Morbid Angel – “Illud Divinum Insanus”

As far as I’m concerned Morbid Angel are legends, so I was over-the-top excited when I heard that a) they were recording a new album and b) David Vincent was back. I avoided all the leaks, all the stuff on YouTube and all of the Internet chatter about the album and didn’t listen to any of it until the CD arrived. By the way, I pre-ordered the CD from Seasons of Mist and it arrived 3 days after the release date. I shouldn’t have bothered, I could have just waited until the 6th June, wandered into HMV and bought it there. What’s the point in pre-ordering a disc if you have to wait longer than average to get it? Even if you pre-order from somewhere like Play.com, it tends to arrive on the release date. But, hey, there’s not much I can do about it! Moving on…

I knew that this album was going to be somewhat controversial – the web trolls had been throwing their hate around long before the album was released – so I knew something was going to be different. I’d also read the words ‘techno’ and ‘industrial’ being thrown around, but I didn’t want to let that give me any pre-conceived ideas. I’m all for bands experimenting and thinking outside of the box, it’s a healthy thing to do. It keeps things interesting. So, I was really excited to hear what Morbid Angel had come up with.

So, is “Illud Divinum Insanus” the worst album in the history of the world like some would have you believe? Well, things start off promising enough with “Omni Potens” – a track that’s just an ‘intro’, but it does a good job of building the suspense (especially the first time you listen to it). I found myself waiting in anticipation for whatever Extreme Metal goodies awaited me on the other side of it. And, let’s not forget, in all of the interviews I’d read from Morbid Angel in the run up to this (and from what they – or whoever runs their Facebook page – had said) it would be very “EXTREME”.

Sadly the track that follows, “Too Extreme!”, is not really extreme at all. It sounds like a track that Rob Zombie threw away. Although, as a general rule, I’m not really a fan of Industrial Metal, I will happily admit that it can and does work. Unfortunately, with “Too Extreme!”, this is simply not the case. It almost feels like the band have looked up for a ‘paint by numbers’ guide to Industrial Metal online and followed it as closely as possible… but it has no soul. It feels like it’s there for the sake of being there. Maybe it’s there to shock and create an Internet buzz? A bit of free promotion. Or, maybe I’m just being cynical?
The fact is that with some tweaking, it could actually be a good track. It just seems to be lacking in any kind of structure – it’s far too repetative and doesn’t appear to go anywhere. It could also do with being around 3 minutes shorter.

However, “Existo Vulgore” sees the band redeeming themselves (in my eyes at least). This is a track where Morbid Angel show what they’re good at – Death Metal. There are no structure issues here and everything flows (in a very extreme way, of course) fantastically well. The only thing working against this track is that people will probably overlook it, simply because of the company it keeps on this album. Other than that, I can find no faults with it whatsoever.

Next up is my current favourite from the album – “Blades for Baal”. This is a track that could quite happily sit next to anything else Morbid Angel have done and be treated with equal respect. It’s face-rippingly awesome.

On first listen “I Am Morbid” left me feeling a little confused. The best way to describe it is Morbid Angel’s version of a stadium rock song. It kinda makes you want to stand up and shout. While it is more than a country mile away from what the band usually do (and it’s also a fair old distance from the comfort zone of the average MA fan), it’s actually quite a good track. Very unexpected, but quite a pleasant surprise.

“10 More Dead” is, on first listen, a fairly average Death Metal track, but I’ve found that it has grown on me infinitely with each listen. There’s something about that riff that’s incredibly hypnotic. Well worth a listen.

With “Destructos Vs The Earth / Attack” we’re back to that Industrial thing. While this track is more successful than “Too Extreme!”, it still feels as if it’s stuck in a bit of a loop and it doesn’t end up in any clear destination. It just kinda ends. The lyrics are also a little dubious. However, there is an odd charm about the track. I’ve found myself singing (or, at least, attempting to growl) the ‘we’re marching’ bit a few times. In the future I can see this track becoming a little bit of a guilty pleasure. But, to put it in perspective; it’s better than “Too Extreme!” but nowhere near as good as “Existo Vulgore”, “Blades for Baal”, “10 More Dead” or even “I Am Morbid”. Once again, it could also do with being a little shorter.

