Humanity Hallows Issue 5 Out Now
Pick up your copy on campus or read online
By Kim Mclelland
Florida death metal legends Obituary have always been a dependable band. Their classic first two albums, 1989’s Slowly We Rot and 1990’s Cause of Death are essential additions to any metal collection but after a loss of popularity in the mid 90s, the band broke up and when they returned it was with a slew of albums that felt like little more than a dull re-tread of their classic style. Then came 2014’s Inked in Blood and the old magic had well and truly returned in what was their best album for over twenty years.
So what will their latest, self-titled offering reveal? Are they still delivering the death metal goods?
After aggressive opener Bleed, which was business as usual, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this might be the Obituary album where they switch styles. Sentence Day and Lesson in Violence, with their melodic guitar leads and chugging rhythms, seem almost like mainstream heavy metal, with only John Tardy’s guttural vocals lending any extreme metal edge.
But before long we hear Obituary doing what they do best. End It Now and Kneel Before Me are exciting slices of classic death metal, all dense, menacing guitars, guttural vocals and some excellent, pulse quickening drumming from Donald Tardy.
And the death metal vibe continues for the rest of the album. Betrayal has a swagger and a groove all of its own but it’s still rooted in the Florida sound. Straight to Hell is a highlight, giving us the treat of a slow, plodding middle section, that touch of almost doom metal apocalyptic heaviness that always marked Obituary out as different from their peers.
It might not be quite as exciting as Inked in Blood was, but the new Obituary album is certainly no disappointment. Obituary have showed some small signs of trying to progress their sound on certain tracks but they are still basically delivering what they always have done, pummelling, doom drenched, apocalyptic death metal menace that always satisfies their fan base.
Obituary is available from tomorrow. You can pre-order the album here and view the teaser trailer below.
Featured image and gallery: Sally Stretch The Royston Club perform alongside Overpass and Permanent (Joy) at a sold-out O2 Victoria Warehouse. Welsh indie rock band The Royston Club, school friends who began playing together in 2017, now headline O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester. Touring second album Songs For The Spine, they generate an energetic sold-out…
Featured image: Radical Optimism Album Artwork / Warner Music Radical Optimism was released in May 2024 by Dua Lipa, an album which I have grown to love more and more after every listen, and earning my most-listened-to album on Spotify last year. However, critics had different opinions, with the Huffington Post declaring that it’s “great, but not…
Featured image: Press It’s a spring evening at Manchester Academy 2, and there is a stir of anticipation. An amicable, yet certainly eager crowd flock to the front of the sold-out venue, itching to secure a satisfactory view of the stage. Of course, Balu Brigada are worth the urgency. Formed in 2016 by multi-instrumentalist brothers…
Feature Image: Press “It’s important to find your people. Don’t feel like you have to find this incredible producer or person who’s going to give you loads of money and change your life” says Lauerence Tratalos, one-half of the Northern duo responsible for Misper; a feature debut for director Harry Sheriff and script writer Tratalos….
Leave a reply