apeshit.org review

[Uni777]

MORBID ANGEL – Illud Divinum Insanus

With the welcome return of original frontman David Vincent and subsequent years of reunion shows, the stage has been set for one of the most anticipated albums in extreme metal history. Well, some ground rules/warnings need to be set before we get into Illud Divinum Insanus.



Are you a longtime fan that views MORBID ANGEL as the first name in death metal?



Are you expecting to be blown away by a death metal masterpiece that is a worthy successor to Domination?



Do you dislike hardcore (the electronic genre of music) and industrial?



Do you expect a 100% pure death metal album from MORBID ANGEL?



If you answered “yes” to every question, then stay away from this album. You will be utterly disappointed, upset, and just resentful towards the band. Yes, this will be another Load moment.



Illud Divinum Insanus starts off with a grandiose synthesizer intro with chants akin to something from Domination. As it draws to an end, you anticipate an intense death metal track. Instead, the band kicks into a fusion of pounding hardcore, industrial, and death metal. The vocal lines are catchy and David Vincent‘s voice is as good as it ever was. However, it’s easy to envision legions of death metal/MORBID ANGEL purists vomiting in disgust. The following track, “Existo Vulgore,” kicks things to “normalcy.” The rest of the album alternates between mixes of pure death metal, hardcore/industrial, and rock (yes, rock).



First the good and easy to digest point, about half of the album is 100% MORBID ANGEL death metal. There are the scorchers, “Existo Vulgore,” “Blades for Baal,” and “Nevermore.” And man, does the band sound great on these songs – intense, razor sharp, and catchy. “10 More Dead” and “Beauty Meets Beast” are good slithering, energetic songs.



“I am Morbid” introduces the band’s first incorporation of a straight up rock feel to their music. “Radikult” kicks the bouncy rock influence to a new level. The song is an anthem to the band’s longevity and success but with lyrics that are significantly more “living free and wild rock ‘n roll” than Necronomicon. “Destructos VS the Earth / Attack” sounds more appropriate for a GENITORTURERS album.



Guitarist Destructhor (ZYKLON, MYRKSKOG) is the perfect successor to Erik Rutan as his songwriting and guitar solo contributions are seamless. Drummer Tim Yeung does a great job taking the place of beloved drum god, Pete Sandoval.



It’s a no brainer that the band are expecting a large backlash over Illud Divinum Insanus. From a purely commercial point of view, this is not the album that will catapult them back to the commercial success they enjoyed during the Domination era. However, the album is far from being objectively bad. What it really boils down to is the phenomenon that many legendary bands go through: They pioneer and conquer a genre of music. They then decide to incorporate their personal favorite genres into their sound. Results tend to be mixed and fan feedback tends to be negative.



In the case of Illud Divinum Insanus, it really comes down to individual tastes and tolerance. But the bottom line is that this is not the comeback album that the metal world, at large, expected or wholeheartedly wanted. (Season of Mist)

[vO)))id]

[quote name="Void"]Buying that single was the last money I'm ever going to directly spend to this band.[/quote]

[Anjel]

[Spirits of the Deep Waters]

[quote name="Void"]
[quote name="Void"]Buying that single was the last money I'm ever going to directly spend to this band.[/quote][/quote]



Will this still matter when Earache re-releases a DVD/CD edition of Formulas with shitload of live material?

[vO)))id]

No, I would buy that of course. But that money wouldn't directly go to the band but to Earache. And that's what I'm saying.

[jawn galliano]

yeah i won't be buying this album.

[Hallucinating dead]

Destructhor should not be compared to Rutan

[^_____________^]

[quote name="Anjel"][/quote]

[agony bagony]

Yes, this will be another Load moment.

can you hear the band snapping? cause that is a SNAP son

[Abzu]

[quote name="lavaGhoul"]Destructhor should not be compared to Rutan [/quote]

[Spirits of the Deep Waters]

Rutan had some personality in his playing, while Thor is pretty sterile.

[Those Insane Gods]

[quote name="Maze"]Rutan had some personality in his playing, while Thor is pretty sterile.[/quote]



I like Rutan's early stuff though he was always outshined by the people he played with. Shaune in Ripping, Trey in Morbid and Cerrito in Hate Eternal. I have never listened to Zyklon ('cept for the Zyklon-B ep) or Myrkskog. So I can't comment on Thor's material for those bands. But I prefer his solo in Blades of Baal over any solo Rutan has written. Ever.

[Gmajnar]

I like Erik Rutan's compositions, they were in sync with Trey, Pete, David and latter with Steve and they had their personality. For me his climax in Morbid Angel was HATEWORK!

But for me Thor Anders Myhren/Destructhor is ALSO just as perfect fit for Morbid Angel, his playing is really extreme/intense and with lots of felling, his solos are also great and I also like his stage presence - a Migthy Kolosus pounding his rhythms across the Earth:)

Destructhor has a unique style of composing, I can recognize his style, it's sick, twisted and groovy - I really like all Myrkskog and Zyklon albums, where I can enjoy in his madness!

