work: slow, masterly, rumbling, almost a subterranean lumbering and swaying; churning muted chords crunch and slice over flooding waves of sonic star-gazing, filled with truly cursed/darkened harmonizations, poetic in their elaboration of doom - their version of an evil Van Halen 'brown sound'. This is possibly the heaviest and slowest they have ever played. It is perhaps notable that Rutan [I think?] gets the first solo of the entire album half of the way into the opener 'Summon Redemption'. Having half-exhausted himself in Hate Eternal, he returns here older, wiser, and more bitter than ever. It echoes in his playing. For once, Morbid Angel refrain from trying to break speed records with Sandoval's kit - his blasts serve mainly to back up the slower rhythm riffs, setting up that 'contrary' constant blast/lurching rhythm guitar style that I believe Morbid Angel first displayed prominently, if not invented: the grinding snare/bass drums behind slow, arching guitar work that makes these riffs sound twice as agonized, twice as unnatural and sinister. The best example of this is the second song, 'Ageless, Still I Am', where the expert guitarists constantly weave in and out of harmonies to produce some of the darkest melodies in this band's history.

In addition, their lyrical vision seems to have narrowed: back again are the lunging, thrusting imprecations against God and/or Christians and the other sick hypocrites of the world. Where before the music served as a lethal lightning strike behind Vincent's tales of destruction and redemption, Morbid Angel now come only to suffocate with a tidal wave of total contempt. They will choke the world into unconsciousness and then euthanize it, and Azagthoth, in his misanthropy, has moved far beyond the gleam of Tony Robbins' teeth into a lightless place - his melodies are alien, inhuman, they seep into the listening sphere like Zyklon-B and steal the life from your limbs. His solos are utterly insane: they sound like creatures crying in the night as they die, the bleating of sacrificial lambs, the songs of birds, or his Lovecraftian namesake piping blindly, madly, at the center of the universe. They are almost completely free of traditional reference points - try to trace their evolution or progression.

One can only wonder what their next tour - with Pantera, no less - is going to be like. How will it go? What will the reactions be like? How will the Fraternal Brothers of Durst react to songs that are meant to crush and bring them to despair? I hope to witness it. In the meantime, this is once again a fantastic album from the Fathers, and quite possibly their darkest/most obscure creation yet... be sure to seek it out.

UA

Erebus Magazine
http://erebuszine.blogspot.com

Their best composition, but... - 95%

Angel_Of_Agony, October 27th, 2012

I would definitely rate this Morbid Angel's best composition, but unfortunately, there's a couple of problems with the album. Firstly, the production sounds a little plastic, with Pete Sandoval's snare sounding a bit unnatural, along with other instruments. Secondly, the base drums on "Opening Of The Gates" are apparently quantized by Trey to sound like 16th notes, rather than the original triplets that were on the album (much to Pete Sandoval's disdain). Those are my only problems with the album. Glad I got the negatives out of the way, now for the positives, and why I consider this Morbid Angel's best album composition wise.

This album may at first seem slow and plodding, especially considering the past albums by Morbid Angel, especially albums like Covenant and Formulas Fatal to the Flesh. Those albums usually incorporated blast beats as a staple of most of the songs, and the lack of blast beats on this album may annoy some (although there are plenty of blast beats on this album). But remember this: In the death metal's early years, blast beats weren't as present as they are today, with Altars of Madness being one of the first death metal albums to include blast beats (and World Downfall, if you consider that death metal). Death metal bands that did implement blast beats usually included them in key parts that expressed a songs more more intense parts, like in Chapel of Ghouls off of Altars of Madness, or Dead by Dawn by Deicide, off of their debut. That's generally how this album handles blasts. Ageless, Still I Am (My favorite song off of this album) handles blast beats extremely well, I think, generally having them apart of the chorus.

The songs you'll most likely find to be the most slow and plodding will be songs like He Who Sleeps and At One With Nothing. They generally take a more atmospheric brutality approach to the music, like early Vital Remains albums. Listening enough to the songs, you'll get to know and love them, and feel the atmosphere that the song writers were trying to convey.

The faster songs on the album are very groovy, like the intro to To The Victor The Spoils. The riffing is generally dark, and the production makes it sound very dark. God Of The Forsaken is the last song on the album, and it's where Pete Sandoval shows us that he's the king of blasting. Opening of The Gates is one of my favorite songs off of the album, but while the 280 bpm kicks sound nice, what's the price? Artificial base drums? This is definitely a negative on the album.

