Obituary is approaching 40 years old.
Formerly known as Executioner, then Xecutioner, the band also went on hiatus from 1997 to 2003, but Death Metal never dies, so John Tardy (vocals, Tardy Brothers), Donald Tardy (drums, Tardy Brothers, ex-Meathook Seed, ex-Andrew W. K.), Trevor Peres (guitar, ex-Catastrophic, ex-Meathook Seed), Terry Butler (bass, Inhuman Condition, Left to Die, ex-Death, ex-Massacre, ex-Six Feet Under) and Kenny Andrews (guitar, ex-Andrew W.K.) announce the release of Dying of Everything, their 11th album.
Barely Alive is the first track to literally roll over us with fast and incredibly effective riffs coupled with John‘s unique vocals. The band leaves no doubt as to their motivation and rage when it comes to groovy rhythms, nor their mastery of piercing lead parts, and The Wrong Time had also demonstrated this when the track was released, letting its catchy riffs reassure us about the quality of the album, which ended a six year wait. On stage, the track will be the source of many crowd movements, as will Without a Conscience, which places cavernous vocal parts over a stunning, greasy rhythm. The band freely digs into their Death Metal roots to deliver an Old School mix honoring every instrument before War takes the lead with an obvious introduction, but it prepares for the chaos to come with sharp riffs coupled with heady leads. Dying of Everything follows with jerky riffs and a screaming bass welcoming energetic and directive vocals as well as quieter but worrying parts, then My Will to Live throws us again in an efficient and monstrously catchy rhythmic. The early hours fans will be delighted, just like with By the Dawn which establishes a heavy and dissonant atmosphere before releasing the band’s raw strength with some well placed Thrash influences which will not hesitate to spread chaos everywhere the band will go. Weaponize the Hate brings that raw energy back combined with the groovy riff patterns while letting vocals encourage us to break our necks, then the explosive energy spikes come out with Torn Apart, the next track. The band keeps their greasy touch while allowing leads some freedom before Be Warned closes the album with slow, dark riffs that borrow from sticky Death/Doom, complemented by towering vocal parts.
More than thirty years ago, Obituary made Death Metal their own by giving it a bloody and heavy but still catchy touch. In 2023, Obituary does exactly the same thing, and the band offers us with Dying of Everything some already cult riffs which will break our bones.
95/100