Obituary
Dead

THE REVIEW

For the history of death metal, go to the letter O and dust off those geniuses who are Obituary. Pioneers and inventors of what we today call classic Death Metal, and champions of a stylistic non-evolution that keeps them powerful, vigorous, and aggressive despite all the water under the bridge, and the last “Frozen in Time” is a clear demonstration of this.

True milestones like “Slowly we Rot” and “Cause of Death” cannot be defined as mere records, but as the initiatory music of an entire genre that will later enjoy much success. Anyone who has experimented with the musical genre proposed by these 5 Floridian individuals cannot help but be inspired by songs from the aforementioned two albums. That being said, which is more of a carefree praise to these raw and aggressive musicians, what I am about to review is their (so far only) live testimony.

Their irony and self-mockery also give rise to the title, quite bizarre for a live album: “Dead” is the title and a well-executed antithesis of the concert's atmosphere. Indeed, in this live, Obituary demonstrates energy and cohesion, not just sonically, but as a group and as metal professionals. It’s hard to fully describe the perfection this live performance exudes with every listen: from the distorted and oppressive power of the guitars by the Peres/West duo to the metronomic perfection of Donald Tardy’s drumming (who during the song “I'm in Pain” launches into a brief and technical solo), from the bass’s percussive gallop by the giant Wetkins to the lycanthropic voice of John Tardy, one of the most original voices in the entire death metal scene. The performance is an hour-long selection of the Floridians' entire discography, thus containing the gems of “Cause of Death,” the raw and dirty pearls of “Slowly We Rot,” and all the unhealthy madness of “World Demise,” “The End Complete,” and “Back from the Dead” (a wobbly piece in their career, in my opinion).

So, as expected, the opening track comes from the then-latest album (Back from the Dead), I'm talking about “Download,” performed with manic precision, before quickly moving to “Chopped in Half” and “Turned Inside Out”, both from "Cause of Death." In my poor ears, the execution is perfect, and the charisma of this band shines live. The set continues with “Threating Sky,” “By the Light” (from Back from the Dead), and “Dying” leading to the first pure delirium: with the song “Cause of Death,” the quality and the trademark that made Obituary great explodes. “I'm in Pain,” “Rewind,” and “'Til Death” continue to create that unhealthy and at times claustrophobic atmosphere felt when listening to Obituary. The sonic power is impeccable and magnificent and the band delivers live; they really do! “Kill for Me” continues the sonic massacre, well-followed by “Don't Care” and “Platonic Disease.” Before the finale full of aggressive and dirty beauty, there are “Back from the Dead” and “Final Thoughts.” The conclusion is entrusted to the dark majesty of “Slowly We Rot,” an anthem of extreme metal branded by Obituary.

The five men of the Necrology certainly do not amaze for stylistic evolution, nor for shocking progressions or changes. Instead, they stubbornly remain anchored to their tradition that keeps them purely enclosed in their compositional shell. And this live underlines both their musical and attitudinal aspects, as this “remaining themselves” implies a great degree of professionalism but also quality. Before their long exile from the music world (lasting 8 years and concluded last year with the release of “Frozen in Time”), Obituary gave us a musical document, soaked in sonic violence, aggressiveness, and madness, and that is “Dead”: a small but captivating manifesto of sonic madness, all live.