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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.
®2009 Live-Metal.net
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