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Slowly We Rot (1989)
Released in May 1989, Slowly We Rot is the first L.P. from Obituary. The album was recorded in two sessions at Morrisound, and features pure '80s death metal in the vein of Death's Scream Bloody Gore and Consuming Impulse by Pestilence.
The material is influenced by early Slayer and, especially, Celtic Frost. However, unlike bands who simply imitate those that came before, Obituary sounds more like a continuation of what was started on records like Show No Mercy and Morbid Tales. One of the things that makes this record stand out is the contrast between the face-ripping speed and the slower sections that possess the atmosphere of some forgotten crypt. The faster, more chromatic riffs of songs like "Godly Beings" and "Gates to Hell" feel like an extension of Slayer's "Evil Has No Boundaries", complete with searing lead solos that melt your flesh off the bone. Unlike other some other death metal bands, these guys sound incredibly vicious when the music tears forth at such high speeds. However, the morbid feeling really takes hold whenever the band utilizes the crawling, mid-paced riffs. They are all over the album, best exemplified by "Til Death" and the title track. The times when the music settles down and breathes a bit are more atmospheric and yet there is always a tension between these moments of dread and the intense violence that often follows. When listening to this record, it is wild to think how black metal bands like Darkthrone sound so dull most of the time when incorporating Celtic Frost-inspired riffs into their music, while Obituary managed to take this influence and turn it into something darker and more aggressive.
The vocals on this album are quite unique, sounding like some sort of diseased, possessed thing that is half-rotten and yet refuses to die. These demented death vomits hardly sound like they could have emanated from a human. The effect is all the more pronounced as he was mostly improvising the performance and just doing whatever suited the material, more or less lacking actual written lyrics. This adds to the ghastly atmosphere of the record.
The production is raw and powerful. The guitar tone is reminiscent of early Celtic Frost, but even sharper, like scythes slicing through your torso and severing your limbs. The album was recorded in two separate sessions nearly a year apart, and the difference is noticeable. Despite being recorded on an 8-track, the earlier material sounds more raw and powerful than the four songs added later on a 24-track setup. The newer recordings have a slightly drier sound. The contrast is not dramatic, but it is there. Sometimes less really is more.
Slowly We Rot is an album that truly epitomizes the term death metal, back when the genre still retained some rawness and savagery. Unlike many bands that form one day and record a short time later, Obituary laboured away in the underground for years before recording a full-length and it shows in the quality of the musicianship and songwriting. Rather than simply imitating those bands that inspired them, they took the influences and forged them into something more intense and grotesque. This is absolutely essential!
The material is influenced by early Slayer and, especially, Celtic Frost. However, unlike bands who simply imitate those that came before, Obituary sounds more like a continuation of what was started on records like Show No Mercy and Morbid Tales. One of the things that makes this record stand out is the contrast between the face-ripping speed and the slower sections that possess the atmosphere of some forgotten crypt. The faster, more chromatic riffs of songs like "Godly Beings" and "Gates to Hell" feel like an extension of Slayer's "Evil Has No Boundaries", complete with searing lead solos that melt your flesh off the bone. Unlike other some other death metal bands, these guys sound incredibly vicious when the music tears forth at such high speeds. However, the morbid feeling really takes hold whenever the band utilizes the crawling, mid-paced riffs. They are all over the album, best exemplified by "Til Death" and the title track. The times when the music settles down and breathes a bit are more atmospheric and yet there is always a tension between these moments of dread and the intense violence that often follows. When listening to this record, it is wild to think how black metal bands like Darkthrone sound so dull most of the time when incorporating Celtic Frost-inspired riffs into their music, while Obituary managed to take this influence and turn it into something darker and more aggressive.
The vocals on this album are quite unique, sounding like some sort of diseased, possessed thing that is half-rotten and yet refuses to die. These demented death vomits hardly sound like they could have emanated from a human. The effect is all the more pronounced as he was mostly improvising the performance and just doing whatever suited the material, more or less lacking actual written lyrics. This adds to the ghastly atmosphere of the record.
