Master - S/T Self-titled 12" Vinyl LP Album

- Speckmann Schmidt Mittelbrun

The eponymous debut, "Master," from the American Death Metal stalwarts Master, echoes on a 12" vinyl LP. Released in 1991 under the Nuclear Blast record label and produced by Scott Burns, this album is a milestone in the band's discography. With the combined forces of Speckmann, Schmidt, and Mittelbrun, the album exemplifies Master's early death metal prowess. Each track etches a sonic legacy, cementing their influential presence in the genre's history. This web-page has hi-res photos of the album covers, record label and a detailed description.

High Resolution #1 Photo Master Self-titled Speckmann Schmidt Mittelbrun

Master - Self-Titled: A Brutal Dawn of Death Metal on Vinyl
Album Description:

Released in 1990 on 12" vinyl LP, the self-titled debut album from Master, featuring the trio of Paul Speckmann (vocals/bass), Chris Mittelbrun (guitar), and Bill Schmidt (drums), marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of death metal. This raw and uncompromising record established Master as a pioneering force within the genre.

Historical Context and Musical Exploration

Emerging from the underground metal scene of the late 1980s, Master's debut album was a product of its time. The death metal genre was rapidly gaining momentum, and Master's self-titled record embodied the raw aggression and uncompromising brutality that defined the movement. The album showcases the band's relentless musical exploration, pushing the boundaries of speed, heaviness, and lyrical extremity.

Music Genre

Master's self-titled album is a quintessential example of early American death metal. The music is characterized by its fast tempos, guttural vocals, and relentless drumming. The lyrics delve into dark and disturbing themes, exploring topics like death, violence, and social decay.

Production Team and Recording Studio

The album was produced by Scott Burns, a renowned producer known for his work with other death metal pioneers like Death and Morbid Angel. The recording sessions took place at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida, a studio synonymous with the early death metal sound. The album's production, while raw and unpolished, effectively captured the band's raw energy and intensity.

Album Production Details:

Scott Burns - Producer, Sound Engineer

  • Scott Burns – Record producer, sound engineer

    Morrisound's behind-the-glass troublemaker who taught extreme metal how to sound lethal on purpose.

    Scott Burns is the behind-the-glass architect of the late-80s/early-90s Florida death-metal explosion, the Morrisound guy who made brutal sound huge without sanding off the teeth. From 1987 to 1997 he was everywhere: engineering Death ("Leprosy" 1988) then producing "Spiritual Healing" (1990), forging Obituary's "Slowly We Rot" (1989) and "Cause of Death" (1990), and giving Sepultura its leap on "Beneath the Remains" (1989) and "Arise" (1991). Add Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, Suffocation and Napalm Death, and you've basically got the soundtrack to my misspent youth. He later bailed to computer engineering, popping back in for the odd session - because sanity is optional.

    Scott Burns Wiki

    • Recorded at Morrisound Recording

  • Morrisound Recording Studio – Recording studio (Tampa, Florida)

    The Tampa room that basically industrialized death metal - because subtlety was never the point.

    Morrisound Recording Studio is the Tampa, Florida bunker that gave extreme metal a real, professional punch in the gut. Opened in 1981 by Jim and Tom Morris, it became the late-80s to mid-90s address I kept spotting in liner notes: Death (1988-1991), Obituary (1989-1992), Morbid Angel (1989-1993), Deicide (1990-1992), Cannibal Corpse (1990-1992) and a swarm of others. Even Sepultura leveled up here, mixing "Beneath the Remains" in early 1989 and tracking "Arise" in 1991. If you wanted drums to hit like a wrecking ball and guitars to saw through smoke, you booked Morrisound and stopped pretending. Yes, it is "just a studio" - and Tampa became a death-metal capital because of rooms like this.

    Morrisound Recording Studio Wiki

    •  

    John Towner - Mastering, Mixing

    Janet Reif - Photography

    Music Genre:

    Death Thrash Metal Music

    Record Label & Catalognr:

    Nuclear Blast Records NB 040

    Album Packaging:

    This album includes the original custom inner sleeve with album details, complete lyrics of all songs by Master

    Media Format:

    12" Vinyl LP Gramophone

    Year & Country:

    1990 Made in Germany
    Band Members and Musicians on: Master Self-titled
      Masters's Band-members, Musicians and Performers
    • Paul Speckmann - Vocals, Bass
    • Bill Schmidt - Drums
    • Christ Mittelbrun - Guitars

    Complete Track Listing of: Master Self-titled
      Side One:
    1. Pledge of Allegiance
    2. Unknown Soldier
    3. Mangled Dehumanization
    4. Pay to Die
    5. Funeral Bitch
      Side Two:
    1. Master
    2. Bass Solo / Children of the Grave
    3. Terrorizer
    4. The Truth
    Album Cover Photo Gallery of: Master Self-titled

    Photo of Front Cover 

    High Resolution #1 Photo Master Self-titled Speckmann Schmidt Mittelbrun

    High Resolution #2 Photo Master Self-titled Speckmann Schmidt Mittelbrun