Altars of Madness is the debut studio album of Florida-based death metal band Morbid Angel. It was released on May 12, 1989 through Combat Records/Earache Records. The album was recorded in December 1988 at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida. The album is one of the earliest examples of death metal and is considered to have helped pioneer the sound along with Possessed's Seven Churches in 1985 and Death's Scream Bloody Gore in 1987, and set a new precedent for heaviness and extremity, both musically and lyrically. It is one of the most celebrated albums in death metal history, and one of the most influential heavy metal albums of all time. The overtly Satanic and occult lyrical themes were a significant influence on the early Norwegian black metal scene.
Frontman David Vincent's vocal style was influenced by the early English grindcore scene and fellow floridian Chuck Schuldiner of Death. The album's style is also characterized by extremely fast performances, complex compositions, and technically demanding musicianship. Guitarist Trey Azagthoth has noted that psychedelic music was an inspiration for his writing on the album, particularly Pink Floyd. When writing guitar solos on the album, he abandoned the use of traditional scales and said that "I would just pick an area on the guitar and play it without really looking at it. I'd connect it in a different way." Speaking about his motivations at the time of writing and recording the album, Azagthoth said:
''Back then, I really wanted to destroy everybody. I wanted people to have to work a lot harder after the fans witnessed what we had going on. I wanted to smoke people. I really believed that bands were challenging each other, trying to outdo each other and make each other quit - almost like the rivalries with East Coast and West Coast rappers. I really kind of thought people wanted to write parts that would engulf the whole world. I wanted to get onstage and have people go, "Holy shit - what the fuck is going on?" I wanted to write stuff that would make other bands run and hide. It's not really very nice, but that's what drove me."
The album features a number of tracks that were originally recorded for what was supposed to be their debut album 'Abominations of Desolation', originally recorded in 1986 but which was only released in 1991. The band was unhappy with the final product of 'Abominations of Desolation', Azagthoth in particular, who did not believe it was what he had envisioned. In December 1988 the band returned to the studio to record what would become their true debut release, 'Altars of Madness'. Almost all of the songs on that original demo recording have since been re-recorded and appeared on various Morbid Angel albums. The band has explained that in many ways they felt unprepared when they entered the studio, despite them having practiced extensively beforehand. The band chose the studio because it was located close to the band in Tampa, and considered it the preeminent studio at the time. David Vincent called it a "trial run", but that he was "really pleased that everything came together when it finally did."
The cover artwork, by Dan Seagrave, depicts "a flat disk made of a fossil material, that has captured souls". Seagrave has said:
This was something I'd been working on at home, which the band saw partially finished. It consequently became my first Death Metal cover. Prior to that I'd been making album covers for British thrash bands like Warfare, and Hydravein. Even though I was 18 when I did it, I still think it's quite interesting. It's not supposed to be spherical as has been suggested. It's more like a flat disk made of a fossil material, that has captured souls.
1. Immortal Rites 04:05
2. Suffocation 03:14
3. Visions from the Dark Side 04:08
4. Maze of Torment 04:23
Side B:
5. Chapel of Ghouls 04:58
6. Bleed for the Devil 02:22
7. Damnation 04:09
8. Blasphemy 03:28
9. Evil Spells 04:12
- Trey Azagthoth: Guitars, songwriting, lyrics
- Richard Brunelle (R.I.P. 2019): Guitars
- Pete Sandoval: Drums.
Co-produced by Morbid Angel.
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