This album is a bit underrated to me, definitely deserving more praise than it's gotten. I would recommend it to any death metal fan.

Worlds have passed and so too has time - 89%

hippie_holocaust, December 6th, 2011

As we all know this late in the year 2011, the mighty Morbid Angel have caused quite a stir with their latest, the “I” album. I’ve listened to the thing, but I am frankly a bit scared to sit down with it proper, as it is quite clearly not the straight ahead death fucking metal that we wanted. Correction, NEEDED.

Here we have the “G,” so let us travel back eleven years to a stranger aeon in the weird life of Morbid Angel. “Kawazu” is one of the best intros to any metal album. It’s creepy, tepid, with an almost Om vibration to it, and it is fucking morbid. Gateways to Annihilation is steeped in the standard lore of the great old ones, and this Kawazu perfectly captures the eternality of nature in a time before (and after) the age of man. While I understand the school of thought that shuns this band’s synth segues and intros, I personally enjoy them all. Yes, I too wish to be bludgeoned into oblivion by Pete the Feet, but these bits of experimentation allow the listener to drink in moments of divine alienation. As the song of the locust fades away the crushing ensues with “Summoning Redemption.” The very first thing I noticed about the production here was the fake-sounding snare. It just doesn’t sound real at all. “Drum replacement” is a process of evil in the music biz that has been going on since the 70s and now it happens all day every day, in all walks of music, metal being no exception. Just listen to any modern death metal band and you will hear drum replacement. Studio polishings aside, and regardless of the moral debate on triggering, it’s still Pete doing what made him legend. From start to finish this album is heavy as fuck with each player offering a fine performance, including Steve Tucker.

Imagine what life must have been like for poor Steve Tucker. Granted, the choice to accept the job opening of bassist/frontman/David Vincent replacement was all his, but a more unenviable position than that is virtually inconceivable in the world of death metal. However, the dude really shines on this album and proves to these ears that he is made of the morbidity required for said Vincent vacancy. His vox are low, they’re brutal, they’re fucking hateful, and considering the hostile reviews of Mr. Vincent’s recent return, some may be wondering what ol’ Steve is up to these days. Tucker has indeed penned all the lyrics of Gateways, with the exception of Azagthoth’s “Secured Limitations,” which is pretty much the “Angel of Disease” of this album.

“He Who Sleeps.” Fuck my weakling, earthling, puny and pathetic ass, this song DESTROYS. Since the Blessed days, Morbid Angel have been known to indulge in the doom, and “He Who Sleeps” is a heaving hybrid of DM and ancient doom that writhes in the sludges of time immemorial. This is unquestionable heaviness, as that of dreaming Cthulu awakening to swallow the empire of man in a single breath of all-consuming rage. From thence, Commando Sandoval and crew procede to blast their way through speed metal rippers such as “To the Victor, the Spoils” and the double bass devastation that is “Opening of the Gates.” The feet of Pete are on fucking fire here as bpms of demoniacal speeds slice through the hallucinogenic lead guitar work of Trey Azagthoth. Morbid are tuned quite low on this album but the thrashing riffs and tremolo speed-picking remain razor-sharp. The guitar trippery of “Secured Limitations” leads us into the creeping solemnity of “Awakening,” which is reminiscent of Domination’s “Melting” or “Dreaming.” Again, if you have a problem with a wee bit of variance in sonic texture or these artists’ inclination to break the metal mold, fuck off.

The tenth track “I” is one of Tucker’s finest lyrical renderings as well one of the more profound musical offerings found on Gateways. Utterly nihilistic in an active and almost Eastern sense of the word, “I” is a bold assertion of the Morbid’s mastery of reality.
“I am the void of light, silence, I am the dawn of time
I am the all you see, emptiness, I am the non

I am the air you breathe, treachery, I am your wine
I am the soil and seed, mundane, I am the in between.”

Gateways to Annihilation closes with “God of the Forsaken,” a definite gem in the Morbid Angel catalogue. Here we are treated to the finest of blast beats, shredding, and deathly destruction at the annihilating end. Trey’s solo at 2:45 is one of his best ever; the expression he conveys with his axe is of the purest and most liberating form and it cements the man’s immortality in the genre. There are few players with the ability to express such dreamlike states with a guitar, and when you combine that with the diabolical drumming of Pete Sandoval you have what is called a juggernaut. Listen to this album and you may hear where modern death metallers Behemoth and other such newbs got their sound.

