Formed in 1983 by Mike Browning, Trey Azagthoth, and Dallas Ward, Morbid Angel
are known as one of the pioneering bands of the death metal genre and
also the first death metal band to have significant commercial success,
selling over a million albums throughout their career. This is due in
part to them also being the first death metal band to get signed to a
major record label, Giant Records, in association with Warner Brothers Records.
For some time Morbid Angel were an instrumental band until bass player Dallas Ward began performing vocals.
This is a rehearsal bootleg with the following lineup:
Dallas Ward - Bass/Vocals
Kenny Bamber -Vocals
Trey Azagthoth - Guitars
Mike Browning - Drums
Several singers were auditioned and the bootleg rehearsal above,
recorded in 1985, had local metal vocalist Kenny Bamber and Dallas Ward
sharing vocals. Kenny's style did not fit the band, so Dallas continued
singing.
Richard Brunelle
joined the line-up on guitar and also did some vocals at some live
shows before Dallas left the band. After Dallas' departure, Mike
Browning took over lead vocals and the classic Abominations of Desolation was recorded in 1986.
The band has a tradition of releasing albums in alphabetical order
beginning with the title's first letter. According to the group it was
done purely by accidental coincidence when Blessed are the Sick was released and when they discovered it they kept the tradition going with Covenant and onward.
On August 12, 2004, former vocalist (from 1986 to 1996) David Vincent returned to the band. After leaving Morbid Angel, he began playing with the Genitorturers, which is a shock rock/goth punk band that features his wife Gen.
Morbid Angel left their long time label Earache Records because the sales for Heretic were poor compared to their other releases (highest number: Covenant of over 500,000. Lowest number: Heretic at lower than 20,000).
Erik Rutan, member from 1993 to 1996 and 1999-2002, returned to the band as a special guest for their European festival tour in 2006.
In an interview in December 2013, David Vincent confirmed that Pete Sandoval was no longer a member of the band.
Compilation appearances:
- "Thy Kingdom Come" on Satan's Revenge Part II (New Renaissance Records, 1988)
- "Chapel of Ghouls" on Grind Crusher (Earache Records, 1989)
- "Rebel Lands' on Rock Hard Presents Monsters of Death (R/C, 1992)
- "Fall from Grace" and "Blessed are the Sick" on Metal Attack (On Tour, 1993)
- "Where the Slime Lives" on Bullet Proof Records / Earache / Massacre Records / Mascot / Alternation (Metal Hammer, 1995)
- "Where the Slime Live" on Scorchio! (Metal Hammer, 1996)
- "Day of Suffering" & "Abominations" (both remixed by The Berzerker) on Hellspawn (Extreme Metal Meets Extreme Techno) (Earache 1998)
- "Heaving Earth" on Warzone V (Metal Invader, 1998)
- "This Means War" on Loftgroover – Speedcore (1998, Harmless – HURTCD 011)
- "Opening the Gates" on Let The Hammer Fall Vol. 3 (Metal Hammer, 2000)
- "Maze of Torment" on Earache: Extremity Experiment '03 (Metal Hammer, 2003)
- "Stricken Arise" on Earache: Extreme Musick 2004 (Metal Hammer, 2003)
- "Enshrined by Grace" on Off Road Tracks Vol. 72 (Metal Hammer, 2003)
- "Chapel of Ghouls" on Earache Metaltracks (Metal Hammer, 2005)
- "Enshrined Grace" on The Hammer Vault of Horror [DVD] (Metal Hammer, 2005)
- "Blasphemy" on Fear Candy 35 (Terrorizer Magazine, 2006)
- "Existo Vulgore" on Fear Candy 95 (Terrorizer Magazine, 2011)
- "Remixou Morbidou" as Igorrr vs Morbid Angel on Fear Candy 104 (Terrorizer Magazine, 2012)
- "Opening the Gates" on Warzone XVIII (Metal Invader)
- "Dominate" on Earache Xmas 2016 Sampler (Earache Records, December 2016)
- "Blessed are the Sick/Leading the Rats" on 30 Years of Earache Records (Earache Records, August 2017)
Pictured from left to right: Dan Vadim Von, Trey Azagthoth, Scott Fuller, Steve Tucker.