MOMM: Pick from the 90s

The '90s... that time when grunge took over & the affiliation for guitars suffered an internal conflict; minimalism vs extremism. Why did we bother to contemplate at all, if we were true music fans, really. Anyway, I got sucked into grungefest briefly before realizing my true inclinations & the need to return to what makes me tick - metal. The above three albums were on my playlist, so to speak, considering 'playlist' back then was that bunch of cassette tapes or CDs you always brought along in your bag.

Bathory: Octagon (1995)

This is one of those glorious cassette tapes I own back then & it was a legit local copy. The original version cost nearly thrice as much. I have a soft spot for this one as opposed to the cult favourites - Blood, Fire, Death / Hammerheart - as it retains a substantial amount of right hand chugging while treading the extreme metal domain. One of those very addictive HM-2 tones are here for your reverence.

Morbid Angel: Covenant (1993)

Another esteemed favourite in cassette tape form. Its predecessor, Blessed Are the Sick (1991), was a let down for me; the band bloody slowed down. Covenant re-visited the speed aspects of the band's music albeit not entirely. This is also the first album without the late Richard Brunelle so Trey forged the guitar works here alone & he did fine but the solos hinted going south. We could all agree that Brunelle was the better player between them. 

Slayer: Undisputed Attitude (1996)

This album was part of my initial years in the CD domain. Back then, I really had to save good money to purchase CDs. One CD could have easily gotten me 3 cassette tapes so some intense considerations really needed to happen before I parted with money. This album got me thinking hard because it was an EP of punk covers done the Slayer way, there's only one new song on offer; Gemini (which became my personal favourite very quickly). In the midst of all the CD buying, I still needed to buy guitar strings so the struggle was real. 

Pics: Last FM / Amazon 

MOMM (3)

Something new & old this time round.

Tulus: Old, Old Death

They are still around & at it. It's the same lineup as Olm Og Bitter but the production this time round is very clean cut & dare I say, clear. What I like & respect about the band from the start (till now) is the ability to diversify the instruments during dedicated moments. The bass is still that adventurous element with much presence & no obligations to double the guitar - that's what got me into the band. This album did not sit too well with some reviewers namely for its predictability but in my opinion, the essence of raw black metal is still here & marked. 

Morbid Angel: Illud Divinum Insanus

I have all Morbid Angel albums in my phone less this one. I revisited it today in the hope of liking it for a peculiar appeal but it's a difficult affair. This is supposed to be a come-back release of sort but failed in many ways. The key displeasure here is that odd integration of samples & absence of real drums in some songs. Listeners, especially cult followers, are confused trying to figure out what this album was trying to put forth. The Morbid Angel element is quite present, leaving many to believe that it's a get by offering to welcome David VIncent back into the fold. I didn't bother much & it won't make its way into my phone's playlist any time soon.

RIP: Richard Brunelle

Late news; Richard Brunelle just passed away late September. Part of the low key announcement was family members keeping it a hushed affair & we respect that. Growing up listening to Morbid Angel (when cassette tapes were it), Brunelle highlighted the fact that guitarists in the death metal genre were legit players; the ability to play is real. All this in the midst of music media trashing the genre for the musicianship & the vocal delivery especially. Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness merited a Top 10 metal album of the year under Guitar World magazine's annual ranking exercise that year & Blessed Are the Sick moved the band on steadily thereafter. To a great loss in talent - Rest in Peace, Richard Gene Brunelle.

Solar Vadim

So the Morbid Angel dude got his signature Solar guitars. I'm still waiting for the A2.6LN to be back n stock. Damn.

