CoC : Angelcorpse - Hammer of Gods : Review

Angelcorpse - _Hammer of Gods_
(Osmose Productions, 1996)
by: Henry Akeley (8 out of 10)

The first few plays I gave this disc got me pretty darn stoked, since these guys definitely have a ripping, ferocious, and malevolent sound. In fact, the sound in question is virtually indistinguishable from that of Morbid Angel's first two LPs - from the general style of riffs and leads, right down to the trademark wild and frequent shifts from sprinting to grinding to crazy alien riffing entwined with koo-koo, wah-wah, squonk-squonk soloing. If you like Morbid Angel's early stuff, as I do, then there's a lot here to enjoy, especially "Envenomed" and the wicked "Lord of the Funeral Pyre". Still, Angel Corpse don't exhibit as much variation in feel or style from song to song as that "other" Angel does. And because the whole Angel Corpse vibe is so entirely derivative of the sound of another, much more original band, their potential impact is blunted by the knowledge that when Morbid Angel cut their first two LPs, -they- weren't simply imitating someone else's distinctive style. Anyway, original or not, I still think _Hammer..._ contains some killer tracks, and if you're a big fan of Morbid Angel's early material, then it's a safe bet that you'll think so too.

(article published 4/2/1997)

CHATS
1/31/2008	P Schwarz	Angelcorpse: How to Philosophise With a Hammergod
10/12/1999	P Schwarz	Angelcorpse: Relentless Angelic Cadavers
11/17/1997	A Wasylyk	Angelcorpse: Hammer of Metal

ALBUMS
8/4/2007	J Montague	4	Angelcorpse - Of Lucifer and Lightning
3/13/2001	P Schwarz	8	Angelcorpse - Iron, Blood and Blasphemy
12/9/1999	P Azevedo	8	Angelcorpse - The Inexorable
9/1/1998	P Schwarz	9	Angelcorpse - Exterminate

GIGS
1/15/2000	P Azevedo	Marduk / Angelcorpse / Enthroned	Night of the Living Corpses
1/15/2000	M Noll	Cannibal Corpse / Marduk / Angelcorpse / Aeternus / Defleshed	Two Corpses, One God and No Flesh
6/7/1998	P Schwarz	Immortal / Angelcorpse / Desecration	London's Underworld Holocaust