Blessed Are the Sick [Enhanced, Limited Edition]

Morbid Angel | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 23, 2009)
• Original Release Date: November 23, 2009
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Enhanced, Limited Edition
• Label: Earache Records
• ASIN: B002NULKYK
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,229 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Intro

2. Fall From Grace

3. Brainstorm

4. Rebel Lands

5. Doomsday Celebration [Instrumental]

6. Day of Suffering

7. Blessed Are The Sick/Leading The Rats

8. Thy Kingdom Come

9. Unholy Blasphemies

10. Abominations

11. Desolate Ways [Instrumental]

12. The Ancient Ones

13. In Remembrance [Instrumental]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Lords of Chaos., July 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Blessed Are the Sick (Audio CD)

Possibly the most innovative death metal album ever to be released, Morbid Angel's "Blessed Are The Sick", is atop the death metal heap as far as playing, atmosphere and innovation are concerned. "Unholy Blasphemies" and "Brainstorm" features Trey Azagthoth's insane riffing style and bizarre time signatures, while "Rebel Lands" and "Thy Kingdom Come" features more typical death metal writings, albeit done the Morbid way. What really sets this disc apart from all the others, is the infusion of atmosphere. "Desolate Ways", is a tranquil, beautifully composed acoustic piece which fits perfectly here. "Blessed Are The Sick/Leading the Rats", for my money, is the best track on the disc. An exercise in doom, dynamics, and brooding atmosphere, which also features an incredible flute outro. Now, funny as it sounds having a flute playing amongst all this madness, it is incredibly effective and downright scary. Truly innovative and original, this is the blue print that death metal bands have tried to emulate, but have failed miserably at. All hail Morbid Angel and their testimony of pain and agony. One of the 10 best Death Metal discs ever produced.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Death Metal From One Of Its Notorious Innovators, February 16, 2002

By 

Ken (Youngsville, LA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blessed Are the Sick (Audio CD)

Talk to serious fanatics within the Death Metal scene, and Morbid Angel will come up in conversation as one of the most important and essential bands within that realm of extreme music. It is generally understood that Morbid Angel's first three albums are considered absolute classics of the genre. The first, "Altars Of Madness", established the band as leaders of the new Death. Their second, "Blessed Are The Sick", irrevocably proved that their success was no fluke or mere lucky break. Finally, the third album of this unbelievably classic phase, "Covenant", the first Death Metal album to be released on a major label, proved to the world once and for all that Morbid Angel wasn't going to be stopped any time in the near future.
What made Morbid Angel so amazing at this particular early point in their career was how they harnessed and utilized the necessary ingredients of Death Metal's best as well as how they borrowed from completely unconventional sources and strangely made them part of the formula. A risky move in Death Metal, but ultimately it proved triumphant. Without a doubt, "Blessed Are The Sick" makes use of classical themes and mind-boggling complexities to the already fiercely brutal compositions. Indeed, with structures this painstakingly elaborate, it's sometimes almost a let-down to simply call them "songs" - these are compositions in the truest sense of the word.
With riff-shifts and tempo shifts abound and racing in every direction, there are perhaps some moments that make the listener wonder if the band will spiral off into chaos, but the sonic ebb-and-flow always winds up making perfect sense in the end as the songs rush to their finish. As strange as it sounds, these songs seem to end too soon, since you're still trying to figure where they have gone by the time they're over. Even with the lyrics, which are growled yet still understandable, there's an added fury that bubbles frighteningly close to utter madness.
Death Metal was still in its early stages when "Blessed..." was unleashed, and as it proceeded to crush everything in its path, it was obvious that Morbid Angel was refusing to rest in the conventions of the genre. They obviously had more important goals in mind, particularly using Death as a platform to create new boundaries in brutality and extremity. And that's what fans ultimately looked to this band for - leaders who weren't afraid to shatter boundaries and limitations and replace them with brutal brilliance... time and time again. From the swelling tides of the intro eerily building up into a twisting, tormented climax, the album proceeds through a cauldron of tracks that grind brutally between the blurring intensity of speed and then heavy, plodding riffs of doom. Perhaps the most extreme thing about "Blessed Are The Sick" is how Morbid Angel was able to consistently shift between this multitude of seemingly incompatible elements and yet come out of the recording studio with their sanity intact. Sick individuals, indeed... and bless them for it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Epic yet efficient evil., March 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Blessed Are the Sick (Audio CD)

''Blessed are the Sick'' is compositional, yet compact. On most every track, the tempos range from sludge to machine gun. Yet the time changes are lightning quick. Most of the songs have varied tempos punctuated by quaking, shattering breakdowns that intrude as if the song broke through a brick wall. Good examples of this include ''Thy Kingdom Come'' and the title track. There is strong song structure throughout. The first half of the album generally uses manic tempos and complex song structure to build a vicious, chaotic mood. The second half of the album, so to speak, generally ''rocks out'' by using some more traditional song elements of verse and chorus. Good examples of this include ''Abominations'' and ''The Ancient Ones''. It feels like the simpler, catchier stye of the second half are used to vindicate the chaotic, furious mood built up by the first. Delicate, tone-setting instrumental pieces are scattered throughout the album, which pull the listener in deeper into the vicious, depraved mood of the album. This is as evil as music can get.