The production is raw and powerful. The guitar tone is reminiscent of early Celtic Frost, but even sharper, like scythes slicing through your torso and severing your limbs. The album was recorded in two separate sessions nearly a year apart, and the difference is noticeable. Despite being recorded on an 8-track, the earlier material sounds more raw and powerful than the four songs added later on a 24-track setup. The newer recordings have a slightly drier sound. The contrast is not dramatic, but it is there. Sometimes less really is more.
Slowly We Rot is an album that truly epitomizes the term death metal, back when the genre still retained some rawness and savagery. Unlike many bands that form one day and record a short time later, Obituary laboured away in the underground for years before recording a full-length and it shows in the quality of the musicianship and songwriting. Rather than simply imitating those bands that inspired them, they took the influences and forged them into something more intense and grotesque. This is absolutely essential!
(10 Mar. 2009)
Cause of Death (1990)
Released on Roadrunner Records, in September 1990, Cause of Death is the second full-length album from Obituary. Recorded and mixed at Morrisound Studios, this L.P. featured two new members, with James Murphy (freshly ejected from Death) and Frank Watkins replacing Allen West and Daniel Tucker on guitar and bass, respectively. The horror artwork used for the cover matches the atmosphere fairly well, though label mates Sepultura initially planned to use it for their 1989 release, Beneath the Remains. The band's sophomore effort took the intense and morbid approach of Slowly We Rot and added an epic quality that few others dared to attempt. The end result was a memorable record that stands as a classic of American death metal.
My first exposure to Obituary was through the track "Chopped In Half", which was only the tip of the iceberg when one thinks about the incredible songwriting found on Cause of Death. Some months later, I saw a kid at school with an Obituary shirt and started talking music. Since he lacked any real knowledge of thrash, I ended up trading him a mix tape that featured a lot of Testament songs in exchange for a dubbed copy of Obituary's second album. The cassette hardly left my tape player for the next several months, as it completely killed most of the death metal that I possessed at that time, with the exception of the early efforts from Death and Morbid Angel.
From the opening moments of "Infected", the epic atmosphere begins to unfold. Some of it has to do with the intros and outros that are included in many of the tracks. This adds something to the overall vibe, but also connects the songs in such a way that they really seem to be pieces of a greater whole and flow well from one to the next. James Murphy's lead solos also have a lot to do with the atmosphere, coming off as much more ambitious than what his predecessor was capable of. John Tardy's sickening vocals sound possessed and filled with a deathlike hatred. The material is quite dynamic, with a good deal of variation in the tempos. This is done in a natural manner, as the songs develop and draw the listener in. One can easily hear the strong Celtic Frost influence in many of the crushing, mid-paced riffs. These, typically, lead into faster riffs that sound more inspired by the likes of Slayer. Of course, they go so far as to record a cover of "Circle of the Tyrants", from Emperor's Return. Due to the style of songwriting, this fits into the album quite well and many may not even notice that it is a cover song, since it blends in so well. However obvious the bands heroes may be, there is still a sense of uniqueness to the songwriting that belongs to Obituary, alone. The band absolutely had its own identity by this point. Unlike many of their peers, they often let the music do the talking for longer periods of time than what many would consider normal, with tracks like the updated version of "Find the Arise" and "Dying" almost seeming like instrumentals due to the sparse vocal contributions. The feeling conveyed is like walking some ancient graveyard, with an eerie fog hovering over it and the moon prominent in the night sky. Yet something is not right, as many of the graves and crypts are open and the stench of death is ever-present. The melodic solos sort of give things an otherworldly aura, as if this realm of decay is inhabited by some malevolent force. There is a gloomy feeling and a sense of dread that chills your skin, at times. The material on Cause of Death is haunting and memorable, featuring some of Obituary's best work.
The sound is pretty clear while not being overproduced, at all. Having been recorded at Morrisound, this album possesses a very similar production to nearly every other death metal album that was recorded there, around the same time. During the faster parts, one could easily exchange the riffs for a similar piece of a song from Spiritual Healing, Deicide, Harmony Corruption, The Ten Commandments or any number of others and one would be hard-pressed to notice. While the band may have benefited from going to a different studio, the sound does not do much to damage the impact of the music and Obituary's superior songwriting still manages to shine through.
Cause of Death is an essential slab of early death metal. While The End Complete may have sold more copies, it was off of the hard work put forth by Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death that it did so. The band would never again reach this level of creativity or overall quality. This material kills what most other bands were releasing during that same year and is an absolute classic of the sub-genre. This comes highly recommended and should be a part of any self-respecting metal fan's record collection.
My first exposure to Obituary was through the track "Chopped In Half", which was only the tip of the iceberg when one thinks about the incredible songwriting found on Cause of Death. Some months later, I saw a kid at school with an Obituary shirt and started talking music. Since he lacked any real knowledge of thrash, I ended up trading him a mix tape that featured a lot of Testament songs in exchange for a dubbed copy of Obituary's second album. The cassette hardly left my tape player for the next several months, as it completely killed most of the death metal that I possessed at that time, with the exception of the early efforts from Death and Morbid Angel.
From the opening moments of "Infected", the epic atmosphere begins to unfold. Some of it has to do with the intros and outros that are included in many of the tracks. This adds something to the overall vibe, but also connects the songs in such a way that they really seem to be pieces of a greater whole and flow well from one to the next. James Murphy's lead solos also have a lot to do with the atmosphere, coming off as much more ambitious than what his predecessor was capable of. John Tardy's sickening vocals sound possessed and filled with a deathlike hatred. The material is quite dynamic, with a good deal of variation in the tempos. This is done in a natural manner, as the songs develop and draw the listener in. One can easily hear the strong Celtic Frost influence in many of the crushing, mid-paced riffs. These, typically, lead into faster riffs that sound more inspired by the likes of Slayer. Of course, they go so far as to record a cover of "Circle of the Tyrants", from Emperor's Return. Due to the style of songwriting, this fits into the album quite well and many may not even notice that it is a cover song, since it blends in so well. However obvious the bands heroes may be, there is still a sense of uniqueness to the songwriting that belongs to Obituary, alone. The band absolutely had its own identity by this point. Unlike many of their peers, they often let the music do the talking for longer periods of time than what many would consider normal, with tracks like the updated version of "Find the Arise" and "Dying" almost seeming like instrumentals due to the sparse vocal contributions. The feeling conveyed is like walking some ancient graveyard, with an eerie fog hovering over it and the moon prominent in the night sky. Yet something is not right, as many of the graves and crypts are open and the stench of death is ever-present. The melodic solos sort of give things an otherworldly aura, as if this realm of decay is inhabited by some malevolent force. There is a gloomy feeling and a sense of dread that chills your skin, at times. The material on Cause of Death is haunting and memorable, featuring some of Obituary's best work.
The sound is pretty clear while not being overproduced, at all. Having been recorded at Morrisound, this album possesses a very similar production to nearly every other death metal album that was recorded there, around the same time. During the faster parts, one could easily exchange the riffs for a similar piece of a song from Spiritual Healing, Deicide, Harmony Corruption, The Ten Commandments or any number of others and one would be hard-pressed to notice. While the band may have benefited from going to a different studio, the sound does not do much to damage the impact of the music and Obituary's superior songwriting still manages to shine through.
Cause of Death is an essential slab of early death metal. While The End Complete may have sold more copies, it was off of the hard work put forth by Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death that it did so. The band would never again reach this level of creativity or overall quality. This material kills what most other bands were releasing during that same year and is an absolute classic of the sub-genre. This comes highly recommended and should be a part of any self-respecting metal fan's record collection.
