Even though I own their first three albums, before finding this, I hadn't listened to Angelcorpse in years. Never outright disliked them (except for their cover songs, which thought atrociously butchered metal classics), but for all the hype they got, they never resonated that much with me.
I vaguely recall the Hammer of Gods debut having a lot of Trey Azagthoth influence in the solos, but the general Morbid Angel influences in the music weren't any more prominent than other death/black bands. Here, especially on the first half of the album, there's more of that swarming riff MA feel. Revisiting it made for a more enjoyable listen than what I remember, but it's still pretty forgettable for me. The best things about Angelcorpse are Pete Helmkamp's vocals and the lyrics, and again, both of those were coupled with better music in Order from Chaos.
I have mixed feelings about the new cover and layout since I can directly compare it to the original press. Never thought the original cover was one of Joe Petagno's better paintings, so the reissue artwork looks more tasteful even if it's less immediately exciting visually. However, the new layout is very dull aesthetically, and even if the band pics on the original aren't the most flattering, they still provide some much needed visual interest.
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