Formulas Fatal For Success
Ronald Placeres | Miami, Florida | 11/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of my favorite Morbid Angel albums in my collection. I bought it sometime in the summer of 1998. Before the release of the album, the band was under a lot of heat. They were no longer with Giant Records but the band was back on Earache Records. This was the label that distributed their first 2 albums which are Alters Of Madnes and Blessed Are The Sick. I know I have not said this before but Domination was the last album that the band released on Giant. After that, they resigned with Earache and released the live Entangled In Chaos album but on the labal. After that, second guitarist Eric Rutan had left to form Hate Eternal as well as other projects and longtime bassist, vocalist and frontment David Vincent went on to join The Genotorturers. This left the band as Trey Azagthoth and Pete Sandoval. Many people said at the time that the band was finished. However, the band still continued. So they recruited Steve Tucker as new bassist, vocalist and frontman but the band stayed as a 3-piece. Anyway, they went into the studio and recorded a masterpiece of an album together and it surely delivered.
Now on with my review. With this album, it is a totally new direction for the band but at the same, they retain all the elements that have made them who they are as a band. Especially on this album because those elements have been delivered more severely than they ever had before but with the edition of newer elements. I mean this is a statement album. The lyrics demonstrate where the band is coming from emontionally, spiritually, dogmatically, conceptually, consciously and mentally. The music however is multi-dimensional. You still have songs with killer riffs, harsh vocals, thunderous bass, solos and blast beats but lets also not forget that some of the songs are speedy, medium-pace, slow or they are just a combination of 2 or all of them. Some of the songs have harmonies, melodies, keyboards and just incredable song arrangements. The others are instrimentals. Most of them have classical influences while others consist of drum arrangements, keyboards and haunting and at times, beautiful musical passages. So with this album, the listener will know who the band is on all sides with nothing missing. So this is a mandatory purchase especially for people like myself who love death metal with an overall amount of talent, potential, dynamics, creativity and unlimited, incredible musicianship. Some of my favorite songs here are Heaving Earth, Prayer Of Hatred, Nothing Is Not, Hellspawn: The Rebirth, Hymnos Rituales De Guera, Hymn To A Gas Giant and Invocation Of The Continual One which is the best song on the whole album as well as my favorite. That song has the potential of blowing just about anyone away if given half the chance. So buy this album and taste the formulas that destroy the flesh."
The best metal HAD to offer and it still kicks
Warheart | Florida, USA | 04/29/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Back in'98, things looked grim(to me) for Morbid Angel. But with Steve Tucker as bass and vocals, Morbid Angel was back! This is death metal at its finest complete with Trey's always awesome fretwork, Petes masterful and precise drumwork, Steves guttural demonic voice, insane polyrhythms, deep and somewhat confusing lyrics but none the less, this is a masterpiece in metal. If you like death metal, this is a MUST BUY!!!!!!!!! This is the only MA album you need besides Altars of Madness. The rest are kinda lame, well Blessed are the Sick was good. BUY THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"