A monument to entropy and isolation - 85%

autothrall, May 20th, 2011

Of all the Morbid Angel full-lengths, from the rightfully acclaimed (Altars of Madness) to the mediocre (Formulas Fatal to the Flesh, Blessed are the Sick) to the sadly underscored (Domination), I feel as if Gates to Annihilation is the most sure of itself. The experiments had been written and performed, the crowd's reaction noted. Deep in their sweltering Floridian bunkers, Trey Azagthoth, Pete Sandoval, Erik Rutan and no-longer new guy Steve Tucker knew that what they wanted to produce, a solid balance of their previous five full-lengths and an atmospheric slug-fest that was perhaps their best at interpreting the cosmic horrors and human isolation that their lyrics produce. Call it a 'broader view' of what such tantamount summonings and rendings in the fabric of space/time would produce.

The very crawling, battering rhythms created through the record forge mental images of long dessicated alien environments. Haunting brutality, twisted spires of rock and other elements that would no longer be scryed upon by the living or the sane. The cover image by Dan Seagrave is one of his personal finest, and in my opinion the best Morbid Angel have featured on any of the full-lengths, trumping even the iconic Altars of Madness. It really makes one sit back, think, and then if he/she thinks too hard, slowly start to lose grasp of reality. In a nihilistic universe of twisted occult aesthetics, Elder Gods stalking their next food source, and untold horrors that the 3-dimensional mortal simply cannot bear, it's really the whole package. Add to that the fact the production is so amazingly well-balanced, dual leads zoning over the intense punishment of the bottom end, and you've got an album forged to KILL EVERYONE.

Stylistically, this hearkens back to Blessed Are the Sick with a touch of Domination, in that it largely operates on a slower, fundamental tempo. Lurching, but so very determined and vast in scale, tunes like "Summoning Redemption" and "He Who Sleeps" retain a curious versatility despite their reluctance to spend considerable time in the acceleration zone. Tucker's voice has truly shaped itself here to become the ponderous bludgeon that can stand in for David Vincent, and the weighted fiber of the guitar tone possesses both a hard edge and a cystic resilience with great depth to it. The leads are exotic, alien sirens which splash upon the lifeless, terrestrial surfaces as if they were birds of prey striking through the vast vacuum of nothingness. In a sense, there is this cohesion throughout the album, from "Summoning Redemption" through the closer "God of the Forsaken", which makes it more difficult to distinguish individual pieces than it would be on Altars or Domination, yet this does not deter its quality.

Any gripes I have with the album are minor at best. For one, I dislike the scratchier, snarled vocals on "Secured Limitations". I feel that they distract me from the overall consistency and it would have been a better experience without them. For another, several of the repetitions of the riffs do come off a fraction too droning and monotonous. Granted, that's half the point of these things, but a few added dynamics would not have hurt the album's case. Otherwise, this is one of the best of Morbid Angel's albums, a dark, belligerent, savvy enterprise which proved beyond the shadow of the doubt that the new lineup was functional and formidable. I'd choose this over Blessed Are the Sick, Covenant, Formulas Fatal to the Flesh or Heretic any day. A poignant harbinger of Armageddons yet unseen.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

A slower approach this time round - 78%

Gloon, May 17th, 2011

After the seemingly directionless and free-structured ‘Formulas Fatal to the Flesh’, Morbid Angel return to a more simplistic, formulaic approach not too dissimilar to ‘Domination’. But while ‘Domination’ sounded fresh and inspired, ‘Gateways’ comes across as plodding and by-the-numbers with the end result sounding like a collection of 'Nothing is Not’ and ‘Where the Slime Lives’ clones with the album slowly dirging its way through tracks rarely raising the intensity levels.

However, while disappointing in its almost doomish approach, this is still Morbid Angel and the band hasn’t written a bad album in their whole illustrious career. Tracks such as ‘To the Victor the Spoils’ and ‘Secured Limitations’ still rock as good as anything MA have done in the past and there are still glimpses of the band’s greatness scattered across the album.

Also Steve Tucker has taken a more active role in the lyrical creation this time around and we are greeted once again with the more familiar occult/satanic tinged themes and messages. Steve’s vocals are also now given more freedom to move and the slower pace helps him put more of a personality into his delivery.

