Morgoth The Best of Morgoth 1987-1997
Century Media Records CM8141-2 January 24th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Raise your hand if youve heard of Morgoth. Surprisingly, before a couple of weeks ago, my hand wouldve stayed down when asked that question. But, through the wonders of Ultimatemetal, I now have The Best of Morgoth 1987-1997 resting comfortably on my lap, er, not really. Its actually setting on my desk right now. In any case, the aforementioned record showcases a ton of Morgoth material ranging from their debut in Resurrection Absurd EP to their panned, final hoorah in Feel Sorry for the Fanatic.
As expected, the earliest opuses found on this album are dirty and neglect a slick production, which is okay by me. Oftentimes, good songs will outshine their production values. Morgoth play a brand of greasy, death metal that traipes along in a fashion similar to that of a faster Seventh Angel. The compositions borrowed from the EPs Resurrection Absurd EP and Eternal Fall EP are worth less than songs taken from the bands full-lengths, namely Cursed, Odium, and Feel Sorry for the Fanatic. Three exemplifications were selected from each of the aforementioned albums, and said tracks tend to subscribe to the speedy, death metal formula that ran rampant in the early 90s; after all, Morgoth were in their prime when death metal began to conquer the world by audible force. The lyrics are quite hokey, but strong outings like Body Count, Resistance, and Drowning Sun makes all slights forgivable. I, unlike a number of people, actually enjoy the snippets from Feel Sorry for the Fanatic, though I do admit that out of all the songs on The Best of Morgoth 1987-1997 these havent aged as well as the others. The second disc features the Pits of Utumno demo in all its glory, as well as a few rarities. Plus, theres many videos housed within this Century Media release.
Im pretty comfortable with recommending Morgoth, as a whole, and even this album if your collection is bereft of their full-lengths. In addition, you might not want their studio albums once you own the bevy of material that is The Best of Morgoth 1987-1997. If youre like me, though, a solid best-of is a way of prodding me to obtain more of a bands catalog.
8/10
Official Morgoth Website
Official Century Media Records Website
Century Media Records CM8141-2 January 24th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
Raise your hand if youve heard of Morgoth. Surprisingly, before a couple of weeks ago, my hand wouldve stayed down when asked that question. But, through the wonders of Ultimatemetal, I now have The Best of Morgoth 1987-1997 resting comfortably on my lap, er, not really. Its actually setting on my desk right now. In any case, the aforementioned record showcases a ton of Morgoth material ranging from their debut in Resurrection Absurd EP to their panned, final hoorah in Feel Sorry for the Fanatic.
As expected, the earliest opuses found on this album are dirty and neglect a slick production, which is okay by me. Oftentimes, good songs will outshine their production values. Morgoth play a brand of greasy, death metal that traipes along in a fashion similar to that of a faster Seventh Angel. The compositions borrowed from the EPs Resurrection Absurd EP and Eternal Fall EP are worth less than songs taken from the bands full-lengths, namely Cursed, Odium, and Feel Sorry for the Fanatic. Three exemplifications were selected from each of the aforementioned albums, and said tracks tend to subscribe to the speedy, death metal formula that ran rampant in the early 90s; after all, Morgoth were in their prime when death metal began to conquer the world by audible force. The lyrics are quite hokey, but strong outings like Body Count, Resistance, and Drowning Sun makes all slights forgivable. I, unlike a number of people, actually enjoy the snippets from Feel Sorry for the Fanatic, though I do admit that out of all the songs on The Best of Morgoth 1987-1997 these havent aged as well as the others. The second disc features the Pits of Utumno demo in all its glory, as well as a few rarities. Plus, theres many videos housed within this Century Media release.
Im pretty comfortable with recommending Morgoth, as a whole, and even this album if your collection is bereft of their full-lengths. In addition, you might not want their studio albums once you own the bevy of material that is The Best of Morgoth 1987-1997. If youre like me, though, a solid best-of is a way of prodding me to obtain more of a bands catalog.
8/10
Official Morgoth Website
Official Century Media Records Website
