Known as one of the most original and influential bands in the genre and beyond, Morbid Angel are legends in their own right; true pioneers of death metal who have been perfecting the fine art of extreme music for nearly thirty years.
With their last release in 2011, album Illud Divinum Insanus, the first Morbid Angel album in 16 years to feature original vocalist David Vincent, which was coined a mid-paced, industrial-tinged and a disappointment to most of their loyal fans, the recent release of their ninth studio album, Kingdoms Disdained sees a return to the real Morbid Angel sound which can be directly linked to the reunion of guitarist and founder Trey Azagthoth with bassist and vocalist Steve Tucker who led Morbid Angel for three albums between 1997 and 2004.
“I think that’s a chemistry thing, that was never really talked about between Trey and myself, that’s an album that never happened,” Tucker explains, of the ill-fated Illud Divinum Insanus. “I think it’s an album that people involved that made that album (sic.). When everybody has a different opinion of what the band actually is, you end up with an effort like that.
“For me man, Morbid Angel is and always is the epitome of death metal,” he continues. “If somebody said show me one band in death metal, I would show them Morbid Angel. I mean, that’s what it’s always been for me so I think to take such a left turn, I don’t think it’s very shocking to anyone that fans weren’t too thrilled with that album.
“Of course in this social media world there’s some haters but there always is. I think most people would agree this album [Kingdoms Disdained] is a pretty intense album, and it’s what you would expect out of a Morbid Angel album, it has all of the elements you would expect.”
As the epitome of death metal, Kingdoms Disdained marks a return to the bludgeoning death metal style fans were accustomed to; a flat-out, uncompromising and brutal metal assault. Recorded at Mana Studios in St. Petersburg, FL and produced by Morbid Angel with Erik Rutan (Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Hate Eternal, Six Feet Under, Belphegor), Azagthoth, Tucker and drummer Scotty Fuller created 11 pieces of devastatingly dynamic death metal, with some serious menacing vocals by Tucker himself. However, it’s the trust between Azagthoth and Tucker that recaptured the type of brutality they tapped into on 1998’s Formulas Fatal to the Flesh and 2000’s Gateway to Annihilation.
“Honestly, I think Trey really likes the direction I have always taken with the vocals, he always tells me to do whatever,” he explains. “We will talk about stuff, I’ll always ask Trey what he was thinking or whatever when he wrote stuff, and sometimes that ends up being a topic of a song. As far as phrasing, Trey doesn’t really say much at all. He usually doesn’t even really listen to it until the end and then he’ll say man that was great!
“I think he trusts me and trusts that I’m going to make something he’s going to like. Honestly, if he came to me and he passionately said dude I hate this, ‘I hate this please change it’, then I would change it. I have no problem with that, I would change it if he felt so strongly about any part, but that’s never happened. To me Morbid Angel is about a vision that Trey’s always had, every album is still about Trey’s vision of what Morbid Angel is and should be and what it’s about, I think he should always be happy and content, he should always feel inside his own Kingdom if you will.”
Armed with the furious, apocalyptic, go-for-broke record, Morbid Angel are embarking on a US headlining tour in April, with Tucker touching on the possibility of bringing the all-in release to Australia.
“I’m hoping that it will be later in the year sometime, I know everyone’s weighing options and stuff but hopefully we’ll make that happen sooner than later,” he admits. “I’ve never myself been to Australia and I want to go, I really want to see it so I’m going to push for it as much as I can. There is some amazing metal coming out of Australia right now and it seems like a great place to go play metal, so I think it will be a great thing.”
So take some advice: don’t walk meekly around the edge of Kingdoms Disdained, go all-in on the journey and Morbid Angel’s intense importance to these times will be crystal clear.
Release: Kingdoms Disdained out now.
Interview by Glenn Lynch
Written by Talia Rinaldo