There is really no need to compare as they are both awesome Morbid Angels

[TamPron]

[quote name="Maze"]Rutan had some personality in his playing, while Thor is pretty sterile.[/quote]



I haven't heard Thor's leadwork on the new album, so I can't speak on that, but what I have heard from live vids sounded respectable.



Erik however is my biggest influence lead wise, and my favorite lead player for the simple fact that he lets the notes speak...He can shred, sure, but he prefers to let the majority of the notes that he plays tell their own story, he lets them talk, and he gives each note it's own voice, rather than being a small part of a big shitfest.



One note can say more than a thousand words, if you let it, and Erik does that. His lyrics are amazing when they need to be, but what makes me feel, what makes me want to weep... is his ability to let the music talk and express those intangible fluctuations of the soul.



if a picture is worth a thousand words, what is that one heart wrenching note, bent just the right way worth?







Wow, I went way off topic...



Also, I'm not wearing pants.

[TamPron]

[quote name="Gmajnar"]I like Erik Rutan's compositions, they were in sync with Trey, Pete, David and latter with Steve and they had their personality. For me his climax in Morbid Angel was HATEWORK!

But for me Thor Anders Myhren/Destructhor is ALSO just as perfect fit for Morbid Angel, his playing is really extreme/intense and with lots of felling, his solos are also great and I also like his stage presence - a Migthy Kolosus pounding his rhythms across the Earth:)

Destructhor has a unique style of composing, I can recognize his style, it's sick, twisted and groovy - I really like all Myrkskog and Zyklon albums, where I can enjoy in his madness!

There is really no need to compare as they are both awesome Morbid Angels [/quote]



I can agree with most of this, except that Thor's stage presence is garbage. At least in MA anyway.

[Uni777]

[quote name="COCK BALLS PUBE TITS"]
[quote name="Gmajnar"]I like Erik Rutan's compositions, they were in sync with Trey, Pete, David and latter with Steve and they had their personality. For me his climax in Morbid Angel was HATEWORK!

But for me Thor Anders Myhren/Destructhor is ALSO just as perfect fit for Morbid Angel, his playing is really extreme/intense and with lots of felling, his solos are also great and I also like his stage presence - a Migthy Kolosus pounding his rhythms across the Earth:)

Destructhor has a unique style of composing, I can recognize his style, it's sick, twisted and groovy - I really like all Myrkskog and Zyklon albums, where I can enjoy in his madness!

There is really no need to compare as they are both awesome Morbid Angels [/quote]



I can agree with most of this, except that Thor's stage presence is garbage. At least in MA anyway.[/quote]

True. The gigs i've witnessed he was boring to watch and his solos were not that good. Tony did a better job IMO.

[Abzu]

[quote name="uni777"]
[quote name="COCK BALLS PUBE devy's clits"]
[quote name="Gmajnar"]I like Erik Rutan's compositions, they were in sync with Trey, Pete, David and latter with Steve and they had their personality. For me his climax in Morbid Angel was HATEWORK!

But for me Thor Anders Myhren/Destructhor is ALSO just as perfect fit for Morbid Angel, his playing is really extreme/intense and with lots of felling, his solos are also great and I also like his stage presence - a Migthy Kolosus pounding his rhythms across the Earth:)

Destructhor has a unique style of composing, I can recognize his style, it's sick, twisted and groovy - I really like all Myrkskog and Zyklon albums, where I can enjoy in his madness!

There is really no need to compare as they are both awesome Morbid Angels [/quote]



I can agree with most of this, except that Thor's stage presence is garbage. At least in MA anyway.[/quote]

True. The gigs i've witnessed he was boring to watch and his solos were not that good. Tony did a better job IMO.[/quote]

I completely agree. Of all the second guitarists I've seen, in person or on video, Thor has the least stage presence.

I thoroughly enjoy his guitar work in Myrkskog but by no means can I put him over Erik. What Tam said earlier about Erik's playing is exactly how I feel about it as well.



I'm curious about Richard's opinion on the other guitarists! He hasn't been around these parts lately?

[TamPron]

[quote name="uni777"]
[quote name="COCK BALLS PUBE devy's clits"]
[quote name="Gmajnar"]I like Erik Rutan's compositions, they were in sync with Trey, Pete, David and latter with Steve and they had their personality. For me his climax in Morbid Angel was HATEWORK!

But for me Thor Anders Myhren/Destructhor is ALSO just as perfect fit for Morbid Angel, his playing is really extreme/intense and with lots of felling, his solos are also great and I also like his stage presence - a Migthy Kolosus pounding his rhythms across the Earth:)

Destructhor has a unique style of composing, I can recognize his style, it's sick, twisted and groovy - I really like all Myrkskog and Zyklon albums, where I can enjoy in his madness!

There is really no need to compare as they are both awesome Morbid Angels [/quote]



I can agree with most of this, except that Thor's stage presence is garbage. At least in MA anyway.[/quote]

True. The gigs i've witnessed he was boring to watch and his solos were not that good. Tony did a better job IMO.[/quote]

Tony just copied Erik's leads though....

[Uni777]

I wish Thor would do that too.. No, i mean his whole vibe on stage. I felt the vibe on stage with Tony looked more like the altars/blessed days. Some of his leads had a more Brunelle like vibe.