Though Death Metal in large respects has been tied to the subculture of Scandinavian music, its roots are often traced back to the eerie swamplands of Florida. Obituary was one of these sunshine state bands who were essential in outlining what form the genre would take.
Members John Tardy (vocals), Allen West (lead guitar), JP Chartier (guitar), Jerome Grable (bass), and Donald Tardy (drums) formed Obituary in Tampa, Florida, US in 1984, initially under the name Executioner. They eventually altered the spelling of their name to Xecutioner to prevent being confused with another band using the same name. Under these monikers they released several demos and recorded two tracks for the “Raging Death” compilation.
The group adopted the name Obituary in 1988 and released their studio debut “Slowly We Rot”. This album was noted for being the group’s only release to feature bass player Daniel Watkins and their only album to be recorded in standard E tuning. Even though tunings pitched a step or two below standard E are considered to be more heavy and dense, this remained their most ominous and daunting release to date.
The group’s 2nd album “Cause of Death” came out on 19 September 1990 and like its predecessor took the construct of thrash metal and tested it to its limits, which often broke into non-musical forms of sound. The pace of their music was in constant flux and the unpredictability of the album caused a tremor of invigoration throughout the metal scene.
On 21 April 1992, Obituary put out their third and best selling album “The End Complete”. The album sold 550,000 copies world wide and climbed to No. 16 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart. “World Demise” followed and had similar commercial success, reaching No. 17 on the Billboards Heatseekers chart. The group’s 5th album “Back from the Dead” marked their last album before their break up. The group dissolved due to weariness of their hectic tour schedule and saw them all moving on to other projects such as Six Feet Under, Lowbrow, Andrew W.K., and Catastrophic.
Obituary ended their 6 year hiatus in 2003 and released their long awaited return album “Frozen in Time” in 2005. This was the group’s last release with Roadrunner Records. Their next two albums 2007’s “Xecutioner’s Return” and 2009’s “Darkest Day” were released through Candlelight Records as was their 2008 EP “Left to Die”. The group’s proceeding album “Inked in Blood” was self-released on the label Gibtown Music/Relapse Label and was funded through the Kickstarter campaign.
Gregory Alan Isakov
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