MORBID ANGEL hails from Tampa, Florida, where it was formed in early 1984 by Trey Azagthoth (guitar), Mike Browning (drums, vocals), and Dallas Ward (bass). Soon after, Richard Brunelle (guitar) joined in, and the band began playing Florida's club scene. Johnny Ortega replaced Dallas Ward on bass in July of 1985.
Blowing Thrash #3, 1986
This year the band signed a recording contract with the new label Goreque Records, and recorded their first LP, "Abominations Of Desolation". After it was ready, bassist Johnny Ortega was replaced by Sterling Scarborough from the band INCUBUS.
MORBID ANGEL play death metal in a very original manner that puts them above the rest of the bands. I heard from advanced tracks, which were enough to show me the band kills! "Hellspawn" blasts off with extreme speed in a style very similar to KREATOR, while "Angel Of Disease", "Chapel Of Ghouls", and "Abominations" have more moderated speeds and lots of rhythm changes, without losing any heaviness.
The LP was engineered by Bill Metoyer and will be distributed through Important, so everything is right for a great debut.
Although recorded in May 1986, MORBID ANGEL released Abominations of Desolation - either their unreleased debut album or an album-length demo, depending on who's telling it - on this day in 1991 through Earache.
Abominations of Desolation, to me, is not considered a true album. It's considered a demo, an experimental project that did not materialize with the brilliance I thought was needed to be in a debut album. Altars of Madness is the first "A".
Trey Azagthoth / Morbid Angel interview, Hellfrost, 1998
Abominations of Desolation was recorded at Central Recording Studios, Charlotte, North Carolina in April 1986, organised by (soon to be vocalist / bassist) David Vincent with the intention to release it through his new label Goreque.
We really hadn't talked to any labels at all yet, but an old friend of mine from Tampa that had moved to North Carolina had called me and he said he was in a band called BARREN CEMETARY and that the bass player had a record label and he wanted to hear our stuff, so we sent him a rehearsal tape and he sent us a contract, that person who owned the label happened to be David Vincent (Evil D), the contract was really good and he wanted Bill Metoyer (of old SLAYER fame and countless other bands) to engineer the album, so we signed it right away.
We were the first to be on Goreque, but he was also very interested in MASSACRE at the time.
David wanted us to use some expensive fancy studio where he lived, so we drove up there in a rented truck with our stuff and he flew in Bill Metoyer from California and we recorded in some studio that did a lot of country music, the guys that owned the studio didn't know what to think about our music!
Mike Browning interview, Voices from the Darkside, 2004
That stele they shall call the Abomination of Desolation; count well its name, & it shall be to you as 718.
Aleister Crowley. Liber AL vel Legis, III:19