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Group Members: David Vincent
Groups like Venom, Mercyful Fate, and Slayer may have founded death metal in the early '80s, but it wasn't until such disciples as Morbid Angel came along at the close of the decade that the genre was pushed to its most extreme level, both musically and lyrically. Formed in 1984 in Florida, Morbid Angel (along with Death) would also help spearhead an eventual death metal movement in their home state, which would include such notables as Deicide and Obituary, among countless others. From its inception, the group's leader has been guitarist/songwriter Trey Azagthoth, who has successfully maintained that Morbid Angel stick to their guns throughout countless musical fads during their career. Over the course of their first few releases, 1989's Altars of Madness and 1991's Blessed Are the Sick (the latter considered by many as a landmark release in the death metal genre), the group's lineup consisted of Azagthoth, vocalist/bassist David Vincent, guitarist Richard Brunelle, and drummer Pete Sandoval. With Brunelle bowing out of the group shortly thereafter and replaced by Erik Rutan, Morbid Angel had come across what would become the longest-lasting lineup of their career, showcased on such albums as 1991's Abominations of Desolation, 1993's Covenant, 1995's Domination, and 1996's in-concert Entangled in Chaos, before Vincent jumped ship and was replaced with Steve Tucker. The Tucker-led lineup lasted for a pair of releases, 1997's Formulas Fatal to the Flesh and 2000's Gateways to Annihilation, before he was replaced with former Hate Eternal vocalist/bassist Jared Anderson. Morbid Angel spent the summer of 2001 touring U.S. arenas along with Pantera and Slayer as part of the multi-band Extreme Steel Tour.
from Wikipedia:
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked Morbid Angel's 1989 debut Altars of Madness first in its list "Top 40 greatest death metal albums". Decibel Magazine also rated guitarist Trey Azagthoth as the number one "death metal guitarist ever". The band′s songs are complex in arrangement, owing to the considerable technical skills of both Azagthoth and drummer Pete Sandoval, who also played in the grindcore band Terrorizer. According to Nielsen SoundScan, Morbid Angel is the third best-selling death metal band in the United States (after Cannibal Corpse and Deicide with sales of over 445,000; with their third album Covenant being the best-selling death metal album of all time with over 127,000 units sold.
History
Morbid Angel was formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida. The band made their debut in 1987 on the New Renaissance Records record label. They recorded their debut album, Abominations of Desolation, in 1986, but the band was unsatisfied with the final product and it remained unreleased until 1991. Their first proper studio album, Altars of Madness, was released in 1989.
Morbid Angel was one of the original death metal bands signed to Earache Records, and was also influential in the transition of death metal from its thrash metal roots to its current form by incorporating guttural vocals, up-tempo blast beats, atonality in guitar soloing, and dark, chunky, mid-paced rhythms. They were also the first death metal band to have a touch of mainstream success in connection with being signed to Giant Records in 1992 and having the music video for the song "God of Emptiness" shown on an episode of Beavis and Butt-head.
The band's original lyrical themes focused mostly on Satanism, occultism and anti-Christian subject matter, but from Blessed Are the Sick onward, the lyrics moved toward the ancient Sumerian gods. Much of this is a nod to the Simon Necronomicon, which was influenced by Sumerian mythology, the author H. P. Lovecraft, and fascination with the Roman Empire. However, some anti-religious elements continue to permeate the lyrics. Their albums are notable for being released in alphabetical order (their first album starts with the letter A, the second with B, etc.). Guitarist Trey Azagthoth commented in an interview that it was a coincidence with the first two albums, but has been done consciously since then.
Morbid Angel's appearance on some of the mid-summer 2008 European festivals was announced as a "short break from writing and pre-production of their new 8th studio album". In May 2008, it was announced that Thor Anders Myhren of Zyklon would be the band's new touring guitarist. Myhren will also appear on the new album. During European tours and festivals in 2008, a new song entitled "Nevermore" was played from the forthcoming album.
On March 5, 2011, the band headlined the Scion Rock Fest in Pomona, California. This performance was their first in the US in six years, aside from a one-off show in Los Angeles in May 2009. On March 18, 2010, the band announced that Tim Yeung would play drums on the upcoming album, allowing Pete Sandoval to recover from back surgery. On June 22, 2010, the band entered the studio to begin the recording of their new full-length album. On March 9, 2011, Morbid Angel confirmed that their new album would be called Illud Divinum Insanus. The album was released on June 7, 2011 on Season of Mist.
