Morbid Angel Intro To Immortal Rites- How Did It Come Upward About?

Question: Hi Dig!

Speaking of Morbid Angel, I bring i query that has been nagging me since 1989. You are the producer of Altars of Madness, in addition to perhaps yous know the answer. How did the backward introriff to Immortal Rites happen? From where came the inspiration/idea? Why was it made this way? Was it a coincident that sounded cool? Was it tried (by the producer) on some other album before amongst some other band? And is it inwards the same tempo equally the "correct" introriff?

Thanks in addition to cheers!

Torbjörn from torbjorn.hallgren@telia.com


Answer: Recording bands inwards the analog tape era was a existent chore. Ampex 24- rail tape was i of the most expensive parts of the process, costing most $350 for each reel, which held xv minutes of music max. That is too the argue why thence many classic albums from the fourth dimension clock inwards at 40-44 minutes, it agency iii reels of tape were used inwards the session.Its too the optimum fourth dimension for sonic character on a vinyl LP, 20-22 minutes a side of wax.

Back then, the bigger budget recording studios would employ a tape operator (for smaller budgets this was the usually the engineer himself) for the sole undertaking of operating the bulky 24 rail tape machine. Their undertaking would last to fast rewind the tape to precise points thence that extra overdubs could last added, eventually filling all 24 channels allowed on the tape. It's no exaggeration to acre that a unmarried tape would last played in addition to reversed 1,000 times inwards a session. Think most that side yesteryear side fourth dimension yous indicate in addition to click to start a vocal amongst yer mouse!

Anyway, equally Immortal Rites was beingness recorded it became noticed that when the tape was reversing at normal speed the original opening riff sounded pretty cool when played backwards. It was remarkably similar to the forwards riff, but amongst a variety of eerie, other-worldly vibe. Since Immortal Rites was decided to opened upwards the album, the band in addition to myself figured nosotros needed a cool intro to come upwards before the original vocal starts. Usually for a metallic band that agency creating something evil sounding on the keyboards or a sampler or something to laid about the album.

Instead of that, the sentiment came to me to add together a small-scale passage of that backwards riff equally an intro. It was meant to imply the band arriving from another, satanic dimension or something, in addition to the album itself explodes amongst a drum hitting in addition to goes into the song. I shout out upwards Trey loved it because it added an extra insane vortex of audio to the album, much similar he was trying to practise inside the remainder of the band's songs anyway.

To test its the exact same audio equally the remainder of the song- hither is the get-go of IMMORTAL RITES played backwards. You tin listen that the intro is inwards fact the original riff of the song. It's the exact same tempo, inwards fact it was completely untouched except recorded at slightly lower book thence the vocal had touching on when it began. I've never heard of it beingness done before or since actually, but I approximate it is such a unproblematic idea, it must bring been done somewhere elsewhere, I simply don't know whatever examples.

MORBID ANGEL - Immortal Rites backwards intro yesteryear digearache

Heres the actual vocal played normally:



If yous believe inwards the ability of backmasking, equally this technique is known, thence banking concern stand upwards for this out. When Obama says 'Yes We Can', backwards it is 'Thank You Satan'.
Yep, for real: