''Gateways to Annihilation'' is the sixth studio album by the

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

band

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling ...

. This album saw a change in musical style as the speed-laden intensity of the previous album ''

Formulas Fatal to the Flesh ''Formulas Fatal to the Flesh'' is the fifth full-length studio album by death metal band Morbid Angel. The Satanic-themed lyrics of previous albums had been replaced with lyrics about the Old Ones, which would become the primary source of Morbi ...

'' was abandoned for a slower, more droning style, reminiscent of ''

Blessed Are the Sick ''Blessed Are the Sick'' is the second studio album from American death metal band Morbid Angel. Though the album features some fast sections, the overall sound is markedly slower than the debut and features marked classical music undertones (mai ...

''. This is also the first album in which Steve Tucker contributed lyrics and music to the band. It is also the second and last album to feature

Erik Rutan Erik Rutan (born June 10, 1971) is an American heavy metal musician and producer from New Jersey. He is the guitarist and lead vocalist of death metal band Hate Eternal and lead guitarist for Cannibal Corpse, who he fully joined in 2021 after ...

as a member of Morbid Angel.

Dan Seagrave Daniel Seagrave (born 1970) is a British artist, who created many record covers for death metal bands especially in the early 1990s. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Ravenshead, near Nottingham. Seagrave's works are typically ...

painted the album cover. This marks the first Morbid Angel album cover he had painted since ''

Altars of Madness ''Altars of Madness'' is the debut studio album by American death metal band Morbid Angel, released on May 12, 1989, by Combat Records/Earache Records. The album was recorded in December 1988 at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida. The album is ...

''. The intro track name "Kawazu" is an archaic Japanese word meaning "frog", which explains the sounds of frogs croaking on the track.

Track listing

Personnel

*Steve Tucker – bass, lead vocals *

Trey Azagthoth Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in 1983 by guitarist, primary composer and sole remaining original member Trey Azagthoth, vocalist and bassist Dallas Ward, and drummer Mike Browning. Widely considered ...

– guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Secured Limitations" *

– guitars, keyboards *

Pete Sandoval Pedro Rigoberto "Pete" Sandoval (born May 21, 1964) is a El Salvador, Salvadoran-born United States, American death metal drummer. His first significant stint as a drummer was for the grindcore band Terrorizer, formed in 1986, where he began to ...

– drums

References

Morbid Angel albums 2000 albums Albums with cover art by Dan Seagrave Earache Records albums {{2000s-death-metal-album-stub