Blessed Are the Sick

Last updated
Blessed Are the Sick
BlessedAreTheSick.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 2, 1991
RecordedJanuary February 1991
Studio Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida
Genre
Length39:24
Label Earache/Relativity
Producer Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel chronology
Altars of Madness
(1989)
Blessed Are the Sick
(1991)
Abominations of Desolation
(1991)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Great Metal Discography 6/10 [4]

Blessed Are the Sick is the second studio album by American death metal band Morbid Angel, released on May 2, 1991 through Earache Records.

Contents

Composition and musical style

Though the album features some fast sections, the overall sound is markedly slower than the debut and with identifiable classical music undertones present [5] (main composer Trey Azagthoth would dedicate this album to Mozart). Tracks 9, 10 and 12 are re-recorded songs from the 1986 demo Abominations of Desolation .[ citation needed ] According to Chris Krovatin of Kerrang, "while Altars is straight-up death metal horror, Blessed is a strange and static album, with Morbid Angel's more straightforward moments peppered between arcane, Lovecraftian passages of twisting guitars and off-kilter drumming. It’s a starker and more unique approach to the genre, and one that set Morbid Angel apart from the rest of the blood-drenched pack." [6]

Blessed Are the Sick's tracks have been described as "semi-catchy," and the album as a whole has been called "short [and] to the point." The album's lyrics explore the "drug-fueled religious theories of guitarist Trey Azagthoth." His shred guitar style that has drawn comparisons to Eddie Van Halen. [7]

Background

The cover painting is "Les Trésors de Satan" by Jean Delville. The album was reissued in 2009 as a Digipak in DualDisc format. The CD side contains the original audio release and the DVD side contains a one-hour documentary. [8]

Reception and legacy

Bradley Torreano of AllMusic commended the Morbid Angel for not "[wasting] time noodling on forgettable riffs and needless tempo changes the way so many of their contemporaries did," and said the band joined "he upper class of death metal bands" with the album. [9]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by David Vincent, except where noted; all music is composed by Trey Azagthoth, except "Desolate Ways" by Richard Brunelle.

No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Intro" (instrumental) 1:27
2."Fall from Grace" 5:13
3."Brainstorm" 2:34
4."Rebel Lands" 2:41
5."Doomsday Celebration" (instrumental) 1:49
6."Day of Suffering" 1:54
7."Blessed Are the Sick/Leading the Rats" 4:47
8."Thy Kingdom Come" 3:24
9."Unholy Blasphemies"Azagthoth, Vincent2:10
10."Abominations"Azagthoth4:27
11."Desolate Ways" (instrumental) 1:40
12."The Ancient Ones"Azagthoth5:53
13."In Remembrance" (instrumental) 1:25

Personnel

Morbid Angel
Additional personnel

Release history

DateNote
May 2, 1991
November 3, 2009Reissue

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References

  1. Bowar, Chad. "Review: Morbid Angel - Blessed Are the Sick". About.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  2. Torreano, Bradley. "Review: Blessed Are the Sick". Allmusic . Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  3. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Morbid Angel". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5 (4th ed.). MUZE. pp. 886–887. ISBN   978-0-19-531373-4.
  4. Strong, Martin C. (1998). "Morbid Angel". The Great Metal Discography. Canongate. pp. 219–220. ISBN   0862417279 via Internet Archive.
  5. "Morbid Angel biography". Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
  6. "The 15 greatest death metal albums of the '90s". Kerrang!. 2019-07-20. Retrieved 2025-01-18.
  7. Blessed Are the Sick - Morbid Angel | Album | AllMusic , retrieved 2025-01-09
  8. "MORBID ANGEL: 'Blessed Are The Sick' Reissue To Receive U.S. Release In October". BlabberMouth. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07.
  9. Blessed Are the Sick - Morbid Angel | Album | AllMusic , retrieved 2025-01-09