The Album Reader Reviews:

	Title: Gateways to Annihilation Artist: Morbid Angel Label: Earache Records Release Date: 10/17/00	There are currently 6 Reader Reviews of this album. Average Rating: 4.5 Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this Album
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Submitted by Nacho (3/5/01):
Este es un album de puta madre con buena produccion, sonido y voces. tiene suficientes canciones y no te aburre.

Submitted by Heath (2/25/01):
First of all I have read some of the previous reviews of this record and some are right on and others are way off.
This is the ultimate death metal album of all time!!! It may have slower parts but they are there for a reason. There are still exceptionally fast parts that not many bands could pull off with such precision.
The vocals are brilliant, much better then FFTTF, it seems that steve is really comfortable with his position now and is really one of the best death vocalists out there.
The guitars... are incredible... the riffs are out of this world and the solos are beyond anything any guitarists have done thus far. Trey and Eric are truly the finest duo any metal band could ever have.
The drums are the best sounding I have ever heard on any death metal album, far surpassing anything out there and what pete has done in the past... buy it now!!!!!!

Submitted by Demonic (11/20/00):
The rating might throw you, but read the rest of this diatribe to understand my reasoning.
Don't get me wrong, I love Morbid Angel. Always have. They provide everyone with superb metal that is essentially unmatched. From A to, well, G, I've been listening since I first heard the haunting grind of "Chapel of Ghouls" so many years ago.
If you want to read good stuff, read the Summary Judgment reviews of the album (everyone there gave 5 skull ratings) as they are mostly on point.
My problem is the drums. Specifically, the bass drums. Since when do bass drums sound like they are sonically equvalent to a drum machine? When the once mighty Pete Sandoval uses triggers to no end. Every time he plays a double bass drum roll or constant double bass drum patterns, it sickens me.
You can hear touches of this on the latest Nile offering, but those guys know when to pull the (electric) plug and go with organic drumming... That's why they went out and got the maniacally sick Derek Roddy (he of so many death metal albums) to do the parts that their normal drummer couldn't do.
Anyhow, that's my gripe. The bloody bass drums sound like garbage. Anyone remember what they thought when they heard the drum production on Metallica's And Justice for All... -- WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH THE BASS DRUMS? That's all I can say here.
The music is godly, as any Morbid Angel album should be, but being a drummer myself, the excessive use of bass drum triggers cheapens the experience and makes me think the man who has been purported to have 8 arms really only has two (even the snare, cymbals, and drum fills sound weak).
Actually, I wonder why no one ever commented on Sandoval having what sounded like 8 legs (now courtesy solely of triggers)? End of rant.

Submitted by Richard (11/20/00):
In my book, 5 skulls means an album is certainly in the "exceptional" league and this doesn't quite make that mark. Disliked the album at first due to the lack of speed, but then starting to understand what the band were trying to do, and it clicked! I have to say I think FFTTF was still a bit better than this due to its greater diversity.
Some of the guitar solos seem to be off the mark somewhat, and the vocals can get a bit monotonous over the course of the whole CD. That being said, this is still a fine addition to a death metal collection. But to be honest guys, I think your ratings are too top heavy, and over the narrow range of marking, it's difficult to distinguish the really great stuff. Insineratehymn and Black Seeds of Vengeance were given the same rating by Hel, even though the former clearly has (at least) several fillers over its 30 minutes?! Sort it out, please.

Submitted by omar 'fromar' akhtar (11/20/00):
I suggest that if you are prone to pissing your pants off when listening to a good CD, don't wear anything and cover your floor. What is there to say? This album is slower than anything the band has ever done, some bands do that and end up screwing up beyond belief, but Morbid Angel does it so that, where they lose speed, they add complex song strcutures. The riffs are amazing, the solos pretty much ripped me a new asshole. The bass shows up in the mix and adds an air of brutality, the vocals, a great improvement, Tucker makes a great vocalist, and the perfect mouthpiece for Trey's amazing lyrics. The drumming, shit, I think I had an orgasm hearing some of these bass blasts, is this guy taking steroids? Holy shit. Just buy it before I keep going on..... (PS I would've given it 100,000,000,000 skulls, but you can only choose 5)

Submitted by mike c. (11/1/00):
Damn,I am so glad I wasn't disappointed. Many bands, a new record is not always a good thing. But Morbid Angel stands strong. Solid kick asshole shit is what they give you. One thing I always loved about Morbid is they always give you something new without taking away too much of the old. And this release is definitely the same. A little slower (Dominationish) but still good and heavy. Fucking some of the best solos Trey has done and just overall good songs. "Secured Lamentations" is the best, Steve and Trey sing together in what becomes the best song on the cd. Put this at the top of your list. It wont disappoint.

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