In the end, the album suffers from being just a little too slow and too long for its own good and drowns under its own weight in parts, however there's just too much quality here for this to be a total fail. A solid if not amazing album from a true innovator of the death metal genre.

A very worthy successor - 92%

Noktorn, September 27th, 2006

Ah, what could be a more stirring event in human history than the advent of a new millenium. After closing the theoretical book of the one thousands, the metal scene (and most of civilization) was unsure as to its new direction. The achievements of the past years of the genre’s existence were, in a way, shut off from this new era, forcing a redevelopmment of metal’s sound even though previous classics were still in sight. Perhaps this is an unnecessary distinction to make, but an argument could be made that metal before and after the year 2000 are radically different beasts simply due to the symbolically changing aeons.

Morbid Angel released their sixth studio album, ‘Gateways To Annihilation’, in October of 2000. Narrowly having escaped the fate of so many of their colleague’s post-Earache crash due to the consistency of their previous album ‘Formulas Fatal To The Flesh’, they were, now that the foundation of their sound had been repaired, willing to push their self-imposed boundaries as they had on previous albums. Thus, ‘Gateways To Annihilation is, at least in goal, a return to the form of their first three LPs, though their sound had most certainly been modernized at this stage.

However, such modernization is in this case not to be viewed with such suspicion as modernization typically is in the metal scene. ‘Gateways To Annihilation’ is the album that ‘Domination’ should have been: one where mainstream appeal and extreme metal converge appropriately, resulting in an album that can work with Pantera fans as well as those of Deicide. The sound of ‘Gateways To Annihilation’ is appropriately thunderous and anthemic without sacrificing brutality and transgression like ‘Domination’ did. In a way, one could say that this could be a fantastic album to introduce a non-metaller to death metal, due to its bombastic sound and otherworldly atmosphere.

‘Gateways To Annihilation’, while not reaching the sublimity of the first three albums, is the closest that Morbid Angel has yet achieved to returning to the brilliance that defined works such as ‘Blessed Are The Sick’. Heavily influenced by that album, ‘Gateways To Annihilation’ can stand tall along with such previous behemoths, and in occasions reaches those towering heights. Perhaps if this was released in 1992 it would be as critical as those had been; maybe such brilliance was a product of the era moreso than the music itself. Either way, ‘Gateways To Annihilation’ functions neatly as a bridge between old and new, not only for Morbid Angel but for the metal scene as a whole.

We open with the familiar tones of an ambient track, though this is certainly sparser than those we’ve heard in the past: ‘Kawazu’ echoes for slightly over a half minute with what sounds like a biblical plague of frogs or locusts before ‘Summoning Redemption’ storms in like an ancient Sumerian beast of legend. It’s a stunningly dogmatic song even by Morbid Angel standards. Many of the sonic themes of this album are explored on this lengthy first track. First and foremost, we can confirm the alternating styles of Morbid Angel releases: fast and technical alternates with slow and epic from album to album.

When it comes to instrumentation, Morbid Angel excels on this album, particularly on artistic vision. Erik Rutan makes a second appearance on this album, very much aiding the incredibly thick and crushing guitar tone present on this release. The thickness gives the illusion of this album being slower than it is, even at extremely high tempos like on ‘Opening Of The Gates’. The atmosphere is much like that found on ‘Blessed Are The Sick’ grandiose and luxuriously unfolding. However, this release also has the blistering intensity of that album, creating a good contrast with the sludgy aesthetic.

Guitarwork is less dense on this release, and chords drift off moreso than on previous releases. Drumming instead replaces this with extremely pronounced kick drums under slow, sinuous hand grooves. This well may be the apex of Pete Sandoval’s musical skill; witness his unbelievable performance on ‘Opening Of The Gates’ to see just how incredible this man is. Steve Tucker has also improved dramatically as a vocalist, with a significant increase in lucidity and power, fitting the production of the album. Despite the increased emphasis on atmospheric, bludgeoning power, the band is still capable of blasting furiously on songs such as ‘To The Victor The Spoils’.

There’s an undeniable power to this album remniscient to the first three. It seems that a palpable aura of power radiates off this release, that one can hear seeping through on songs such as ‘He Who Sleeps’, with it’s willingly simplified patterns designed to elicit genuine reactions in its listeners. ‘I’ and ‘God Of The Forsaken’ are utterly devastating tracks that remember the best of older death metal while still retaining the modernity of this release. ‘Gateways To Annihilation’ is a truly brutal and assertive album in an age of compromise.

