Obituary
World Demise

THE REVIEW

The Florida of the 90s is a land that gave birth to myriad bands attracted to a single verb: that of sonic violence. And it's no coincidence that in this U.S. state, an entire musical genre and wave of bands emerged, making the sonic assault their sustenance.

Obituary, led by the charismatic and haunting figure of John Tardy, are undoubtedly one of the bands that most closely followed the rules of death: power, violence, attitude, naturally dealing with themes not exactly cheerful or pleasant.

And they became a myth in the span of just 5 albums, all released over 8 years. A myth precisely because the rules of death as we know them today were written by the riffs contained in two astounding albums like “Cause of Death” and the debut “Slowly We Rot.” These are the two most acclaimed albums, and to be fair, the most beautiful of the Floridian quintet.

There is only one shaky piece in their honorable career, which fortunately has restarted flowing in recent years thanks to a splendid reunion, and that's their fourth album, from 1994, titled “World Demise.” I'm not talking about music critics. I'm speaking of the same followers of the U.S. combo, who, upon first listening to this emblematic album, often make faces of disappointment. If I had to listen to it today for the first time, I would also dismiss it as an album certainly not on par with the first masterpieces, nor even its direct predecessor “The End Complete.” So, a flop? Absolutely not, because, 'World Demise,' in its complexity and being deliberately intricate, is an album that needs much running-in before taking off.

The weak point of this album is precisely its challenging assimilation, making it disappointing on first listens. I do not exaggerate in saying that this album strengthens the sonic heaviness heard thus far from Obituary, in songs with a slow and measured pace. The first downside that strikes the minds of us uncompromising fans is the release of a video clip and a lead single for the album: "Don't Care” is the first song released to promote the album, as well as the opening track for the macabre dances: it takes time to assimilate this new face of the five from Necrology in a track that's very measured and that presents new rhythmic solutions even in the drumming parts. A good track that subsequently opens the door to the excellent and once again slow title track: "World Demise” does not differ much from the opening track; it’s percussive and hammering and hard to memorize. At times in this album, I sense some openings that remind me of Pantera, and I don't mind that much because, I repeat, this album after several listens starts to press the accelerator of my liking, and songs like "Burned In” and "Redefine” present a band in slight evolution. A little note of praise deserves the solos, never intrusive and always present to further enrich the tracks.

Upon all this slaughterhouse music stands Tardy's voice filled with despair that, I’ll never tire of saying it, represents a kind of oasis in the desert, different and distant from the usual screams and growls drowning today's death. "Paralyzing" and "Lost" continue the stylistic discourse. The album now moves along this compositional and qualitative line: very well-crafted and intricate riffs and solutions that make carefree listening difficult. Another example of this complexity are the massive guitar riffs of "Solid State", "Splattered" and that monstrous "Final Thoughts". If it seems to you there are no further elements to make this album excellent, the final and twelfth track "Kill For Me", arrives almost tribal, slow, and crushing in its perverse obsessiveness. The album ends here, amid the deafening and enjoyable screams of Tardy.

An album I might call “experimental”, although it always shows the group's imprint, which this time wanted to further slow down the tempos and weigh down the sound at the expense of immediacy. Definitely an excellent album, but precisely because of its intricate nature, it stands as one of the most beautiful yet paradoxically less successful episodes of the Floridian group's discography.