Morbid Angel made their vinyl debut in 1987 on New Renaissance Records. Morbid Angel was one of the original death metal bands signed to Earache Records, and was also influential in the transition of death metal from its thrash metal roots to its current form by adding guttural vocals, up-tempo blast beats, incorporating atonality in guitar soloing, and dark, chunky, mid paced rhythms. It was also the first death metal band to have a touch of mainstream success, such as being signed to Giant Records in 1992 and having the music video for the song "God of Emptiness" shown on an episode of Beavis and Butthead.
The original lyrical themes focused mostly on Satanism, paganism and anti-Christian subject matter, but from the second album, Blessed Are the Sick onward, the lyrics slowly moved toward the ancient Sumerian gods, though much of this is a nod to the Simon Necronomicon, which was influenced by Sumerian mythology as well as the author H. P. Lovecraft, as well as a fascination with the Roman Empire, though "anti-christian" elements continue to permeate the lyrics. Their albums are notable for being released in alphabetical order (their first album starts with the letter A, the second with B, etc.). Guitarist Trey Azagthoth has said in an interview that it was at first a coincidence with the first albums.
In 2008 appearance on some of the mid-summer 2008 European festivals was announced as a "short break from writing and pre-production of their new". After 3 years Morbid Angel released their expected 8th album Illud Divinum Insanus in June 2011. The album includes industrial and nu-metal elements. Also former Hate Eternal drummer Tim Yeung recorded the drum tracks for this album. The album was not well received by a big part of the fans, who liked the band's older and more purely Death Metal sounding albums.
But there were also fans who accepted and embraced Illud Divinum Insanus.
Damnation
Morbid Angel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pagan lives have no place for law
Twisted worship exhume the dead
Minds unite for evil cause
Death corrodes the book once strong
Evil lord destroys his foes
Plague has spread throughout the land
Revelations have begun
Call of evil's mastermind
Christians flock to the beast
Burning crosses burn souls
Exterminate the altar of laws
Atrocities of a new Reich
Holy war and holocaust
God weeps and turns his back
The time is right to destroy the world
[Chorus]
Damnation
Fill the world with plague
Force of devastation
Tyranny from above
[Chorus]
Churning of cities lust so profane
Driving the will to destroy
Crippling powers I'm forced to partake unholy rituals
Crimes of a world barely alive
Melting debauchery
Ashes to ashes, so must I be
Lost in this misery
There's nothing left here for me
I know of no other way
Even death cannot change my ways
I'm first in the line
To hell we shall go
Call of evil's mastermind
Christians flock to the beast
Burning crosses burn souls
The time is right to destroy the world
[Chorus]
Morbid Angel's "Damnation" is a dark and macabre song that encompasses themes of evil, pagan worship, and destruction. The lyrics describe an apocalyptic scenario in which evil forces have taken over the world and are wreaking havoc without any regard for law or order. The song presents a vision of a bleak future in which the only way to survive is to embrace darkness and sin.
The lyrics describe the spread of evil like a plague, corrupting everything in its path. The use of burning crosses symbolizes the perversion of Christianity, which has become co-opted by the forces of darkness, and is now used to support their nihilistic ends. The song is also enigmatic, containing allusions to Nazi Germany and its fascist ideology. It is a prophetic warning of what a society looks like when it is built on a foundation of hatred, and it is tearing itself apart.
Overall, "Damnation" is a shocking, disturbing, and thought-provoking work that forces listeners to confront the darkness that exists within humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
Evil minds grievous sins
People with evil minds commit terrible sins.
Pagan lives have no place for law
People who follow pagan religions do not follow laws.
Twisted worship exhume the dead
A form of worship that involves digging up the dead.
Minds unite for evil cause
Like-minded people come together to do evil things.
Death corrodes the book once strong
Death weakens what was once considered strong.
Evil lord destroys his foes
An evil leader destroys his enemies.
Plague has spread throughout the land
A devastating disease has spread and affected many people.
Revelations have begun
A revealing of something significant has started.
Call of evil's mastermind
The leader of evil beings calls for their followers.
Christians flock to the beast
Christians are drawn to evil.
Burning crosses burn souls
Burning crosses hurt people's souls.
Exterminate the altar of laws
Destroy the place where laws are made.
Atrocities of a new Reich
Horrible acts committed by a new leader or government.
Holy war and holocaust
A religious war and mass slaughter of people.
God weeps and turns his back
God is sad and is abandoning humanity.
The time is right to destroy the world
Now is the perfect opportunity to end the world.
Damnation
Condemnation to eternal punishment.
Fill the world with plague
Spread a disease across the world.
Force of devastation
A powerful destructive force.
Tyranny from above
A cruel dictatorship coming from a higher power.
Churning of cities lust so profane
Cities consumed by sinful desires.
Driving the will to destroy
Urging people to have the desire to destroy.
Crippling powers I'm forced to partake unholy rituals
Being forced to participate in dark rituals that have negative consequences.
Crimes of a world barely alive
Crimes committed in a world that is struggling to survive.
Melting debauchery
Living life in a way filled with wickedness that slowly destroys you.
Ashes to ashes, so must I be
I will die and turn to ashes like everyone else.
Lost in this misery
Feeling trapped and hopeless in a miserable situation.
There's nothing left here for me
Feeling like you have nothing to live for anymore.
I know of no other way
Feeling like there is no other option or choice.
Even death cannot change my ways
Even after death, one's actions and beliefs continue.
I'm first in the line
Being the first to participate in something, regardless of the consequences.
To hell we shall go
Going to a place of eternal punishment, as a result of one's actions.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Rubino
Heaviest song on the album
ChadFreeman
@D L Yea that riff sounds like it was written by the devil himself. Fuck this album is a masterpiece
D L
@timbuk1 that song is definitely chaotic, but not that heavy imo. Evil spells just sounds so satanic, and the exiting riff completes the album so well
timbuk1
Bleed For the Devil
John Mcaulay
Classic Death Metal CD. Totally Awesome.
antinorest
Best Morbid Angel album
Júlio Salotti
This song is SO UNDERRATED
Merle Langlois
I don't know why, but I actually like this album.
Arvaa Kuka
What do you mean actually? This is an essential piece of 80s art history
N
Cause it's great ya dingus