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Class 6(66)
Morbid Angel: Formulas fatal to the flesh
10/12/12 || Sokaris
Introduction
There’s this rare phenomenon called a fire whirl. An updraft of flame creates a hellish vortex that annihilates all within its path. The power of a tornado fuels a column of scorching heat and the results are shockingly deadly. An eruption of fire in its own right, “Formulas fatal to the flesh” scorches earth, an ultra-aggressive statement of intent from death metal statesmen Morbid Angel. The genre’s golden age had come to a close and David Vincent, frontman of the band’s first tetralogy of albums, was out of the picture. Though Domination wasn’t as strong as the A , B or C entries in the discography it still would’ve served as a fine swansong, an excellent closing chapter to an unmatched career.
But fuck all that. Steve Tucker was summoned forth to become the new voice of Morbid Angel and six-string mastermind Trey Azagthoth found he still had some burning to do.
Songwriting
9. The tempo is upped without sacrificing complexity and the Morbid compositions are just as twisted as ever. The rapidfire blastbeat massacre of “Bil ur-sag” is offset by the massive groove of a song like “Nothing is not” and “Invocation of the continual one” creates an epic atmosphere over its extended length, serving as an even more ambitious trek beyond the trails blazed by songs like “God of emptiness” or “Fall from grace.” There’s just enough diversity to maintain the intensity throughout nearly the entire playing time… more on that before the score.
Production
9. Quite possibly the band’s best production. Thick, organic-sounding drums that punch, spread throughout the guitar-heavy mix. Said guitars are thickened through tone rather than overly-tracked, so the individual ticks and personality in the playing is still present. The lead tone is, expectedly at this point, otherworldly. Steve Tucker’s voice dominates the low-end, rumbling alongside the bass frequencies, but still maintaining clarity and precision.
Guitars
8. The individual riffs are a little more straightforward as far as Trey’s general style goes but plenty of room is left for the less orthodox techniques the band is known to employ. Low tremolo riffs and palm-muted chunky grooves seasoned with eerie harmonies are the general ingredients found in this fleshy feast. Some of the most memorable moments come in the departures, like “Prayer of hatred” stripping down mostly to one guitar, the second track providing a percussive accent or the pick-scraping heaving heaviness that is the opening riff of “Nothing is not”. The only bands that would come up with something like that are Morbid Angel and bands trying to sound like Morbid Angel.
Vocals
9. I really don’t understand the excitement of David Vincent’s return to Morbid Angel. Although any good will extended towards him from fans has likely turned into the animosity of a jilted lover, the initial return of Evil D was met with excitement. Fucking why? Early Morbid Angel is untouchable in the vocal department, I’ve said as much in my other Class6(66) on the band, but you can’t seriously tell me that “Domination” has better vocals than “Formulas fatal to the flesh”. Steve Tucker is a maniac, especially in songs where he’s growling Sumerian to 200+ BPM blasts. I’d like to see Vincent attempt to do something from this album live and learn some damn humility.
Bass
7. The bass gets a decent spot in the mix, it blends together with the guitar’s low end but that gives the whole thing more weight when the heavy riffs kick in. Steve gets to carry part of “Covenant of death” while some gentle clean arpeggios are played on guitar. I’m giving an extra point just for the insanely awesome playing stance Tucker employed live. Only the Derek Boyer standup bass formation can counter it.
Drums
10. Pete Sandoval comes across as a man attempting to turn a drum kit into kindling. He’s razor-sharp, ultra-precise and shows no mercy, handling ridiculous tempos like his resting pulse is a damn blastbeat. On top of all of this, he’s a real songwriter, crafting catchy rhythms and infectious fills. The phrase “drum god” is reserved for a select few. Most of those guys probably look up to Pete Sandoval.
Lyrics
9. An about face from the slightly more “real” lyrics on “Domination”, “Formulas” features texts inspired by and in tribute to the Ancient Ones. Steeped in dark atmospheres, all channeled into a sort of philosophical onslaught of might, will and that sort of thing. Plenty of tongue-twisting Ancient Sumerian passages to challenge those who wish to sing along and badassery befitting such a hellish growl.
Cover art
8. Not completely sure what to make of it. A surreal flame monster emerging from the bizarre below with tortured human flesh and otherworldly beings in its sightless gaze. Strange, but strangely enough it fits pretty well.
Logo
9. That classic logo. I can’t imagine the band ever using another sigil to identify themselves. This time it’s done with a chrome effect and squashed in the upper left corner.
Booklet
6. Both sides of the traycard feature a fairly cool swampset photo, one of the band and another of Trey covered in Florida muck, screaming into a microphone. The actual booklet is pretty lackluster, featuring faded out gray images on a plain typeset of lyrics.
Overall and ending rant
Thus far I’ve avoided the one issue that prevents this album from the coveted Penis/Touchdown/perfect rating. If you’ve heard “Formulas fatal to the flesh” to its conclusion you probably already know. Of the album’s fourteen tracks, five are instrumentals. This fact alone isn’t the problem, since Morbid Angel has crafted listenable interludes before. In fact, the first two featured are fairly well done. The problem is that the last three are seemingly tacked onto the end like the band had an extra day in the studio already paid for and decided to use whatever they could get on tape. It’s easy enough to just press stop after “Invocation of the continual one” and I’d imagine that about 100% of the time that’s what people do, beyond the first listen. Unfortunately Trey didn’t learn his lesson that just because something is fun to make doesn’t mean other people want to listen to it (see Illud divinnum insanus or better yet don’t) but in this case the unnecessary indulgence doesn’t do that much damage.
- Information
- Released: 1998
- Label: Earache Records
- Website: www.morbidangel.com
- Band
- Steve Tucker: vocals, bass
- Trey Azagthoth: guitars
- Pete Sandoval: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Heaving earth
- 02. Prayer of hatred
- 03. Bil ur-sag
- 04. Nothing is not
- 05. Chambers of Dis
- 06. Disturbance in the great slumber
- 07. Umulamahri
- 08. Hellspawn: The rebirth
- 09. Covenant of death
- 10. Hymn to a gas giant
- 11. Invocation of the continual one
- 12. Ascent through the spheres
- 13. Hymnos rituales de guerra
- 14. Trooper
