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By JEFF MAKI
Sepultura, Morbid Angel, Entombed, Carcass and Obituary
—these were the first death metal bands to punish my ears as a teenager in the early '90s. That they're all still active and relevant today is a tribute to their innovative styles, groundbreaking music and rabid fan bases.
After a six-year hiatus, Tampa, Fla.'s death metal pioneers Obituary returned in 2007 with their comeback album Xecutioner's Return. The album was undeniably Obituary, featuring a few standouts (”Evil Ways” immediately comes to mind). Overall, a solid album, but not an instant classic.
I'm happy to say 2009's Darkest Day is a full-on, unmistakable return to form on par with Obituary's first three classic albums, Slowly We Rot, Cause of Death and The End Complete. There are, at the least, five or six songs here destined to be live staples and Obituary classics. All of Obituary's trademarks are here: John Tardy's unique and sick vocals; Donald Tardy's mid-tempo tribal rhythms; and murky, downtuned guitar riffs courtesy of Trevor Peres (rhythm) and Ralph Santolla (lead). Standouts include the primitive tribal feel of “Blood to Give,” and the drudging old-school Obituary-style of “Lost” and “Payback,” which just begs for violence to erupt. We're not talking blast beats, but the band expands into some faster material on “List of Dead,” “Violent Dreams” and a few others, allowing Santolla to lay down some fantastic shredding. Definitely cool, but I prefer the slower, hellraising, bottom-heavy grooves that they're known for.
There's no copying this band's sound; I haven't even heard another death metal band make an attempt at it. Obituary proves they are still a strong, instantly recognizable force in death metal. Darkest Day is not another The End Complete
—lightning usually doesn't strike the same place twice. But with this release, newer death metal fans can discover one of the forefathers of the genre while hearing an album that crushes 80 percent of anything else released today.
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