This reissue was impossible to find in the U.S.  For imports, as usual, I had to go and get it from a European distro and paid over $20 for it. But it was worth it since Odium is my favorite Morgoth album.  In 1993 Odium was released and polarized a lot of Morgoth’s fan base since everyone wanted Cursed Pt II.  I loved the bands past material, but for me, Odium offered a different listening experience & I loved it the moment the pounding drums of “Resistance” opens the album.  The band decided to continue along the death metal path, however, they incorporated industrial parts, sounds as well as some polyrhythmic drumming during some mid paced moments. These new musical adjustments were never over the top and pure genius if you ask me, but Odium is still the band’s most original sounding album and it still sounds like no other band.

The reissue sports a slightly revamped album cover. The new color updates make the cover more modern looking.   The expanded booklet is great as it includes full lyrics, which were never included in the ’93 release.  A variety of band photos and an incredible interview are also included.  It’s great to read and learn about all of Odium as the band recollects why they went in the direction they did, their influences and how they view the album today.  As Marc Grewe speaks about the forthcoming Morgoth album, that he thought he was going to be on, it’s kind of strange to read, since soon after the reissue he was booted from the band.

The other bonus is why I re-purchased this in the first place. The remastering!  It’s a thing of beauty. Now that undercurrent of bass heaviness, that you could barely hear on the original, comes out in full force. The guitars are upfront and the double bass is pounding. Listen to this with your subwoofer on. It blew out my neighbors windows.  “Under the Surface” never sounded so good. I feel this is the bands strongest track they ever released. The heaviness and polyrhythmic drumming is relentless and Marc’s vocals just mix in perfectly.  The reissue also has bonus live songs of “Resistance” and “Under the Surface”. These songs were recorded live a few years ago and the band sound tight as hell.

If you loved Odium pick up the reissue. It’s well worth spending the extra cash on it. The improved sound is worth it alone, but the expanded booklet, lyrics, live tracks and interview are the icing on the cake. Morgoth’s Odium is an original sounding death metal album which introduced new forms of brutality. It’s a gem of a release and highly and unjustifiably underrated. Good luck on finding this reissue!

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