Morbid Angel
19 April 2005
Mean Fiddler, London
Arriving late, we barely catch a song by Hatesphere before Johan`s thrown out of the photo pit due to the first three songs only rule and the band depart the stage to what seemed like a pretty good response from the packed Mean Fiddler.
That the venue is full is no surprise and the fact that a large part of the crowd were probably too young to have seen a Dave Vincent fronted Morbid Angel proved this was not just an evening for nostalgia. Of course all the material tonight is at least 10 years old. Alphabetically, albums A-D are drawn from, with the Steve Tucker era albums F-H ignored. Those first four albums contain the strongest songs and it wasn`t only the recordings that were superior with Vincent as my live experiences with Morbid Angel over the last nine years had left me a little disappointed.
From the opening chords of Rapture, Vincent`s commanding presence seems to pull everything together and Trey Azagthoth appears positively reinvigorated. The feel may be familiar but Vincent`s look is very different with his distinctive mane of blonde hair now dyed jet black and a pentagram emblazed rubber top, presumably acquired during his time with the Genitorturers.
Pain Divine and Maze of Torment ensure a furious start to the set with Pete Sandovol clattering around his drum kit with the expert precision he is renowned for. Currently taking up second guitar duties, Monstrosity`s Tony Norman fits well into the line-up and handles his share of solos impressively.
Striking lighting adds to the presentation, with white pin point lights during Dawn Of The Angry and a red Vincent cast strikingly against a vivid green background for Where The Slime Lives. The latter`s slow guttural riffing mid set is one of the many highlights.
With the appointment of a new pope, Vincent`s rant against the church prior to Dominate is well timed and the song itself is greeted by mayhem in the pit.
The tail end of the set is packed with classics, with Vincent encouraging the crowd to sing the choral sections during Immortal Rites, Azagthoth taking a solo spotlight during Chapel Of Ghouls and God Of Emptiness simply crushing.
It`s not yet clear whether Vincent`s back for good, but on tonight`s evidence, every fan leaving here will surely hope that when the album beginning with the letter I hits the cd racks, it is Vincent who is fronting Morbid Angel.
Morbid Angel set list:
Rapture / Pain Divine / Maze of Torment / Sworn to the Black / Blasphemy / Lord of all Fevers and Plague / Dawn Of The Angry / Where the Slime Live / Blood on my Hands / Dominate / Immortal Rites / Day of Suffering / Evil Spell / Chapel of Ghouls / God of Emptiness / World of Shit
LINKS:
Morbid Angel
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