They may not be a household name like Elton John, Michael Jackson, or Metallica, but Morbid Angel are true legends of the music industry. 

Inarguably one of the top death-metal artists of all time, they are celebrating 40 years of brutality with the United States of Terror Tour that stops by Piere’s on April 4.

Going against the grain

Not only have Morbid Angel managed to survive 40 years in the ever-evolving music business, a long life for any band let alone a death metal band, but they have flourished. Their secret hasn’t been following trends or incorporating the flavor of the day into their music. They have been about taking the more defiant stance of standing up to the trendsetters and giving them the middle finger salute while forging their own trail. 

“It’s about originality,” vocalist/bassist Steve Tucker told Whatzup in a phone interview. “We have a desire to not be like everyone else. I think that is one of the things, definitely, that sets Morbid Angel apart. It’s not just about trying to be catchy. It’s about trying to create a different world and a different texture.”

Live experience

Morbid Angel’s message is often best understood from the stage, a fact fans have taken to heart during this trek. Several venues have sold out, and the band is having fun. Tucker, who is in his third stint with the band since joining in 1997, said they aren’t limiting themselves to playing material he was a part of creating, instead choosing a variety of songs from throughout the band’s career.

“We’re doing some old stuff and we’re doing a lot of stuff that Trey (Azagthoth, the band’s last original member) and I have done together. We’re really mixing it up. It’s about keeping it fresh and doing songs that we enjoy playing.”

Tucker said he knows there is always going to be someone that goes home wishing they had heard a certain song that the band did not play. He noted they are not playing much from the popular Domination or anything from Tucker’s first album with the band, Formulas Fatal to the Flesh. 

“So, we’re not being prejudiced in any way,” he said. “These were the songs that we picked and worked on playing. After so many albums, it’s impossible for everybody to hear their favorite song.” 

Fans have not seemed to mind. Tucker said the response to the tour has exceeded expectations. To his surprise and delight, the crowds have been composed of a wide range of ages, now that longtime fans are beginning to bring their kids to the shows. 

“There’s a lot of people between the ages of 12 and 55,” he said. “It’s spread out over the 40-plus years of the band.”

Appreciation for genre

Those unfamiliar with death metal may not understand why anyone would want to listen to music played so fast and loud. They also might not recognize how much skill it takes to play the music correctly, a point with which Tucker takes some issue. 

“People sometimes think we are just banging on our instruments, when actually I believe death metal musicians are some of the best musicians on the planet,” he said. 

Bring the business side of music into the conversation and Tucker pulls no punches about how he feels. He believes music has been devalued to the point that people think it should be free, an indicator of a potentially larger problem in today’s society. 

“I shouldn’t say no one values music, but we have a throwaway society,” he said. “Everything’s plastic. Everything’s paper. We just use it, pitch it in the garbage, and grab a new one. I think music is similar to that. A lot of people can’t remember what were the hit songs from a month ago, so I’m glad to play a type of music where that’s irrelevant.”

Despite the lowered perceived value of releasing new music, there is more on the horizon for Morbid Angel, who haven’t released anything since 2017’s Kingdom Disdained. It’s just a matter of finding the time to get it written, recorded, and packaged. 

“I’ve got lots of ideas,” Tucker said. “The world’s been changing and the whole spirituality-to-mortality thing has gotten even crazier than I have ever seen it. So, there’s a lot of ideas going on, and hopefully we start locking things in and start doing some more stuff soon.”

Scratching metal itch in fort Wayne

Growing up in Cincinnati, Tucker has family all over the region and is familiar with Fort Wayne, believing it to be the perfect place for Morbid Angel to play. 

“Indiana’s always been a part of my life, and one thing I know is there’s a lot of metal heads in Indiana, especially around the Fort Wayne area,” he said. “I want to play in a place like Toledo, Ohio, or Fort Wayne because places like that get skipped a lot when they should never be skipped, just because they don’t have a 2 million population.”

With a package that includes Revocation and Crypta, Fort Wayne is in for a night of high energy, non-stop aggression. 

“It’s been great honestly,” Tucker said. “It’s been a really good tour. The other bands have been awesome, too. It’ll be a whirlwind of utter chaos, but slightly controlled. If the idea of everything just breaking loose at any moment excites you, you’re probably going to enjoy the show.”