(12 Dec. 2011)
The End Complete (1992)
In 1991, Obituary returned to the rotten halls of Morrisound, in Tampa, to record their third full-length album. Produced by the inept Scott Burns, The End Complete was released in April 1992 on Roadrunner Records. While this is not a bad album, it was pretty clear that the band had reached the end of their creativity. Commercially speaking, this was a very successful release for Obituary and for death metal, in general. However, that does not reflect the quality of the material presented.
Musically, The End Complete offers nothing new and serves only to rehash the material from Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death, while lacking the vicious aggression of the former and the epic nature of the latter. Some of this may have to do with the playing style of the returning Allen West, which is more straightforward than that of James Murphy. His solos still possess character, much moreso than what a lot of other death metal bands were doing, but just lacks something when compared to Murphy's work. The riffs and arrangements are exactly what one would expect from Obituary, though slightly more simplistic than before. This may account for the high volume of records sold, as anything that is easier to digest will appeal to more people. Not surprisingly, the Celtic Frost influence seems to have increased, during the songwriting process. There is an abundance of heavy, mid-paced riffs that would make Tom Warrior proud. John Tardy's vocals even seem somewhat streamlined and restrained when compared to those of the last record. While The End Complete is solid, one gets the feeling of having heard all of this before, thus the material is unable to make the same kind of impact. The overall feeling is kind of dry, rather than the gloomy atmosphere that pervaded its predecessor.
The production features the same problems possessed by most death metal albums that were recorded at Morrisound, particularly the ones handled by Scott Burns. That guy sure knew how to drain something of any individual character that it may have had, otherwise. While the guitar tone is somewhat different than on the previous album, sounding more in line with the old Celtic Frost releases, it is still rather sterile and generic. Most all of the albums recorded in that studio came out with a very similar sound, which was a disservice to each band that got this horrible treatment. Then again, it may be their fault for going there in the first place. Either way, The End Complete could have been salvaged had the band opted for a different studio and gotten more of a raw and old school sound.
The End Complete is a solid, if average, death metal album and should please most Obituary fans. Just realize that everything here had already been done better on the previous albums. With this release, the band ended their time of relevance and soon descended deeper into mediocrity. Nonetheless, this one is worth a few listens.
Musically, The End Complete offers nothing new and serves only to rehash the material from Slowly We Rot and Cause of Death, while lacking the vicious aggression of the former and the epic nature of the latter. Some of this may have to do with the playing style of the returning Allen West, which is more straightforward than that of James Murphy. His solos still possess character, much moreso than what a lot of other death metal bands were doing, but just lacks something when compared to Murphy's work. The riffs and arrangements are exactly what one would expect from Obituary, though slightly more simplistic than before. This may account for the high volume of records sold, as anything that is easier to digest will appeal to more people. Not surprisingly, the Celtic Frost influence seems to have increased, during the songwriting process. There is an abundance of heavy, mid-paced riffs that would make Tom Warrior proud. John Tardy's vocals even seem somewhat streamlined and restrained when compared to those of the last record. While The End Complete is solid, one gets the feeling of having heard all of this before, thus the material is unable to make the same kind of impact. The overall feeling is kind of dry, rather than the gloomy atmosphere that pervaded its predecessor.
The production features the same problems possessed by most death metal albums that were recorded at Morrisound, particularly the ones handled by Scott Burns. That guy sure knew how to drain something of any individual character that it may have had, otherwise. While the guitar tone is somewhat different than on the previous album, sounding more in line with the old Celtic Frost releases, it is still rather sterile and generic. Most all of the albums recorded in that studio came out with a very similar sound, which was a disservice to each band that got this horrible treatment. Then again, it may be their fault for going there in the first place. Either way, The End Complete could have been salvaged had the band opted for a different studio and gotten more of a raw and old school sound.
The End Complete is a solid, if average, death metal album and should please most Obituary fans. Just realize that everything here had already been done better on the previous albums. With this release, the band ended their time of relevance and soon descended deeper into mediocrity. Nonetheless, this one is worth a few listens.
(14 Dec. 2011)
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