Overall, ‘Gateways To Annihilation’ is the best Morbid Angel album after the mighty trinity. While a number of people have doubts that this band could return after they fell in 1995, they have proven with this album that they could and they have. ‘Gateways To Annihilation’ is brilliant work, and not to be missed by any appreciator of death metal, modern or not.

A MIddle Ground Of Sorts - 80%

corviderrant, May 8th, 2006

I'll be charitable to this album, as it falls between the uninspired mess of "Formulas Fatal To The Flesh" and the utter shit pile of "Heretic". And it certainly has moments of greatness to it--Steve Tucker really stepped up to the plate on this album and delivered in terms of becoming a more integrated part of the band with his songwriting skills being far more showcased this go round.

The album on the whole is a far slower and more doom-ridden affair than "Formulas..." was, probably a reaction to the more frantic and blasting approach taken on that one, and it benefits from that. The riffs actually breathe and stretch their wings out, so to speak. Trey's riff arrangements stand out more, with his trademark syncopations coming out clearly and audibly--that is, two guitars playing variations on the one riff, one of his other trademarks. The sense of menace and barely contained chaos is back on this album in spades, with atmosphere and vibe returning in a major way. The dirty, lower-midrange guitar tone is pretty righteous as well, and Messrs Rutan and Azagthoth deliver their usual excellent leads on top of that.

Pete Sandoval gets a paragraph all to his bad self. The drum sound is excellent on this album and you can hear his lethal technique very well with his usual hyperactive style. Of course the kick drums are triggered, and the jaw-dropping inhuman bursts of double kick in my favorite song on this album, "Opening of The Gates" amaze every time despite their very obvious clatter. That also happens to be a faster song with ear-grabbing dissonant riffing, and he gets to shine with a very brief solo near the end of that tune as well. He is still a god and that song alone should show you why.

Overall, as mentioned, the songs are slower on this album, with a very oppressive feel throughout. You feel as though a building is resting on your chest or something when you're listening to this album. You even may have difficulty breathing, the heaviness factor is so profound. Every so often little bursts of speed break through the walls of riffs to lighten things up a little--one of the best songs on the album, "Ageless, Still I Am", benefits from this on its chorus as tantalizingly brief spurts of blast beats keep you jumping up and paying attention. That song has some excellent riffs on the verses, reminiscent of black metal high-end tremolo picking layered underneath the dense 7-string riffs. But I could do without Trey's attempts at black metal screeching on "Secured Limitations", which suffers from rather weak lyrics on top of those annoying vocals. Sorry, Trey, but stick to the guitar and you'll do better.

This is very much a 7-string album, and Trey really exloits the sonorousness of the instrument's lower registers with the slow tempos. I always thought that bands that tune down that low (B flat in MA's case) ought to exploit that to the fullest instead of playing fast riffs that mush out on the lower strings and make a wall of incoherent noise. MA did this and how on this album.

Tucker also came into his own as a vocalist on this album, his harsh shouting and roaring coherent and understandable, yet still ugly. I still will admit a bias towards the mighty David Vincent, but Tucker holds his own on "Gateways..." far better than last time around. His lyrics are also a bit more accessible than Trey's were on the last album.

All in all, this is the best album MA did without David Vincent's Unholy Grail of Death Metal vocals, believe it or not. They showed that Tucker could hang, that they could still write a good album, and I respect them for that. Not quite their best, but still worth a listen or three in the long run, this album is.

This album should be praised by every... - 100%

icedray, May 10th, 2003

metalhead in the world! While I have been listening to metal for over 20 years for some reason I have never listened to Morbid Angel. Then a few weeks ago I decided to give them a try so I picked up Blessed Are the Sick (considered by many their masterpiece) and Gateways to Annihilation. I know many have put Gateways down (except for The Punishment Due, of course) so I did not expect much. But, now I can honestly say that this is one of the most magnificent metal albums I have ever heard. Yes, its that good!

The album starts with the evil buzzing intro of "Kawazu" which is a perfect build up for what is to come - "Summoning Redemption". This song is so heavy and brutal that words cannot describe it. The other thing I also notice is that the vocals are incredible. Steve Tucker's death growls are not only intelligible but are quite brutal and evil. Best death metal vocals I have ever heard.

After that great start, one might expect things to go downhill. Nope! Next up is "Ageless, Still I Am". My God, this is just as heavy and brutal! The guitars are buzzing but distinguishable which is another reason that this is not your standard death metal. Much praise to Trey and Rutan. The lyrics are awesome as well. This is not the ordinary satanic praises or slitting guts type. These are well thought out lyrics that are delivered with bad intentions by Tucker - "Your Fathers tried to slay me, Your Brothers fell before me". Brilliant, absolutely fucking brilliant.

The greatness does continue with "He Who Sleeps" with one of the most catchiest choruses ever heard in the genre - "Forgive me Father? I am not your God...". I sang this to myself for a week straight. Next is "To the Victor the Spoils" where the speed is increased. This is where you truly realize how great of a drummer Sandoval really is. Just fast and powerful and Tucker seems to be shoving the lyrics down your throat. The guitar solo is menacing. Another classic song.

"At One With Nothing" stomps its feet right through your skull then hits with you a doom like riff for a breather then it wails like a banshee then back to some more stomping. Try not to headbang to this one. Then there is a guitar lead that is unexpecting and quite unusual but that is some of the brilliance of Morbid Angel. Don't expect the normal course for a metal song. This band is beyond that.

"Opening of the Gates" opens with a slow heavy riff then it hits high gear with some more great vocals by Tucker. "Secured Limitations" is next. This is evil, plain and simple. There are duel vocals with Tucker and I believe, Trey. The duet works because as heavy and brutal as Tucker is, Trey's vocals are shrieking and possessed. He sounds like he's enduring an excorcism. The guitar solos are also incredible in this song, mixing beauty and evil. Another masterpiece.

Then comes the instrumental "Awakening" to let you catch your breath before the two final brutal songs "I" and "God of the Forsaken". "I" kicks you in the teeth and Tucker's vocals cement him as one of the premiere vocalists in this genre. "God of the Forsaken" is a great closer as it a very heavy song and is a bit of a reminder of what this album is about - "For the Voices that summon me, have grown immense..."

I know I seem to be gushing over this album like a 10 year old school girl over the latest In'Sync album but I cannot help it. From the first time I heard this album, I was floored and still am with each listen. The musicianship is top notch. Tucker deserves much more respect for what I consider the best vocals for this genre. I hope we hear from him in the future. As for Trey, Sandoval and Rutan, just perfect execution. The songwriting is original and brilliant and the lyrics are mesmerizing to say the least.

This album is a metal masterpiece and should be praised by more people. Let go of your preconceived notions that post-Covenant Morbid Angel is nothing to look into. Do yourself a favor as a metalhead, buy this album now and experience its greatness.

Simply amazing! - 100%

Blastbeats, October 1st, 2002

Morbid Angel's 7th release, keeping with their tradition of each album being released in alphabetical order - G is the latest. This album is seriously heavy stuff, not for the faint of heart.

The guitars are tuned down really low, and the guitar sound is really chunky and crushing. The overall pace of the riffing is quite slow, with heavy power chording crushing you skull, and sometimes fast chugging bringing a bit of much needed pace in places. Trey obviously went more for malevolence than the previous releases, but the riffing does get quite technical in places. Quite a few short, crushing riffs that all string together so cause a chaotic atmosphere, built up upon very dark bass play and monster drumming. The soloing is still trademark Trey Azagthoth, with the squealing leads emerging from the destruction him and Erik Rutan ruthlessly create. The lead play is perfect for such a deadly album, and puts the final piece in this jigsaw of evil. The rhythm play is excellent though, with some excellent riffing made for head banging.

Pete Sandoval is a complete MONSTER on the drums here! He completely amazed we with the speed he can play double bass. I have never heard double bass as fast - he must have been on something! The drum rhythms superbly complement the heavy riffing, and turn the songs into skull crushers. As usual, he does an excellent all round job on the sticks, but the double bass and blast beat speed just astounded me. It's inhuman the way he drums, and I still consider him one of the best drummers in the world.

Steve Tucker follows on brilliantly from his first appearance on Formulas Fatal To The Flesh. Really low, malicious bass play, with killer guttural growling. All these elements combined turn this album into hell on earth! Steve doesn't growl for a great part of the album, as it's much more instrumentally based than lyrically.

This album will rip you open and compress your cranium. Their most brutal album to date, and a trend of growing brutality is obviously showing. Maybe they'll call the next one "Heavier Than The Last One!" If you like really down-tuned, crushing death metal with flesh ripping drumming, yet a great deal of coordination, this album is for you. One of my favorites!