OBITUARY
"Dying of
Everything"
(Relapse; 2023)
Reviewed by Snidermann
R. Scott and I saw Obituary ... wait one second. Hold on. You know, a lot of my reviews start out that way and we have not really seen that many shows in the past few years, because of fucking covid and all. Anyway, Obituary opened for Black Label Society in 2022 at The Ventura Theater and, man, what a show it was! Prong was the first act on the bill and we missed them due to the crazy line at the theater but we were there in time for Obituary. Now, we weren't too sure about Obituary, neither of us huge fans of death metal. We had both heard of Obituary over the past few decades and, frankly, if you have a heavy metal pulse you've heard of this band, too. They've been around since 1984 and they were fundamental in the development of death metal and are still arguably one of the best in that genre. And Scott's son, Spudbeast, told us that Obituary were going to be great.
Spudbeast was right. Obituary blew the audience at the Ventura Theater away. The small theater was packed and each member of the band had hair that had to be well over three feet long and they flaunted it, much to the delight of the crowd.
The name of this recording is "Dying of Everything" and it explorers the darker side of living with songs like "Barely Alive," "War," and "Weaponize." You get the idea where this recording is going. When I started this listening journey, I had an idea where the band was going, but I have to say it was way fun to figure out for myself.
The music is what you would expect from this band: heavy, hard, fast, loud and thunderous and I'm sure there's a few other words that are ricocheting around in my head that I have yet to identify.
If you want your ears to bleed every now and then (and, really who reading reviews here doesn't?) listen to the new Obituary recording.
For more information, check out http://www.obituary.cc.
"Frozen
in Time"
(Roadrunner Records; 2005)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
Seminal death metal mavens Obituary have returned with a new album, the quintet's first in nearly seven years.
"Frozen In Time" is the name of this 10-track collection, and the title truly reflects the mindset of this release. Sticking to the same formula of slow, grinding grooves, insane solos, tortured vocal screams, and mid-paced metal madness, this Florida fivesome has stuck to its roots so well that, after a single listen of this album, you’ll swear they never took a sabbatical.
Displaying the same ferocity and level of decimation as its previous works, this album will knock you back to the early '90s in fine form.
For more information, check out http://www.obituary.cc.
"Anthology"
(Roadrunner Records; 2001)
Reviewed by Kate Smith
Sometimes it's hard to get excited over a "Best of" CD, but when it comes to the brutal death metal band Obituary, that's far from the case. They've put some of their best tracks on "Anthology" as listed below:
From "Slowly We Rot" (1989): "Til Death," " Internal Bleeding" and "Slowly We
Rot."
From "Cause Of Death" (1990): "Dying," "Chopped In Half" and "Cause of
Death."
From "The End Complete" (1992): "Back To One," "I'm In Pain" and the "End Complete."
From "World Demise" (1994): "Kill For Me," "Final Thoughts" and "Don't Care."
From "Back From The Dead" (1997): "By The Light," "Threatening Skies" and "Back From The Dead."
Also included are two previously unreleased tracks: "Buried Alive," which goes back to the old style of Obituary and "Boiling Point" which you might want to skip because it's kind of a weird techno mix.
All in all, especially for a "Best of" compilation, I'd say "Anthology" is definitely worth getting.
For more information, check out http://www.obituary.cc.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2023 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
