I recently had the pleasure of seeing death metal be-alls and end-alls Morbid Angel in concert, re-united with their original and definitive frontman, David Vincent. It was like a blast from the past that I had never actually witnessed, but had always wanted to, partially because it was rumored that Morbid Angel didn’t play any material past their fourth album because Vincent refused to learn any of the songs from the albums that his successor, Steve Tucker, played on, and partially because the performance was like an extended version of the Entangled in Chaos live album, recorded after Vincent’s (so far) last record with the band.

Yes, this is the "E" installment in the Morbid Angel legacy, which makes it album #5. Apparently, this record is rather hard to find. I got mine in Japan. You’d do well to get yourself a copy, too, for Entangled in Chaos is more than just a superb live record, it’s practically a re-polishing of the great songs from the band’s first three albums, presented with more ability and conviction, and truer to the sound that Morbid Angel has since come to embrace as its own.

No more so is this the case than with the performances from the debut record, Altars of Madness, which are performed in Vincent’s trademark, low, rich, coherent style, and not in the rather black metal-like rasp found on the studio recordings. The performances are faster, tighter, and abounding with more personal flair, from Trey Azagthoth’s improved soloing personality to Pete Sandoval’s chops and trademark trigger sounds.

The album is sadly only 11 tracks long – feeling cut quite a bit due to the noticeably short play time paired with the almost total lack of crowd noise between songs and the set’s abrupt end, but the ride along the way remains a thrilling and deeply satisfying one, proving as ever that Morbid Angel’s contributions to the genre are unequivocally and timelessly impactful.