Altars of Madness is the debut studio album by Florida death metal band Morbid Angel, released on May 12, 1989, by Combat Records/Earache Records.

[1] Speaking about his motivations at the time of writing and recording the album, Morbid Angel guitarist Trey Azagthoth recalled a strong desire "engulf the whole world," "destroy everybody," and "smoke people."

"[citation needed] Original vinyl and cassette pressings of Altars of Madness did not include "Lord of All Fevers and Plague"; this track has appeared as a bonus track on nearly all CD versions of the album (between "Maze of Torment" and "Chapel of Ghouls"), while the remastered 2002 release included remixes of three songs from the album, "Maze of Torment", "Chapel of Ghouls" and "Blasphemy".

The album's sound has been described as "being hunted through forgotten tombs by diseased ghouls, slowly shedding the last rags of your sanity."

The album's style has drawn comparisons to the "wilder moments" of early Napalm Death releases.

The album's style is also characterized by extremely fast performances, complex compositions, and technically demanding musicianship, producing a "musical onslaught [that] will surely send children and parents running away in fear".

The album's tracks have also been called "awkward and chaotic tales of madness," drawing comparisons to Lovecraftian horror.

"[2][2][10] The cover artwork, by Dan Seagrave at age 18, depicts what he described as a "flat disk" composed of fossil material, shown to be imprisoning "captured souls".

"[25] 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".

"[28] Robban Becirovic of Close-Up credited the album for helping define death metal as a distinct style.