Obituary : "Dying of Everything"

 

In 1989 I first heard "Slowly We Rot" on a college radio station that played metal at midnight every Friday night.  What struck me about Obituary was the deliberate grind of guitars and John Tardy's emotive yowl that separated from the other death metal and thrash bands at the time. Their sound owed more to Celtic Frost, than Slayer or Venom. Those kinds of Celtic Frost like groove do not play as defining of a role in their new album, however I was also not expecting the thrashing ass kicking the opening track unleashes. Any concerns regarding this album living up to their established legacy were squashed. The more Slayer like attack is balanced out by Tardy's distinctive voice reminding you that this is Obituary. They bring back the head banging grooves on "Without a Conscience", Tardy's sneer  is sneer is given time articulate the agony.  

This is a great sounding record; the guitars have grit yet clarity in the dense violence they hit your ears with. "War" is a fitting anthem for 2023.It stomps like a tank. The title track finds them streamlining things into a more modern death metal sound. They rage at full speed ahead. It took a few listens for me to fully absorb this one. It is more intense and less hooky than the previous songs as it goes for the throat. "Will to Live" comes back with a groove that hits more like you expect from these guys, with Tardy's scowling vocals spewed to satisfaction. The main verse riff is chugged with a great deal of authority. "By the Dawn" finds the band doing what they used to but pumped up to contend with what the expectations of today's metal heads might be. This can also be heard on "Weaponize the Hate". Which seems to be a very telling commentary on the world today.   

There is a pretty powerful gallop to "Torn Apart". The guitar solos are more rock n roll throughout the album, but most noticed here, the last song has more guts and menace to it as it is also the more ominous in its slower crunch, which feels perhaps the most like their glory days of slowly rotting.  I will round this up to a 10, which puts this solidly next to the bands more classic work, which is something many of their peers cannot boast.