| Obituary was one of the first full-fledged death metal bands, emerging around the same time that enough like-minded bands were forging death metal into a recognizably distinct subgenre. Like their peers Death, Morbid Angel, and Deicide, Obituary was formed in Florida (the town of Brandon in 1985); their sound eschews the intellectual lyrics of the former, the religious Satanism of the latter two, and the hyperspeed riffing of all three in favor of a dark, slow, monstrously heavy Black Sabbath-like murk with morbid, often gruesome lyrics -- when lyrics were used. In the band's earlier days, vocalist John Tardy generally preferred to use his voice to make guttural noises that added to the bleak sonic mood set by the music, while guitarists Trevor Peres and Allen West pounded out hummable riffs over a rhythm section that originally consisted of bassist Daniel Tucker and drummer Donald Tardy. The band's style hasn't changed that much over the course of their career, but their fans wouldn't have it any other way.
Under the name Xecutioner, the band recorded a single and two tracks for Metal Massacre compilations, but were forced to re-christen themselves by another outfit of the same name; at first Desecration and finally Obituary was chosen, and the band secured a deal with Roadrunner Records. Their 1989 debut, Slowly We Rot, was a death metal milestone, pushing Tardy's idiosyncratic vocals to the fore and offering a different source of intensity than many of the fledgling genre's bands. West left the band for 1990's Cause of Death and was replaced by former Death guitarist James Murphy (later of Cancer and Disincarnate); Murphy's fellow ex-Death bandmate Frank Watkins took over for Tucker and eventually became his permanent replacement. West returned to the fold for 1992's The End Complete and 1994's World Demise, which found John Tardy's vocals growing more intelligible. After a recording hiatus of three years, Obituary returned one more time in 1997 with Back From the Dead before calling it quits for good. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide | |
