Formulas and Gateways are both really good (I'm more of a fan of the former at the moment) but their latest doesn't do much for me at all I'm afraid. I really wish it did though!

While "Kingdoms Disdained" is certainly a better record than "Illud Divinum Insanus" & "Heretic" (which isn't saying much) I still don't think it makes for a rewarding death metal experience.

I thought you preferred Gateways? I guess you finally came to your senses!

Hold your horses. My opinion might change again in the not so distant future, mate.

But seriously, I used to regard Gateways as a much more consistent album than FFF, but nowadays the latter just does something for me the former doesn't. I could have done without the non-death metal tracks on the album though.

Also I've been really digging The Chasm's From the Lost Years... lately. It's epic, dare I say emotive death metal that's rather progressive (no choruses absent here) and full of adventure. Fucking great stuff!

Yeah The Chasm are a great band. I actually prefer their later material to "From The Lost Years...". I think "Procession To The Infraworld" might be my favourite.

I said this a while ago and I believe you disagreed with me: Formulas was the last really cohesive sounding M.A record that sounded like it was composed as a proper album.

Gateways, as good as it is at times, just sounds like a collection of a decent songs. I don't sense an overarching 'vision' (for lack of a better word) to it.

The last album was good but completely forgettable, which is pretty much what I expected it to be even if I was hoping for something more.

It's sad to see a once great band become another face in the crowd, but that's precisely what M.A are and have been for almost 2 decades. What makes it worse is that many of their contemporaries have either regained their previous form to some degree (e.g Obituary) or completely reinvented themselves (e.g Gorguts). and then you have the next generation of bands like Portal releasing stellar material that leaves their last 3-4 albums in the dust.

Exactly, one of the safest DM records I have heard in a long time. Trey not playing much of any leads for 3 and a half to 4 minute tracks of blasting DM.

Article on the recording of Cause Of Death: https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2019/02 ... -of-death/

I know I’m late to the party, but that was an interesting article. Didn’t know the stuff about the original bassist, or details regarding Murphy’s departure (I kind of assumed he’d left given his track record). I was always aware Donald Tardy was not a fan of triggered kicks. I even recall reading in an interview that Cause of Death was the only album where he used triggers.

Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm is the one for me. It's was pretty important in getting me into death metal weirdly. I was big on the atmospheric black metal at the time, so to get a death metal equivalent was a big deal for me.

One cool band I discovered lately again is Pentacrostic from Brazil.

Debut seems to be a bit on the evil side of death metal things (although I'm not sure what to compare it to)


Second album is a bit more mysterious/gothic-y sounding but still has great riffs.