Morbid Angel — Altars of Madness

Earache presents us with the definitive version of this death metal classic, by adding on a 44 minute live show from 1989 tour on DVD, making it a must buy for those who don’t already own it and to those who do own it, well worth buying again.

The album sounds surprisingly fresh after all these years, from the devilish speeding riff poundings to the slow more atmospheric grinding riff torture. With out doubt one of the classic albums of the Earache catalogue, as well as been an album that’s been tried to be recreated by many, including the band themselves, unsuccessfully. Maybe it’s something to do with the production or the way all the elements of their metal song craft messes together, but it still stands as one of the more evil and dark sounding albums all time, murky in its sinister invocations of the old gods.

The other side of the disk is the live concert recording in Nottingham rock city, in 1989 on the live madness tour and takes in blistering live version of classics like Chapel of Ghouls, Damnation and Immortal Rites. The band are on topform, tightly pumping out the tracks with medical precision. Nice to see the stage full with all shapes and sizes of stagedivers too, making you fondly remember those days.

A classic reissue of which you, cant live with out, be nice to see earache give the same treatment to Blessed Are The Sick too, I’m sure there’s some live footage from that period of time in existence.