Morbid Angel - Formulas Fatal to the Flesh (1998)^{Release ID: 322}

Formulas... I feel exemplifies perfectly how the overall composition of a release can all but ruin any quality contained within the fourteen tracks (in this instance) being showcased.  All I really remember whenever I see this album cover or hear it being discussed is the pointless and irritating instrumental pieces that slow and smother the album as they interject and then takeover from the actual songs at the end.  Who closes an album with three (yes, fucking three) instrumental tracks?  I mean FFS Sandoval and Azagthoth!

It was bad enough that the band had lost Vincent and Rutan and therefore any concept of quality control it would seem.  Steve Tucker does his best, in fact I would go as far as to say he does a good job on the vocals.  I level all blame for the poor quality of this album at the door of the remaining two aforementioned members for the spurious and rushed feel to this record.  The sound isn't the best either, with barely any meat on the bones the guitars sound too thin and the drums too "tappy".

The irony was that this record was still a step up from Domination.  Therefore it lies as testimony to how poor that record was if the hurried horrors of Formulas... could be considered an improvement. This album epitomises what's been wrong with MA for years.  The inability or general unwillingness for anyone to want to control Trey without having major line up changes has been the Achilles' heel of the band throughout their career.  In its finer moments the album does retain some semblance of the Morbid Angel of old (Nothing Is Not).  But any real flow is destroyed by the atmospheric interludes that completely douse the sparks of hope before they even develop into flames.