My second favorite of these guys nowadays.

Formulas... seems to be quite a popular Morbid Angel record around these parts. It's probably the only of the first 6 that I'm not really familiar with.

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It's either a generational thing, or a 'I'm sick of all their older albums and now this sounds better to me' kind of thing that the speaker is unaware of. i.e unaware that they have gravitated to that album for that reason.

It could also be the fact that it was the last truly strong M.A album, but Gateways...has its fans, especially in the younger gens.


N.P AT THE DRIVE IN Relationship of Command

^^Only found out a few weeks ago that these guys split up again. Barely heard a peep about it. Guess it isn't 2001 anymore.

I’ve always enjoyed Gateways... and it’s murkiness. I think I just never developed any strong feelings either way on Formulas... when it first dropped, and although the high regard for it now makes me want to really revisit it, I don’t think my feelings for it is going to swing either way.



It was hardly surprising. Relationship... gets deserved credit, but is there really an audience for these guys where there is tempered expectations? I felt the same way with Refused coming back. Their magnum opuses are just far too monumental, and quitting effectively after them, both groups just never had the chance to properly follow through (or the very least, settle into something beyond mythical status). Plus I can only imagine the tensions considering AtDI’s acrimonious breakup originally (or at least the early-00s one, as they were on/off again before that). Glad I go to see them for a second time though, after the disappointment of the whole ‘sheep’ episode.

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Tumbleweed - The Waterfront Years

CHINESE: I reckon GTA is too cleanly produced to qualify as murky, that's part of the problem I have with it. I wish it sounded dirtier.

I saw ATDI twice in early 2001. That's enough for me. I saw them in their prime, when there was a genuine buzz about them. I doubt they expected to continue where they left off (culturally) when they returned, but the album they put out was pretty average really. It wasn't even as good as Casino let alone Relationship.


N.P Souflly Ritual

Gateways has a shitty drum sound though and the songwriting doesn't feel as ambitious as that of Formulas but I'd give it a 4/5 score.

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^^Didn't you use to prefer Gateways to it though?

N.P Tony Macalpine Death of Roses.

I used to, yeah.

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Earlier I couldn't get into this due to the vocals. I don't mind them now though.

It's fucking awesome.

Shit cover artwork!

That thing relegated itself to the 'not worth bothering with' category once Altars came out. I had that fucking tape for ages. Seemed mental heavy at the time. It wasn't.

I prefer Abominations... to Altars..., and it's certainly better than any of the post-Domination albums. The Tucker ones are all poor to average.

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Seems like their first EP is more my kind of thing.

No, it's not. Altars is fucking heavier, faster and has a better sound, drummer and singer on it. The first 3 albums are all anyone needs to hear from the Vincent era. Formulas and Gateways are ace. New one is proper MA death metal.

I found it turgid, directionless, overlong and utimately boring.

Altars... would be ten times better if they hadn't put all that reverb on the vocals, no need for that at all. The songs are great, obviously but it's the worst sounding of the first four albums.

To me that's one of the things that set AoM apart.

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Gateways is better than Formulas IMO, but a frog chorus is not metal and never will be