that one "cannot deny its influence", and MetalSucks likewise wrote that it is "impossible to ignore the importance of this release to the death metal genre." UK magazine Terrorizer rates this album as both Morbid Angel's and death metal's finest hour, describing it as "bludgeoning and raw but also technical, exacting and intimidatingly consistent". Altars of Madness has appeared at the top of lists of the greatest death metal albums of all time by Decibel magazine and Terrorizer magazine. In April 2006, the album was inducted into the Decibel Hall of Fame. The magazine wrote that the album "would turn death metal both upside down and inside out." Robban Becirovic of Close-Up Magazine credits Altars of Madness with launching the popularity of death metal in Sweden: "...Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness changed everything [about the Swedish scene]. Before that there was no clear distinction between death, speed, or thrash among regular metalheads. It was just brutal metal. But Altars of Madness opened people's eyes, and made us realize something new was going on. Everybody bought that record. Everybody. And thrash was executed by it – the whole genre just disappeared." Track listing Personnel Morbid Angel David Vincent – bass, vocals Trey Azagthoth – guitars Richard Brunelle – guitars Pete Sandoval – drums Production Dig – executive production Morbid Angel – arrangement, production Tom Morris – engineering, mixing References 1989 debut albums Morbid Angel albums Earache Records albums Albums recorded at Morrisound Recording Albums with cover art by Dan Seagrave