Anatomia USA: Morbid Angel I

 

POLISH 

(Note: I dug up some old  ̶s̶h̶i̶t̶e̶ ̶  notes from 2011 - and improved them a bit. I hesitated for a long time about the sense of publishing this, but there is a lot of rare info here, which would be a shame to lose)

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A BOMINATIONS OF DESOLATION

The first album, although Trey later called "Abominations" a demo. Mystery surrounds the history of this album. Music-wise, it's clearly inspired by Venom, though Trey distances himself from the comparisons (just like Quorthon of Bathory did). The truth behind this remains unclear, as apparently, Angel Witch was the main influence. In fact, it enjoyed cult status even before its "official" release. For some fans, it's practically the only true Morbid A. (there was even once a fansite devoted entirely to this particular album, even offering a raw mix, which also included the band's conversations between tracks). The lineup was as following: Mike Browning – drums, vocals, Trey – guitar, Rich Brunelle – second guitar, and John Ortega – bass. That's all we know. For many years, there was a rumor that Scarborough recorded the bass, which turned out to be a lie. Just like the narrative that the album was supposedly recorded by just two people: Trey and Browning. The producer was the future frontman David Vincent. In my opinion, Bill Metoyer is the only one deserving to be considered the producer, as he later corrected everything later properly.

As for the lineup, you could say that Wayne Hartsell, who replaced Browning after this album, was also good. He tried hard, had interesting ideas, and was quite creative. But compared to Sandoval, practically every drummer feels like a rookie. This album is a chronicle of the band's beginnings. You can see that practically not a single note was wasted, aside from what other musicians wrote (like Dallas Ward's "Covens of the Dancer" or Brunelle's "Funerals"). There's a truly uncanny aura surrounding this album. It's hard for me to relate to the occult themes. And without a doubt, if I had had the chance to experience this album earlier, it would probably have been more important for me.

Because there's a certain window for some music. Just like Gorgoroth's "Antichrist", or Satyricon's "Nemesis Divina," which I ignored back in the day, and therefore they will never truly stand out to me. Same with this album - even if I listened to it 20 times a day, it wouldn't have the same impact as if I'd discovered it at a different stage of my Metal journey. However, this doesn't affect my enjoyment of this work, because some things are timeless, as everyone probably knows.

The music itself has a slightly dirtier, filthier character. The band isn't as fast-paced here as on subsequent albums, and it's undoubtedly Morbid's slowest album, with that typical, old-school Kreator-style drumming. I'm 100% certain this album was the Metal blueprint for many well-known musicians. While its mysteriousness makes it seem as the most authentic, the truth is somewhat different, as Trey was already a perfectionist at this stage, and despite the band doing a great job, due to circumstances and times, Trey was still very dissatisfied with the sound. Even if it sounds classic for an underground band playing completely anti-fashion music.

It's worth noting the lyrical differences between Browning and Trey. Trey gravitated toward the occult, primal hymns to the ancients, while Browning preferred a frontal attack on Christians and Abrahamic religions in general. Perhaps that's why Trey later regretted the lyrics to "Chapel of Ghouls," as all the iconoclastic and blasphemous passages like "Crush the Priest" were clearly Mike's. As for the solos, they're completely indecipherable and chaotic, and truth be told, they would remain that way for another 10 years after the recording of A.O.D. I don't know if there was a division of roles like on Altars, probably yes, but I can't for the life of me tell who's playing which solo and when. As for the bass, it's just there. It's not as good as Dallas' (M.A. first bassist - ed. note), and frankly, it's mediocre, just like Vincent's. I'm even willing to believe the official website (though apparently it's untrue) that all the guitars are by Trey. Especially since only he (along with Vincent) were present for the mix, etc. so who knows if he didn't delete some of the tracks, or meddled with them in some way.

 

It's funny for me how I perceived this album before I knew the band, and after. Back before, I saw them more as a bunch of orthodox bunch with a classic approach to playing Death Metal, like many others. I had no idea that these guys were closer in personality to Motley Crue than to Deicide. Back then, the album seemed too iconic to be in official circulation, and its official release was treated like a gift, a rarity. Now that I know the history behind the album and the band's philosophy, I know it was released purely for profit, and that the band didn't really want anything to do with it. And although most of the material ended up on later albums, there's still something incredible about this album.

 

Interestingly, in later versions of the songs, the word "Azagthoth" was replaced everywhere with "Ancient Ones", which is clearly visible on the second "official" album. 

The Invocation / Chapel of Ghouls – after fantastic intro, we're quickly introduced to "Chapel of Ghouls," which is much better in this version. The reason it was re-recorded for "Altars" is because Trey preferred to bury this particular version in obscurity. It has to be said, it's a perfect opening for the album. It brings to mind Slayer's "Hell Awaits." Overall, the tracklisting for this album is quite clever, but that could be said of any of the band's albums.

Unholy Blasphemies – twice as long as the "Blessed..." version. There are also different solos here. Not to mention that the whole thing sounds slower and more hypnotic.

Angel of Disease – the version from "Covenant" is much better, but then again, it's something of a tribute to "that old" MA, or more like, this incarnation of MA.

Azagthoth – in later versions this word is replaced by "Ancient Ones." However, this is not a translation of the word. "Azagthoth" is the blind foolish god, and Trey also adopted this nickname.

The Gate / Lord of All Fevers – yes, the second intro. Why? The Gate was supposed to open the second side of the vinyl/cassette. Neat, isn't it? "Lord of All Fevers" is a rather lively and catchy opening to the second half of the album. And the song is slightly longer and slower than the version on "Altars," which, incidentally, was treated as an exclusive bonus track on the CD version.

Hell Spawn – the song was re-recorded for "Formulas." And the second version is much more brutal than this one. This one has an almost Rock feel. Lyrics by Browning.

Abominations – this version might not be that different, but the solos are certainly different. I wonder if Trey was overall able to repeat his note-by-note his solo wankery.

Demon Seed - like "Hellspawn," it features lyrics by Browning. Like "Hellspawn," it's a fast, almost punk-influenced track. It could be said that it's the Angels' simplest song. Interestingly, the older version, in addition to a different chorus, had "The Gate" as its intro.

Welcome to Hell – the song's title sounds like taken from Venom, so it was later changed to "Evil Spells." The only difference is the lyrics (original by Browning). This version, has a different bridge after the chorus. On "Altars," it's more chaotic, here it's more Rock-like.

Freshness: The Invocation – new, later used as an intro for „Funerals”. Chapel of Ghouls, Unholy Blasphemies, Azagthoth, Hell Spawn – then quite fresh, early 1986. Angel of Disease – old, from 1983. The Gate – 1985, used as an intro for previous version of „Demon Seed”. Lord of All Fevers – old, 1984 / 1985. Abominations – the newest, as it was written specifically for this album. I certainly did not find any early live version. Demon Seed, Welcome to Hell – oldies, 1984.

Summary: Premiere track: 1. Newer tracks: 5. Older tracks: 5. As this is actually a real debut and not a demo, one can say that the level of freshness of the material reaches 70%, and I am very surprised that "Maze of Torment" is not on this one, especially since it's also one of MA's older tracks.