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Talking about Morbid Angel is talking about death metal. A pioneer of this movement, formed in the mid-80s, and after their recording debut with Altars Of Madness, the American band in February 1991 gave birth to one of the darkest, sickest, and most extreme albums ever conceived at that time, Blessed Are The Sick, an album decidedly heavier and more twisted compared to the more straightforward debut.
After being dazzled by the splendor of the cover, depicting Delville's painting "Les tresors de Satan," an apocalyptic intro opens a flood of malignancy exemplarily vomited by the much-lamented David Vincent, a perfect screamer and charismatic frontman whom Morbid Angel has not been able to adequately replace with the talented Steve Tucker. In this work, the songwriting is at its peak, with the four members at the height of their abilities, thanks to the great display of power and technique by Pete Sandoval on drums and the musical taste of Richard Brunelle, the band's only melodic soul, whose departure, in fact, will cause the band to lose some of those melancholic and dreamlike atmospheres that significantly contributed to creating a dark and malevolent feeling. In Blessed Are The Sick, we can literally find everything: powerful and cadenced tracks, grind outbursts, sweet and decadent instrumental pieces, lightning-fast solos; songs like "Brainstorm," "The Ancient Ones," and "Unholy Blasphemies" have now become classics of the band, as well as of death metal.
Amid so much cruelty, the authentic poetry of "Desolate Ways" emerges, which, in my opinion, is the most bitter, sad, and intense arpeggio ever written by Morbid Angel, encapsulating all the spirit and essence of Blessed Are The Sick, whose sensations, so violent and savage, are expressed through such a gentle and haunting piece. It is undeniable that this second effort is undoubtedly the darkest, most introspective, and fundamental work both for Morbid Angel's career and for the global death scene; an important album that, when listening to it now, will make us long for the old days.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
03 Brainstorm (02:35)
Gods transform me
The storm will cleanse me
Civilized I shall not be
By this holy strain of laws
I fall below the earth
I smell the ancients breath
The fiends encircle me
They speak my name in tongues
For I'm no human now
I burn the ways conform
The gods are pleased with me
They speak my name in tongues
I am the seer
I know the texts divine
Thunder words
Demons race into my eyes
Azazel
Lend to me your wings of twelve
I shall fly into the storm
I, son of fire, in anger become
The lightning bolts that strike the earth
10 Abominations (04:27)
Churning sea of Absu
Place of weeping death
Tiamat, dark serpent
Lord of the morbid priests
Enraged with hate for god
The priests of chaos chant
From the book of the worm
They burn the symbols of christ
We spit on the virgin lamb
And mock the words he spoke
His ways not worthy of me
We choose to burn in the pits of hell
Wreakers of death and havoc
Inflicting never ending pain
Sing the words of emptiness
Formulas of death
Call the queens of hell
And the god of the dead
The sea of Absu rolls
Rising spirit of Nar-Marratuk!!!
Bow down before the master
And pray the defeat of God Dog
Prayer of the ensnarers
Blind fiends of chaos rule
Rise up o powers of the sea
In the name of Absu I call
Come and carry my curse
To the ones who me disgust
May they burn in my cauldron
For they are as molten wax
So made it be
Liars in wait, priests of the night
Make images to burn by the moon
Robbing the spirit, raping god's law
Send up our hate to burn heavens gate
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By ChaosA.D.
Blessed Are The Sick is one of those many (perhaps the best) examples that a fan of extreme metal can cite in defense of their favorite genre.
You will feel the echo of your footsteps as you walk through a dark street in a post-apocalyptic landscape.
