Obituary - Cause Of Death
I assume most of you don’t know that much about Obituary, so I’ll write some brief background information about them.
- Originally formed around 1984. Back then the band was called Xecutioner.
- Signed with Roadrunner Records
- Has one video with the song “Don’t Care”
Obituary is:
John Tardy - Vocals
Allen West - Lead Guitar
Trevor Peres - Rhythm Guitar
Frank Watkins - Bass
Donald Tardy - Drums
Ok, where do I start. This is death metal at its finest. I always find that the older death metal almost always has better quality musicianship. I heard of Obituary a long time ago, but only recently started listening to them since I got into death metal. The album I’m reviewing is “Cause Of Death.” It was released in 1990.
I’ll start with the vocals. John Tardy is just meant to sing this way. His voice is similar to the singer of the band Death (not sure what his name is.) He has a mean growl. Not quite as low as some other death metal bands (ie Cannibal Corpse or Deicide), but I think it sounds better. The lyrics are typical of this genre. With song titles like “Chopped In Half” and “Body Bag,” I think you know what I mean.
I’ll move onto drums and bass. There is a lot of double kick action on this CD. The drums aren’t extremely fast, but it definitely gets the job done. Many different cymbals come into play on this CD. The bass guitar on this CD pretty much just follows the guitar. It is actually fairly drowned out, which is something I hate in a CD but happens often.
I saved the best for last, the guitar work. Something that is lacking in a lot of death metal bands nowadays. Allen West and Trevor Peres put together a lethal combination of punishing power chords and insane solos. I’m pretty sure every song on the CD has at least one solo in it. All the guitar work is technical and fast. In my opinion, I think this is what the band is centered around, and I’m glad for it.
Well, there you go, a review on a CD I hope you all will go out and listen to and find out for yourself how great of a band these guys are.
-Joey
