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Spectrum of Death (1988)
Released in September 1988, Spectrum of Death is the first full-length album from Morbid Saint. The music here is raw, vicious death/thrash in the vein of early Sadus and Num Skull, mixing intense thrash, reminiscent of the Teutonic scene, and chromatic tremolo riffs. The speed and aggression are relentless, yet the riffs remain memorable throughout. Tracks like "Lock Up Your Children" and "Burned at the Stake" possess an intensity that rips your face right off, while "Damien" and the longer "Scars" introduce slower passages that allow the riffs a little more room to breathe. The material here is just as intense as anything from the likes of Dark Angel, Slayer or Kreator.
As far as production goes, the focus is on the guitars, above all else. The sound is a little dull, similar to the first Sadus album. The bass and drums are kept at the appropriate levels, giving support to the killer riffs but never taking over. The lead solos are brief explosions of chaos, while the raw, evil vocals add to the savage feeling of the record, recalling early Mille Petrozza but sounding even raspier and more demonic.
Spectrum of Death is a solid album of lethal death/thrash and seems to be criminally underrated/unknown. Perhaps, Morbid Saint sounded too hellish for the thrash crowd and slightly too soon for the emerging death metal scene and thus fell between the cracks. Either way, this should appeal to anyone into killer ‘80s releases from the likes of Sadus, Protector, etc. and is well worth a listen.
As far as production goes, the focus is on the guitars, above all else. The sound is a little dull, similar to the first Sadus album. The bass and drums are kept at the appropriate levels, giving support to the killer riffs but never taking over. The lead solos are brief explosions of chaos, while the raw, evil vocals add to the savage feeling of the record, recalling early Mille Petrozza but sounding even raspier and more demonic.
Spectrum of Death is a solid album of lethal death/thrash and seems to be criminally underrated/unknown. Perhaps, Morbid Saint sounded too hellish for the thrash crowd and slightly too soon for the emerging death metal scene and thus fell between the cracks. Either way, this should appeal to anyone into killer ‘80s releases from the likes of Sadus, Protector, etc. and is well worth a listen.
(11 May 2009)
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