Review by Ben for Morbid Angel - Entangled in Chaos (1996)
A flawless live performance of an incredible track listing by a brilliant line-up.
There are two things you really should know about me before reading this review. Firstly, I think Morbid Angel are (or at least were) frickin' awesome! Their first 4 albums (yes, even Domination) are among the best death metal has to offer. Secondly, I don't really enjoy live albums very much. In most cases, the live format doesn't really manage to portray the power of an actual live concert at all, doesn't allow the thematic flow of an album proper, and often contains production issues with one instrument or another being all but inaudible. With these two facts out on the table, I will proceed to review what is the combined result of the previously mentioned points. A live Morbid Angel album!
Entangled in Chaos is the last Morbid Angel recording with Dave Vincent involved. In fact, the line-up on this release is close to the best line-up the band ever had. Of course, the original Altars of Madness line-up with Richard Brunelle will always be known as the ultimate version of the band, but Erik Rutan is hardly a bad replacement. Morbid Angel are really defined by Trey Azagthoth's incredible, unique guitar style, Pete Sandoval's peerless drum performances and Dave Vincent's perfect decipherable death growls. All these ingredients are present here and in flawless form. It's hard to believe that these guys can perform the complex, crushing death metal that they consistently created during their peak in a live arena and not slip-up even slightly, which is a true testament to their ability.
Considering how great everything the band had released prior to Entangled in Chaos, it's not surprising that the track listing is filled with classics. It's easy to find missing favourites as there simply isn't enough room for all of them, but I personally would have liked to have heard Suffocation and Fall From Grace. Yet any release containing Chapel of Ghouls, Rapture and Blasphemy is going to kick some serious ass. What's particularly strange about Entangled in Chaos is that while it was recorded as part of the Domination tour, it only contains one track from that album. I guess it's not completely surprising as while I personally regard that album as another total success, there are many who were bitterly disappointed upon its release. Still, it's a little surprising that the band all but ignored its existence when producing this album.
The production is close to perfect which means a lot of these tracks sound almost identical to the way they do on their respective albums. The crowd is only really part of the mix before and after tracks to remind you that this is in fact part of a concert. So, the question must be asked, if everything sounds so perfect and the crowd interaction is all but negated, why not just listen to the studio albums instead. I have to say that I don't have a great answer to this which is why I'm not going to give this full marks despite believing it to be right up there with the pinnacle of live albums. Live recordings such as Iron Maiden's Live After Death and Slayer's Decade of Aggression have far superior crowd presence and track variances that result in a vastly different experience than on their actual albums, which is not really the case here.
Despite this last statement, I enjoy Entangled in Chaos immensely and see it as a nice little bookend for the Morbid Angel Dave Vincent era, which the band have unfortunately never been able to match since his departure. His return to the band gives me hope that they may yet return to their former glory and while I wait for any sign of a studio album to be announced, I'll happily spin this little beauty and reminisce about the good old days.