Seen above: Dan Vadim's signature V1.6 DVV (red) & A1.7DVV

PIC: Solar Guitars

Current spin

Some new release I've acquired (from Inokii) & listening to:

• Meshuggah: Koloss. I'm a big fan of the band (not just the guitar duo there). The current music scene has a label genre for what these guys have been doing for years- DJENT. It's a pathetic label, Meshuggah had been peddling heavy music their style, people appreciate what they are doing & attempt to refer to it conveniently. One more time: There's no djent, just Meshuggah & the music thereafter.
• Naglfar: Teras. A re-emergence by one of the flag bearers of black metal, not quite refreshing but essential.
• Borknagar: Urd. Still listening to this one, holding back all opinions on it.
• Morbid Angel: Illud... remixes. Majority of the tracks here are annoying. But I'm glad I bought it. Strange, but true... more on this to come.

Morbid Angel: Illud Divinum Insanus

To us Morbid Angel fans, the release of Illud Divinum Insanus was the end of an 8-year wait. That's how long it took for the band to finally showcase their 'I' release (it's a strict alphabetical naming beginning with A: Altars of Madness, B: Blessed are the sick, C: Covenant, etc.). Things happened along the way but more importantly, the band had a new album out to document their progress.

Pete Sandoval was not in this recording due to back injury...

... & filling in this time was Tim Yeung. He was a sound inclusion (no puns intended) due to his technical competence. Yeung paid tribute to Sandoval as evident in Existo Vulgore; Sandoval's signature snare hits were there in case you missed them.

Destructhor (aka Thor Anders Myhren) was the surprise inclusion in this recording line-up, so he wasn't a strict live filler after all. He wrote 2 songs in this album: Too Extreme! & Blades for Baal. I knew that Too Extreme! required some Euro-pop sensibilities & Thor would have been the most likely person to have penned it. I really wish he could put out some more Myrkskog materials soon...

Trey Azagthoth is still at it, churning out some of the best death metal guitar works ever. However, we can clearly hear the different playing styles between Trey & Destructhor- the ones with more tapping; that's Trey. The sweep works; those belong to Thor.

But the limelight this time round had to be David Vincent's return to the line-up. Many fans had likened him to the Morbid Angel entity itself, attributing the band's lesser appeal to his departure after Covenant. 

I grew up listening to Morbid Angel for a simple reason; the band had guitar players who can shred as well as rip ears off with their intense riffing. They (Trey Azagthoth & Richard Brunelle) were not mono-ability players, they are good at both aspects of guitar playing. This 'I' album, in my opinion, is a mediocre affair. Despite retaining their in-your-face music, it seems that some aspects of Marylin Manson & Satyricon had leaked into the release. Both David & Trey cited the need for fresh perspective as the reason why Morbid Angel's music sounded like this with the 'I' release. From a personal perspective, I was actually looking forward to the intent of Covenent & brutality of FFF to be served here but as it seems, these were manifested in liberal doses. The album formula was to embrace the new, the reason why an estranged song like Destructos vs The Earth made the numbers. I'm just content with the fact that Morbid Angel did not give up their arts & are still in this business to shock the world.

Morbid date

From source: Floridian death metal veterans MORBID ANGEL will make an exclusive Southeast Asian appearance in Singapore on May 25. More details will be made available soon.

This is my kinda show, will definitely be there.

AzagDEAN

I have always looked up to Morbid Angel's Trey Azagthoth as one of the more formidable players in the death metal scene; he is surely one who doesn't forsake technicality for intensity.

Azagthoth is currently endorsed by DEAN guitars & is seen here with a one-off Razorback model.

Destructhor

The speed merchants in the death metal scene are largely chaps who consider guitar technicalities secondary. However, there are formidable players in the circle who shred & grind equally well but these are numbered. One of my fav players in this light would be Destructhor who came out from obscurity when he became a member of Zyklon (featuring Samoth & Trym of Emperor) & you should very well check out what he did for Myrkskog to know where he stands in terms of guitar playing. the big deal here is that his sweep arpeggios are staple in his riffs as well as solos. He's also in the precision school of guitar assault where one can simply hear the absence of sloppiness in his playing. Perhaps this is the reason why he was drafted as Morbid Angel's latest live guitarist (June 2008).