Covenant (Morbid Angel album)
Covenant | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 1, 1993[1] | |||
Studio | Morrisound Recording, Florida | |||
Genre | Death metal[2] | |||
Length | 41:12 | |||
Label | Earache (Europe), Giant (North America) | |||
Producer | Morbid Angel Flemming Rasmussen | |||
Morbid Angel chronology | ||||
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Covenant is the third official full-length album by Florida-based
Background
In the late 80s, a number of heavy metal and thrash metal bands such as
Musical style, writing, and composition
The album's lyrics, written by David Vincent, draw heavily on occult, mythological, and Satanic themes, including
Recording and production
Covenant was produced by Morbid Angel and Flemming Rasmussen; engineered by Tom Morris and Flemming Rasmussen at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida. It was mixed by Flemming 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 they 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."[9]
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 the album was the opening song '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."[9]
Artwork
The album's cover image shows a page from "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."[9]
Release, promotion, and marketing
Their record label Giant Records (and its parent company Warner Bros. Records) devoted promotional resources to the album, commissioning two music videos of the tracks 'Rapture' and 'God of Emptiness'.[5][9] They were both directed by Tony Kunewalder, and David Vincent explained in an interview that "Those were the times when labels were still living the high life and they thought nothing of spending too much money on good videos".[9] Further, "They were connected to each other, although shot six months apart and we had the same director for both of them named Tony Kunewalder. He was a very artistic guy that wasn't into metal at all but he was a pleasure to work with. The weirdest part is that soon after the God Of Emptiness shooting, he died in a fire on a set of another video soon afterwards so it means that was one of the last thing he ever did."[9] These music videos received heavy rotation on MTV and Headbangers Ball in particular.[5][9] The video for 'Rapture' premiered on Headbangers Ball and was followed by a video interview with David Vincent.[5] The music video for 'God of Emptiness' was also featured on the television show Beavis and Butt-head.[5] According to Soundscan, the album went on to sell over 150,000 copies in the United States alone.[6]
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the album's original release in 1993, the album was remastered in a 'Full Dynamic Range' edition and re-released on CD and vinyl by Earache Records in November 2013.[11]
Touring
Following the commercial success of the album and the significant coverage by MTV in particular, in early 1994 the band toured with Black Sabbath and Motörhead.[12] The tour featured over 20 dates, began on February 8, 1994, at New Britain, Connecticut and Morbid Angel toured in support with Motörhead through to March 13, 1994, at Sunrise, Florida.[13] 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."[9]
In 2013 and 2014 the band headlined North American and European tours to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album's original release. Covenant was performed in its entirety on every date of the tour, followed by a selection of songs from the band's other albums.[9][14]
Reception, legacy, and influence
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [15] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [16] |
Kerrang! | [17] |
Metal Storm | 9.6/10[18] |
MusicHound Rock | [19] |
Ox-Fanzine | [20] |
Record-Journal | A[21] |
Rock Hard | 7.5/10[22] |
The album is widely considered to be a milestone in the death metal genre, arriving at (and representing) the genre's peak.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Rapture" | 4:17 |
2. | "Pain Divine" | 3:58 |
3. | "World of Shit (The Promised Land)" | 3:20 |
4. | "Vengeance Is Mine" | 3:15 |
5. | "Lions Den" | 4:45 |
6. | "Blood on My Hands" | 3:43 |
7. | "Angel of Disease" | 6:15 |
8. | "Sworn to the Black" | 4:01 |
9. | "Nar Mattaru" (instrumental) | 2:06 |
10. | "God of Emptiness
| 5:27 |
Personnel
- 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
- ^ a b Anon. (May 29, 1993). "New Releases" (PDF). Music Week. p. 14 – via worldradiohistory.com.
- ^ "Morbid Angel "Covenant". Metal Storm.
- ^ Saulnier, Jason (January 13, 2013). "Flemming Rasmussen Interview". Music Legends. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
- ^ "Covenant – Morbid Angel | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Covenant Turns 20". Stereogum. June 20, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ a b Puzak, Chris (November 18, 2003). "Cannibal Corpse Is Top-Selling Death Metal Band" Archived April 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Blog Critics. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
- ^ a b "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 21, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-8406-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "20 Years Of Morbid Angel's Covenant". TeamRock. October 22, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "God Of Emptiness – Indepth analysis, 1996". Metalzin.com. July 26, 1996. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ "MORBID ANGEL's 'Covenant' To Be Reissued On Full Dynamic Range Vinyl". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. October 14, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "1994 Tour – Black Sabbath Online". www.black-sabbath.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "MORBID ANGEL To Embark On Covenant 20th Anniversary Tour, Play Album In Full – Metal Injection". Metal Injection. July 15, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- Allmusic. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
- EMAP. p. 50.
- ^ Herzebeth (March 21, 2007). "Morbid Angel – Covenant review". Metal Storm. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ISBN 978-1-57859-061-2 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Bohnensack, André (October 2011). "Review – Morbid Angel – Covenant". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ Atkinson, Peter (August 20, 1993). "Music: Off the Record". Record-Journal: 27.
- ^ "Covenant". Rock Hard (Vol. 74) (in German). June 24, 1993. Retrieved December 27, 2023.