Review by Ben for Morbid Angel - Abominations of Desolation (1991)

Considering the year that Morbid Angel recorded Abominations of Desolation (1986), this certainly deserves a lot of credit for being way ahead of its time. With only two members in the band (Mike Browning - drums and vocals / Trey Azagthoth - all guitars), these US teenagers created an amazingly destructive death metal release filled with evil imagery and great musicianship from the brilliant Trey Azagthoth. As it turned out, they just weren't happy with the sound and shelved the project, waiting for the time when they'd be able to give their vision the production it deserved. While that time would come in 1989 when an incredible full line-up would unleash Altars of Madness onto the world, Abominations of Desolation would finally see the light of day (dark of night?) in 1991.

The question is, does this release hold any interest to fans of the band, considering all but one track (Demon Seed) would be re-recorded on future albums, in many cases under different titles. It's a difficult question to answer really. Firstly, I don't think any of these tracks can be considered superior to the eventual studio album versions. The production, while possibly not as bad as the band seemed to think, certainly lacks the power and clarity of later releases. The band would also make slight changes to all the tracks over the years that I personally think made them a whole lot better. Secondly, Mike Browning's drumming and vocals are just nowhere near the quality that Pete Sandoval and Dave Vincent would bring to Morbid Angel a couple of years later.

I can still put Abominations of Desolation on and enjoy it thoroughly, and I imagine if this were the only release that Morbid Angel ever put out, I (and many others I'm sure) would consider it an absolute classic. While it's difficult to call Abominations of Desolation an essential purchase today, I also find it extremely difficult to suggest that it's not worthy of praise and recognition. Way ahead of its time and containing stacks of Morbid Angel's best tracks in primitive yet still brutal form, this certainly has a solid place in the history and evolution of death metal.