| Blessed Are the Sick | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 2, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | January – February 1991 | |||
| Studio | Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:24 | |||
| Label | Earache/Relativity | |||
| Producer | Morbid Angel | |||
| Morbid Angel chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [1] |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [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.
Composition and musical style
[edit]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.
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.[6]
Background
[edit]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.[7]
Reception and legacy
[edit]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.[8]
Track listing
[edit]All lyrics are written by David Vincent, except where noted; all music is composed by Trey Azagthoth, except "Desolate Ways" by Richard Brunelle.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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, Vincent | 2:10 |
| 10. | "Abominations" | Azagthoth | 4:27 |
| 11. | "Desolate Ways" (instrumental) | 1:40 | |
| 12. | "The Ancient Ones" | Azagthoth | 5:53 |
| 13. | "In Remembrance" (instrumental) | 1:25 |
Personnel
[edit]- Morbid Angel
- David Vincent – bass, vocals
- Trey Azagthoth – guitars, keyboards
- Richard Brunelle – guitars
- Pete Sandoval – drums
- Additional personnel
- Tom Morris - engineering, mixing
Release history
[edit]| Date | Note |
|---|---|
| May 2, 1991 | |
| November 3, 2009 | Reissue |
References
[edit]- ^ Bowar, Chad. "Review: Morbid Angel - Blessed Are the Sick". About.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
- ^ Torreano, Bradley. "Review: Blessed Are the Sick". Allmusic. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
- ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Morbid Angel". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5 (4th ed.). MUZE. pp. 886–887. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (1998). "Morbid Angel". The Great Metal Discography. Canongate. pp. 219–220. ISBN 0862417279 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Morbid Angel biography". Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
- ^ Blessed Are the Sick - Morbid Angel | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2025-01-09
- ^ "MORBID ANGEL: 'Blessed Are The Sick' Reissue To Receive U.S. Release In October". BlabberMouth. Archived from the original on 2012-09-07.
- ^ Blessed Are the Sick - Morbid Angel | Album | AllMusic, retrieved 2025-01-09
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