Covenant (Morbid Angel album)

In the late 1980s, a number of heavy metal and thrash metal bands, such as Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth, enjoyed significant mainstream success, while "Iron Maiden went heavy on synths" and "Testament actually wrote a song called 'The Ballad'". Covenant's release through Earache and Giant Records (a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records) therefore represented one of the most significant releases of that time period, and 1993 is widely credited as one of death metal's highest peaks. Morbid Angel's success with their previous two albums gained them a one-album record deal (with the option of five more) with Giant in the spring of 1992. Later that same year, second guitarist Richard Brunelle was kicked out of the band due to alleged substance abuse, meaning that Covenant was recorded as just a trio. == Recording ==

Covenant was produced by Morbid Angel and Flemming Rasmussen, engineered by Rasmussen and Tom Morris at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida, and was mixed by Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. Rasmussen was responsible for producing three of Metallica's most famous albums: Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and ...And Justice for All. In an interview with Metal Hammer, David Vincent explained that the band chose him to mix the album because: "We wanted a different approach and Flemming proved to be a treat to work with. Besides, he was there from the beginning. He even came in earlier than scheduled so he could attend few of our rehearsals prior to us entering the studio. Ultimately, he turned out to be pretty meticulous, especially on how the drums should sound. Then we did both the vocals and guitars on our own and Trey and I flew to Copenhagen to mix the whole thing with him." The track "Angel of Disease" was originally written in 1985 for Abominations of Desolation, but was re-recorded for Covenant; Abominations of Desolation went unreleased until 1991. The first song written for Covenant was the opening track "Rapture", which Vincent claims "set the tone" for the rest of the album. The closing track "God of Emptiness" was "almost like a vision. I had a dream that awoke me up in the middle of the night and I literally then on the spot wrote that song, humming my ideas into a small tape recorder." == Music and lyrics ==

The album's lyrics, written by David Vincent, draw heavily on occult, mythological, and Satanic themes, including theistic Satanism, Sumerian religion, and Nietzschean philosophy. Michael Nelson wrote that part of the success of the album was due to the band's success at reflecting these themes musically, particularly due to Trey Azagthoth's guitarwork. Writing for Stereogum on the album's 20th anniversary, Nelson described Azagthoth's work: "His guitars seemed to mimic surreal horrors of nature — whirlpools or wildfires — more than they did any musicians of his era. At the time, the most celebrated guitarist in death metal was Chuck Schuldiner of Death, a dazzlingly proficient hyper-shredder with few technical equals. Azagthoth, on the other hand, delivered queasy, nitrous leads that called to mind the most extreme work of free-jazz/grindcore saxophonist John Zorn." An entry on AllMusic explains that "Guitarist Trey Azagthoth plays complicated, heavily detuned riffs, some with a lightning-fast picking style and others in a slower groove. Drummer Pete Sandoval is one of the genre's fastest, and his jackhammer style helps complete Morbid Angel's core sound." The album also serves as a rejection of many mainstream musical conventions, and, Nelson of Stereogum also describes, "is never a catchy record. That's partly because the album is essentially devoid of anything resembling a traditional 'chorus,' but it's mostly due to the uppermost layers of sound — the things on which the ear and imagination immediately focus. Covenant squeals and reels wildly; the band's odd and ever-changing time signatures leave little room for grooves." == Artwork ==

The album's cover image shows a page from The Book of Ceremonial Magic by Arthur Edward Waite to the right, and a reproduction of "The Pact of Urbain Grandier" on the left. It is Morbid Angel's first album to feature a photograph as the album cover rather than an illustration. It was designed in collaboration with the band and shot by Earache employee Martin Nesbitt, and was designed to reflect the album's philosophy. In an interview with Metal Hammer, Vincent claimed that: "We wanted something that was solemn and sort of like… (he pauses) Not a rulebook per se but it had to suggest the idea of a pact, an allegiance if you will. Overall, we wanted something timeless and about commitment. We felt that this record being what it was, who we were and its subject matter, it was like our covenant to ourselves and to ourselves. And as a bonus, if you look closely enough, you'll find many little details that are references to a specific lyric of song from that album included in there." == Release and promotion ==

Morbid Angel's label Giant Records (and its parent company Warner Bros. Records) devoted promotional resources to the album, commissioning two music videos for the tracks "Rapture" and "God of Emptiness", == Touring ==

Following the commercial success of the album and its exposure by MTV in particular, in early 1994 the band toured with Black Sabbath and Motörhead. The tour, which featured over 20 dates, began in New Britain, Connecticut on February 8, 1994. David Vincent sees Covenant as a vital record for the band in this respect: "We got support from MTV and to tour with Black Sabbath and Motörhead in early '94 in places we had never played before while a new wave of aggressive music was coming out. I think that overall, it helped us reach a whole new audience. Without Covenant, we wouldn't be where we are now and we're proud that it has stood the test of time like it did." == Reception and legacy ==

Covenant is widely considered to be a milestone in the death metal genre, arriving at (and representing) the genre's peak. == Track listing ==

;Morbid Angel • David Vincent – bass, vocals • Trey Azagthoth – guitars, keyboards • Pete Sandoval – drums ;Additional personnel • Morbid Angel – production • Tom Morris – engineering • Flemming Rasmussen – production, engineering, mixing • Luton Sinfield – photography == References ==