Morbid Angel - Gateways To Annihilation - guest review
Morbid Angel - Gateways To Annihilation - guest review
Tracklist
01. Kawazu02. Summoning Redemption
03. Ageless, Still I Am
04. He Who Sleeps
05. To The Victor The Spoils
06. At One With Nothing
07. Opening Of The Gates
08. Secured Limitations
09. Awakening
10. I
11. God Of The Forsaken
Guest review by
Clintagräm May 05, 2008
While 'Gateways?' at first listen may seem just like a jumbled heap of riffs, blasts, and growls, upon further examination (or experience) the overall image of the album becomes that of a prehistoric, cyclopean entity evoking visions of the chaotic, the surreal, and the numinous. The whole attitude, nay, the whole aura of this album just oozes Lovecraft. The artwork; the lyrics; the eerie, near-eastern lead work; the ominous, crushing riffs; the feral, deistic vocals; the unrelenting arsenal of blasts, fills, and cymbal work; all of these factors together, while exquisite in their own right, coalesce and create a performance that personifies, I feel, Cthulhu in audio form.
As mentioned, the performance of these four "mere mortals" on this album is both technical prolific and impressive. At the helm of the band is Steve Tucker, the relatively new (at the time) bassist, vocalist, and lyrical contributor to the band. While his bass duties are sufficient it is his performance lyrically and vocally which provide a step up to this already exceptional band. With lines like this: "Omniscient are the eyes that see beyond what we choose to see, transcending of beliefs, that limit man's being," what's not to enjoy about Steve Tucker? As always Trey (or George E. as I like to call him) is behind the scenes churning out riff after riff and some exceptional solos along with his partner in crime Erik Rutan, with whom this was the last album. Their output ranges from the slow and slithering to the fast and fierce, all the while being epic as the word can get. Keeping the "beat" is a man who needs no introduction, a classic in the scene, Pete "Commando" Sandoval. Pete has another nickname, that simply being "Feet," and if you listen to this album it is obvious to decide why. He puts out a performance that many contemporary blasters, along with us fans, still drool at. It is as if time has no effect on this "Elder God."
So all in all, I believe this album holds a little bit more than the average Death Metal album. Of course, the only way to actually understand anything that I have written is to go and listen to the album. So do that. Now!
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by Clintagräm | May 05, 2008
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
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Posts: 7263
Good review. This was my first Morbid Angel album, and mostly because of that reason, this is one of my favorites. It still took me a while to appreciate it, probably because it's not just nonstop blasting. It's definitely their darkest album - the guitar tone is boner time.
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| Insineratehymn
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Good album, I didnt like ''Formulas fatal...'' so this one is a good surprise. ''Ageless, Still I Am'' and ''Opening of the gates'' are the best songs.
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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| TatrasPl
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| second_coming89
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second_coming89
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Wow! the drumming!!  .....That was my reaction when I heard this album for the first time at age 12. It was the first time I'd heard Death Metal, the first time I'd heard kick-drumming. But I was amazed right away! Some may complain about the slower tempo, but I think it adds to the album, it makes it stand out from other MA releases.
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