“Nevermore” puts a happy little smile on my face. On this track, Morbid Angel return to their Death Metal state of mind (as you can see, there’s a lot of switching back and forth on this album). I’m sorry if this makes me sound closed-minded or whatever, but I like it when Morbid Angel play tracks like this. I like Death Metal. In fact, one of the reasons I got into Death Metal was Morbid Angel, so forgive me for thinking that Death Metal is what they do best (in case you’re interested, the other reason I got into Death Metal is Obituary). Having tracks like this and “Blades of Baal” on this CD make me as happy as a pig in shit. Having tracks like “Too Extreme!” and “Destructos…”, on the whole, leave me feeling confused and a little cheated. Anyway, “Nevermore” is a fast-paced and intense little beast that will, if they play it at Bloodstock, probably give me whiplash.

“Beauty Meets Beast” continues in the Death Metal vein (I find it odd that I’m having to point out the Death Metal tracks on a Morbid Angel album). The drumming is insane here – I love it!

The next track is “Radikult” and… for the love of Odin, please can someone make it stop! Not only is this by far the worst song on the album, it’s also possibly the worst song I have ever heard… OF ANY GENRE! And it’s soooo long. So very long. After listening to it I’m amazed to find that my ear drums are still intact and I’ve somehow refrained from destroying them by sticking two very sharp pencils into my ears. This is what my own personal Hell would sound like. Basically, MA are back in the Industrial world again. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate this track because of the (very large) Industrial element. It’s purely because it’s been done so badly. If you’re gonna do something, do it right. Otherwise, stick to some variation of what you know. I had thought that the Industrial tracks would get better through the album, since “Destructos” was better than “Too Extreme!”. They didn’t. Morbid Angel were relatively close to achieving a half decent fusion on “Destructos”, but it’s all fallen apart in “Radikult”. I’m half expecting someone to tell me this is a joke. Please, someone… anyone… tell me this is a joke.

Things are finished off with “Profundis – Mea Culpa”. And, bizarrely enough, this is the track where Morbid Angel get the Industrial/Extreme Metal combination just right. The Industrial portion is not shoved in your face. Throughout the Industrial tracks on this album, I’ve felt like the band have been trying to force me to like that kind of music. It’s shoved down your throat with the same vigor as a fanatical relgious person trying to forcefeed you their beliefs. However, on this track, the beats and rhythms are relatively Industrial, but there’s more of a Metal flavour. It softens the blow a little.

Overall, “Illud Divinum Insanus” is a baffling experience. On first listen the album appears to alienate everyone – its long-term fans and also any Industrial Metal fans who may have been interested in checking the album out. Yes, it does combine both the Extreme Metal and Industrial Metal elements, but it doesn’t really do it in an organic way. It feels forced together.

Once the initial feeling of “WHAT THE FUCK?” has worn off and you’re ready to give it another chance, you begin to see that – although the album most definitely has its downfalls – it’s not without merit. There’s still a fair old helping of Death Metal here. It’s just unfortunate that you have to search for it. Personally, I think that the more experimental tracks would have worked better (and maybe been more widely accepted) had they been bonus tracks, or on a bonus CD. I know I have no right to dictate what a band should or should not do, but that’s just what I would have done. Y’know, if I’d wanted to record that sorta thing in the first place.

My advice to any existing fans of Morbid Angel is this: Go to Amazon or iTunes or something and download the metal tracks, you won’t regret it. The other tracks are ‘iffy’ at best.

Rating: 60% – 6 of the tracks are good, 2 are less than sensational, 2 are awful and 1 is an intro. Perhaps this rating is a little bit too generous, but “Blades of Baal” is genius.

morbidangel.com

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