MORBID SAINT - Destruction System CASSETTE
Pat Lind (Vocals)
Jim Fergades (Guitar)
Jay Visser (Guitar)
Gary Beimel (Bass)
Lee Reynolds (Drums)
01 Intro
02 Destruction System
03 Darkness Unseen
04 Depth of Sanity
05 Disciples of Discipline
06 Spectrum of Death II
07 Halls of Terror
08 Living Misery
09 Sign of the Times
10 Final Exit
AVAILABLE
Mastered by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in September 2015. Processed for vinyl in August 2022.
Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels ...
It seems that the history of thrash metal in particular is rife with upstarts looking at potentially successful careers who eventually never made it. Or bluntly speaking: For each Metallica or Slayer, there are ten acts like MORBID SAINT, whose 1990 underground classic “Spectrum of Death” should rank high in the annals of the genre, not least due to its massive influence on the first death metal acts of that time.
Founded in the small town of Sheboygan in Wisconsin in late 1984, the eventual five-piece churned out some of the wildest thrash there has ever been with their first full-length, only to fizzle out shortly after due to various reasons. “The band stopped more or less from being burned-out and other more important responsibilities that come with getting older”, says guitarist and co-founder Jim Fergades.
Their prospective second album “Destruction System” was never properly finished but got bootlegged throughout the years in which MORBID SAINT gained a cult following. High Roller Records are now happy to announce an official release of the material, which has been coordinated in close connection with the band, which was reunited in 2010 and again features its creative core of Jim besides fellow guitarist Jay Visser as well as singer Pat Lind.
“Destruction System” was diligently remastered to do justice to the group´s initial intentions and has been called many things by both fans and critics who were able to listen to the material; however, the ten tracks are probably best described as a more mature and diverse but still furious take on that which made “Spectrum of Death” great.
Topped off by an entirely new artwork that makes the previous, unofficial cover obsolete, “Destruction System” can now be enjoyed in its full thrashing splendour both on CD and vinyl – right in time to tease great things to come from MORBID SAINT, as Jim reveals…
“We are finishing up recording a new album that will be out within the next few months, being the first we have complete control of. It´s some of the fastest stuff we have ever written but still contains some totally brutal break downs.”
Andreas Schiffmann
The context surrounding this release is simply sad, after the milestone that was Spectrum of Death the last thing this band deserved was to disappear and leave extreme thrash fans with only one album to rejoice over. But there was also something else, in the same way that Spectrum of Death had a predecessor demo distributed at the band's shows, a second demo that promised a sophomore album was the sign of something that came close but didn't happen... Until 2015, when the studio album finally saw the light of day. However this second release hasn't had nearly the same impact as the debut. Was it because it came too late? Or was it because it wasn't up to the level of Spectrum of Death? The truth is that comparing it to the debut is a mistake, it's not worth it because Spectrum of Death was simply a lightning in a bottle, something so extremely unique and special that not even the band itself would be able to repeat it, so unless you want to set yourself up for disappointment just enjoy this release on its own merits.
Of course Destrucion System shares many elements with the debut album, in some ways it's even better, the intensity of the band hasn't gone away and has no intention of doing so, the riffs are still monstrous and addictive, they really feel reminiscent of the old school, also the chaotic solos are still spectacular radiating the same energy as on the debut. The drums on the other hand, are if anything much better than on Spectrum of Death, not only are they better produced and mixed in the final cut, Lee Reynolds delivers an underrated performance making, at times, his instrument the centrepiece of the composition, and that's saying a lot on an album so dedicated to riffs. The best example of this can be seen immediately in the first song of the album, as there are several sections where the drums are the king of the scene, build ups, fillers, blast beats... The fact that it is such a fast and wild album is thanks to the rhythm that sets the pace throughout the whole work.
Then there is the issue of Pat Lind's voice, his performance on Spectrum of Death is one of the best in history, in fact he is largely responsible for the quality of Morbid Saint, as he makes possible how inhuman his tone seems and how well it fits in such a wild and primitive music. In Destruction System his voice is not as good, he lowers the intensity a bit and that's noticeable, but still what is undeniable is that his performance is still an absolute milestone of the genre, his tone is simply ripping and in every delivery of every word you can really feel the aggression. It's fast, it's powerful and you can feel the throat being torn out, another masterclass from the american singer.
As for the songs themselves, here comes the most differentiating point with respect to the debut, the compositions are much more oriented towards the classic thrash metal standard, there are no longer those short but intense songs where they aggressively compress an entire song in a few minutes nor are there those long songs with more epic tonalities, the death metal influences that surrounded the debut are no longer so obvious. Luckily this more simplistic approach is still just as good, there is a lot of gang shouting throughout and I think it works great, most of the songs follow a similar pattern with an instrumental intro with a good number of riffs to finally come in with the main riff and vocalist, and yet the album is so fast and so aggressive that it never gets repetitive, it's quite amazing how the compositions have multiple segments and manage to be so dynamic when no song is even 5 minutes long.
I think that in general this work is the result of more technically mature musicians, some of that youthful energy is lost but who doesn't lose it? It's normal to lose some punch but at least it's noticeable that they have gained new skills and they make the most of them. If something has characterized Morbid Saint is that when they make their music they focus mainly on what they do best and everything else is left behind, Destruction System is the confirmation of this and that's why it's so good, because it doesn't try to be more than what it is and it doesn't try to be more than the debut. Destruction System is their own style, their own essence and they are proud of it, and when you listen to it you can feel it, you can feel their honesty, and that increases its quality. Bravo.