proofreading, v2.0

thanks again to hingehead and fresco for proofreading one of my reviews. here is another one i wrote in a very different style of music:)

be hard on me!

Morbid angel - blessed are the sick

I'll be clear from the very beginning: Blessed Are The Sick is the best death metal album that showed up on the surface of planet earth since the invention of the wheel, and that was quite some time ago. DEATH, IMMOLATION, CARCASS or even ENTOMBED have carved a few gems but MORBID ANGEL definitely flies high above the pack.

Tthe mastermind Trey Azagthoth shows his mastery of the seven stringed instrument on every track of this exceptional record. His riffs are totally original, bear the slightest resemblance to Hanneman and King's (a tour de force in the genre) and his inspired solos are simply an example of infallible musicianship. What's more, the guitarist never gets muddled in spite of speed and thickness of the sound, talk about a real feat.

Sitting proudly behind his drums, Pete Sandoval gives the perfect demonstration that death metal drumming is not only double kicking over the speed limit. His expertise in that field is undeniable but he knows how to favour us with genuine patterns, clever breaks and astute tempo changes. The main difference with other pounders is that his play is never asphyxiating nor too demonstrative, he can even let the audience breathe when necessary (don't expect any Satrianiesque aerophagia guitar though). The official challenger for the heavy weight drummers' title has been announced and Dave Lombardo should really cherish these moments when the belt is tightly attached to his waist, they may soon be over.

The cavernous and heavy growls of David Vincent, fitting his imposing figure that strengthens the aura of the band, add an extra load to the already oppressive atmosphere of the disc.

Another remarkable aspect of Blessed Are The Sick is the complex nature of the tracks. MORBID ANGEL is not another band who tries to hide his lack of talent by an impressive but quite boring mastery of the instruments. Convoluted rhythm changes, tortuous riffs and elaborate breaks always serve the same purpose: giving the stomach delicious and nutritious food to digest.

Various interludes using classical guitar, organs or keyboards mingle perfectly in this majestic ensemble. Just like the metal tracks, they reinforce this end of the millennium's atmosphere (I'm of course talking about the first millennium after Lord Jesus escaped his cross).

The competition is stiff in 1991, many bands trying to cash in on death metal's ever-growing popularity, but MORBID ANGEL simply crushes whoever would try to challenge it. The Floridian artist shows pretentiousness, contempt, judges with disdain (trey Azagthoth dedicates every composition he wrote to Mozart as if the only individual capable of understanding his work were the Austrian musician) but MORBID ANGEL has the right to take this attitude, perfection being an excuse for boastfulness.

Some have seen Blessed Are The Sick as a new Reign In Blood, what a pitiful joke! SLAYER surely is ahead of the thrash metal pack, MORBID ANGEL is on a different league from other death metallers. The second are musicians, the first are artists.