Tracks 1-8 Morbid Visions (1986)
Tracks 9-13 Bestial Devastation EP (1985)
Why is this fantastic album never given the attention it deserves? Why isn't it talked about much? And most of all, why is it never credited as one of the first death metal albums??? I'll never know. But I myself am so glad I've always been giving the almighty Morbid Visions the attention and appreciation it truly deserves.
I remember back in the day I kinda hated this album, because the guitars sounded cheap and tinny, the production on them I was confused by. That's pretty much the only reason why I disliked it a long time ago. But the more I've listened, the more I've started to love it and realize how wrong I was for disliking it and thinking it was trash. For a first timer on this album, one might react with "what the fuck" because of how the guitars sound, but you may eventually get over it. After all this is 1986, so it should get a little break from negative critical reception on how the guitars sound. Speaking of 1986, this was released in fucking 1986! THIS. I'd myself say this is ahead of it's time, because this is a pure, heavy, evil, bitchin' death metal album in 1986. Sepultura themselves managed to figure the genre out even before it found it's fixed sound and was properly founded.
The drums; filled with energy, power, and fury. The vocals; raspy, growly; just perfect. The guitars; awesome, raw, evil, and satisfying. The bass; present and hearable, and not overpowered by the guitars. The first track (also the title track) Morbid Visions, which is my favorite off the album, immediately shows the listener what they're about, and how raw and kickass this album is overall. Catchy fast drum beats and blasts at the beginning, fast riffs, repeated raspy growl-screams, what else is there to ask? This is incredible for 1986. The other best tracks are Mayhem, Troops of Doom, and War. The four tracks I've just mentioned are the best on the album, but every track is good; Morbid Visions is an album that's good from beginning to end.
One of the biggest reasons why I love this album is the fact that this was released in 1986, and it's really heavy and brutal for an album put out at that time. The main aspect that makes it heavy are the drums. They have a super strong, solid, brutal sound to them. The snare drum and kick drum don't fuck around, neither do the toms and cymbals. The guitars, once you get used to them, are great and sound fantastic. They sound evil, run-down (in a good way), and remnant of an ongoing fire. And the riffs are on point and of quality, I adore the guitar work on this release. Max's raspy growl-shouts are a cherry on top to taste. This is definitely one of the very first death metal albums, I'd say the second "death metal" album after Possessed's Seven Churches. Death's Scream Bloody Gore is most definitely NOT the first death metal album, Seven Churches is, followed by Morbid Visions. Scream Bloody Gore DEFINED what death metal truly is, it didn't INVENT the genre. Scream Bloody Gore is EXTREMELY overrated, go give Morbid Visions the attention instead, which it truly deserves and needs more of.
This will always be my favorite Sepultura record, Beneath the Remains or Arise will never come close to this in my opinion. Morbid Visions is great because: #1: It's raw, brutal, and heavy. #2: An album this brutal and ahead of it's time came out in 1986. #3: It simply just has very good and catchy songs. I may also like albums like Roots and a good chunk of the Derrick Green era of Sepultura, but this album will forever be my #1 of theirs.
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