by Steve Huey

Covenant started to bring Morbid Angel up out of the underground, as MTV gave them wider exposure on its late Headbanger's Ball. Guitarist Trey Azagthoth plays complicated, heavily detuned riffs, some with a lightning-fast picking style and others in a slower groove. Drummer Pete Sandoval is one of the genre's fastest, and his jackhammer style helps complete Morbid Angel's core sound. Their incredible chops and nonstop intensity may be exactly what you've been looking for, or you may find the lack of variation wearisome.