Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness (Earache Records, 1989)

If ever there was an album that could be described as perfect, this is it. This unparalleled debut was the culmination of years of carefully crafting and reworking songs to the point where they were pitch perfect and delivered maximum impact. Aside from boasting a slew of blindingly fast and intensely evil songs, Morbid Angel raised the bar dramatically with the twin guitar attack of Trey Azagthoth and Richard Brunelle, both of whom sounded like possessed versions of Eddie Van Halen, and the career-defining speed of drummer Pete Sandoval. Vocalist/bassist David Vincent serves as master of ceremonies with a eldritch rasp that propels the enigmatic musicianship with fiery potency. The material is a perfect synthesis of true black and death that nods to predecessors like Possessed and Necrovore, along with the early works of Sodom and Bathory. The production echoes with a sense of alien otherness – this album sounds invoked, and not recorded in an earthly studio. Paeans to H.P. Lovecraft's Elder Gods intertwine with hymns of Satanic devotion and the destruction of Christianity, and the final result is a chaotic slab of a magnificence that demands lifelong devotion to truly absorb. Many bands have tried to emulate this sound, and so far none have truly succeeded. Don't try to argue - Blessed are the Sick is ultimately an overworked collection of early demo tracks, Covenant is good but a tad too calculated, and Domination is an abortive commercial effort that reveals a band in turmoil. There can be only one, and it's Altars of Madness!