What is the best Morbid Angel album of all time?

Tampa's Morbid Angel helped found death metal in the late 1980s with a combination of technical virtuosity, occult imagery, and pure sonic terror. Trey Azagthoth's alien guitar work and Pete Sandoval's ferocious drumming set the template for technical death metal. Which Morbid Angel album is their definitive statement?

1

Altars of Madness

The 1989 debut that stands as a landmark of technical death metal.

2

Blessed Are the Sick

The 1991 album introducing Middle Eastern atmospheres into death metal.

3

Covenant

The 1993 album with the most accessible and memorable songwriting of their career.

4

Domination

The 1995 album featuring the groove metal crossover track 'Where the Slime Live'.

5

Formulas Fatal to the Flesh

The 1998 album with Steve Tucker replacing David Vincent on bass/vocals.

6

Gateways to Annihilation

The 2000 downtuned sludge-death album featuring some of their heaviest riffs.

7

Heretic

The 2003 album featuring extended atmospheric passages.

8

Kingdoms Disdained

The 2017 Steve Tucker-led album returning to brutal death metal roots.