Controversial Metal Opinions

[Ducky]

I see people saying things and I understand the words but I've no idea what they're supposed to be referring to in the music itself. Can you give examples of this "lack" of fluidity in Sandoval's playing? Personally, even though I might prefer them abstractly, I can't imagine Hoglan or Reinert achieving better alchemy if Trey had been coming to them with his batshit compositions.

His playing sounds awkward on Evil Spells (outside of the blasting). Sounds similarly awkward on the second intro bit of Fall From Grace where he's following the riffs. There's a bit around 1:05 in Dominate as well.

I dunno about the two lads - like I could easily imagine Hoglan playing on Focus or Reinert on ITP, can't imagine Sandoval doing justice to either of those records. I'd say they'd both be far more interesting on an MA record.

[Bürggermeister]

It's worth bearing in mind the first two albums are triggered to fuck. Add the gated reverb and it'd be hard for anyone to display any nuance. Covenant is the first time you got to hear the real drums.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Does Sandoval sometimes play things, beats or fills, that make the listener feel uneasy? Yes (I'm guessing this is what Andy meant by "spikiness", though at other times it can be more a "slippiness"). The question is over whether that uneasiness is due to some creative or technical "lack" on Sandoval's part or whether it's compositional choice. Personally, it's never occurred to me that the intro to Fall From Grace jars the listener because Sandoval was off his game and not because that's what Trey wanted and Sandoval delivered. imo perfectly.

[Circlepit]

I'm not a drummer , I'd probably mess up the intro to Paradise City.
When I hear Morbid Angel with Pete Sandoval I hear greasy death metal savagery.
Vircolac have elements of this and it elevates them in my opinion. It sounds rubbery and slithery. Brilliant stuff.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Nice, I said slippiness but slithery fits better 

[Ducky]

Does Sandoval sometimes play things, beats or fills, that make the listener feel uneasy? Yes (I'm guessing this is what Andy meant by "spikiness", though at other times it can be more a "slippiness"). The question is over whether that uneasiness is due to some creative or technical "lack" on Sandoval's part or whether it's compositional choice. Personally, it's never occurred to me that the intro to Fall From Grace jars the listener because Sandoval was off his game and not because that's what Trey wanted and Sandoval delivered. imo perfectly.

Yeah fair observation about the creative element to it as well as I've similar opinions about Flo Mounier - I find some of his choices sloppy and not very fluid-sounding despite the fact he could probably play anything he wanted. Similar vibes with Nicko McBrain as well (though he's easier to ignore as the drums aren't blasting you like the other chaps).

[Bürggermeister]

I listenend to BATS a couple of times today and I was reminded of something from the olde times. When Altars came out, a lad in school loaned it to me and it didn't really grab me. He was full of enthusiasm for it, saying it was faster than Reign in Blood  . It was too fast for me, to be honest. I didn't dig blasts then and I still have a low tolerance now, even though I am much more fond of that album these days. When BATS came out, I wasn't too interested in hearing it but a mate put it on a tape for me. At the time, I had just done the leaving cert and was playing bass in a hard rock (think Bon Jovi of that time, complete with wide brimmed hats) band at the urging of the drummer, a schoolmate who went on to drum for The Script. I didn't want to be in that band but was too shy to leave    Anyway, on Saturdays we'd rehearse at the keyboardists' place (jaysus) and I'd walk there listening to Blessed Are The Sick on the walkman and I really, really fucking enjoyed it that summer. It's comfortably their best work. It's got fast stuff, slow stuff, weird stuff, pompous stuff and it flows like fuck. Brilliant, brilliant album, every second of it, and the perfect antidote to being band you didn't want to be in while enjoying walks in the sun 

[Eoin McLove]

Altars on now so that's a decent result. The spiky drumming fits the sharp, choppy riffs perfectly. I think it's that jaggedness that adds a lot of extremity to their sound compared to modern day meistro death metal. It sounds unhinged in a way that a lot of the technically precise stuff you hear can never capture. Totally possessed and evil.

[The Wretch]

I heard Altars in 1990, and loved it pretty much straight away, but I will admit it/they didn't hit me like say, the first two Death albums did when I first heard those. They just sounded so raw, and have that really unhinged, white knuckle intensity that I love.

People have claimed that era is tied up with Chuck's emotions about losing his brother Frank, which makes sense to me. Maybe I'm reading too much into it since I heard that, but it does feel like his approach was as much about pain, and genuine anger than just youthful aggression, or wanting to be the heaviest. His vocals on Scream Bloody Gore in particular sound like he is coming apart at the seams.     

And honestly, much as I love all of the death & grind classics that came out in the early - mid 90's, it is still the albums from the 80's that I enjoy most. But that is true of most styles of metal really, so no big surprise there really.

[open face surgery]

Altars smokes every Death album.

[Ducky]

Nowb that's a controversial opinion

[Carnage]

Nothing smokes Leprosy, it's THE death metal album. And Human is just behind.

[The Wretch]

I prefer the first three Death albums to anything MA have done to be honest.

Probably Human too actually. Which is an immense album in terms of musicianship, and composition/arrangement. But it just didn't hook me the same way as their earlier stuff.

That said, every Death album is a cracker in it's own way. Including 'The Sound Of Perseverance', which is underrated actually. Sonically I actually prefer it to the previous two.

[Carnage]

I'd have Blessed in my top 5 DM albums for sure - as for Death, I wouldn't rate Spiritual Healing as highly as the other 3, despite loving it. Tbe other 3 just have more of an edge.

[open face surgery]

Love them all bar TSOP but I'd go with Altars everytime.