BIRMINGHAM'S BEST RETAILER FOR METAL AND HARDCORE
OBITUARY
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 David 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 in 1997 with Back From the Dead.
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©2001 Digbeth Promotions (a subholder of Badger Promotions).
