Kingdoms Disdained

On their first album in 14 years with returning vocalist/bassist Steve Tucker, Floridian extremity experts Morbid Angel rediscover death metal after 2011’s industrial-influenced Illud Divinum Insanus. Led by guitarist and founder Trey Azagthoth, the revamped band careens through an intense hellscape of rapid-fire riffs, whiplash-inducing arrangements, and swarming blast beats on “D.E.A.D,” “Garden of Disdain,” and “From the Hand of Kings,” while tracks like “Paradigms Warped,” “The Pillars Crumbling,” and “Declaring New Law” decelerate the relentless pace with grinding, mid-tempo grooves.