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Obituary - Slowly We Rot

1989 Roadrunner Records :: Reviewed by rofreason on 2005-07-08

Where it all began. Recorded on only 8 tracks, Slowly We Rot came into my life on the same vinyl buying trip as Sepultura's Beneath the Remains. While BTR was my thrash fix, Obituary became the essence of death metal for me. All the requisites are here, the guitar, the monster double bass, but it was really John Tardy's truly disgusting vocals which MADE this album. More guttaral than on later albums, Tardy became the epitome of death metal vocals on this, one of the true legendary albums of metal. A must have for any DM fan.

Obituary - Cause of Death

1990 Roadrunner Records :: Reviewed by rofreason on 2005-07-08

Cause of Death is easily my favorite Obituary album. No, it's not the sickest, nor the fastest, nor the most technical, but the band managed to capture a feeling here that is lacking on most metal albums. I'm not sure if it's the recording or what, but there's just a feeling of space here that makes this album just so... fucking... heavy. All the tracks are classics for all time, but Chopped in Half will always hold a special place in my heart. Allen West is replaced here by metal gun for hire Murphy, but his role was minimal, only really laying down leads in the studio, main man Trevor Peres being responsible for almost everything here, which may be why this rules so much. The essential of the essentials.

Obituary - World Demise

1994 Roadrunner Records :: Reviewed by rofreason on 2005-07-08

I've got The End Complete, and it's good, but something was missing after COD. World Demise fixes things up a lot, putting the power back into the Obituary attack. Another standard (but good) Scott burns production job gives us some meat in the potatoes, but where the riffs haven't changed all that much, Donald Tardy has learned to pull the most out of them, always amplifying things with his double bass. The music is standard but good, just being death metal, nothing more, nothing less. I still dig the first two more for their overall feel, but World Demise is a solid album, something to throw on as you watch the Earth burn.

Obituary - Frozen In Time

2005 Roadrunner records :: Reviewed by Skeksis on 2005-08-01

After a 5 year hiatus Florida’s much love and heralded death metal are back from the dead (pun intended). To say Frozen in Time was much anticipated is a huge understatement, as Obituary was untouchable in their prime. While 1997's Back from the Dead and its predecessor, 1994's World Demise (damn, its been awhile!) were a bit under the bar quality wise, Obituary's first 3 records will forever reign as some of metals most powerful releases. So, in the light, how does the Frozen compare? Will a more apt album title there probably isn't, Obituary return with a record that left me a bit indifferent. Blame the less than stellar production handled by the band and long time retired producer Scott Burns who was brought back to assist the Obi's. Obituary was also about that crushing, bottom heavy sound. Imagine the End Complete without it and you'd have a pretty tame record. Although Frozen in Times doesn't suffer from a terrible production, it's missing that crucial heaviness that lessens the songs impact on the listener. All the ingredients are here though. John Tardy's trademark growl, Donald Tardy's precise drumming and the twin Celtic Frost attack of Allen West and Trevor Peres. To bad you really can't hear Frank Watkins though. The other thing that struck me was after all these years, Obituary's trademark sound doesn't have the same effect, and although the band is writing material that would be virtually interchangeable on all the records (check out the single track Insane, probably the best track on the record), its starts to get boring really fast. Trust me you, I was really looking forward to this record like everyone else. But unfortunately it won’t be the record from their catalog I come back to often.