Written by Adam Johnson & Joe Compton
Artist: Obituary
Release date: January 13, 2023
(Joe's comments are in blue, Adam's are in green)
The Kingdom of Heavy crew is back! When I first heard this album and knew I was going to do this, Adam is the first person I reached out too. So we gave it about a month to marinate with it but now it's time to talk about this Legendary Death Metal band's 11th studio album released on the #1 Indie label on the planet, in Relapse Records.
WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS ALBUM: Get ready to headbang like there's no tomorrow, because this album is a non-stop metal fest, loaded with relentless riffs, thundering drums, and a mix that will blow your socks off. The opening track, "Barely Alive", is a true metal anthem, a blazing showcase of Obituary's unstoppable energy.
I mean to get just punched right in the face without a pause, this opening track just set the tone for me and tells me that the aforementioned self-titled 2017 effort was the beginning of a return to form of that this band cultivated those many years ago. You especially get that in the very next track, the "single" that was released before the album in "The Wrong Time" a melodic pace breaker that keeps the headbanging going but also your whiplash to heal a tad. This album does that tit for tat idea, a staple of 80s Death Metal and this band's early catalogue entries that was refreshing and nostalgic enough to put a smile on this listener's face, in between headbangs of course.
As a fan of melodic, technical metal, I have to admit that "Dying of Everything" left me wanting a little more. Don't get me wrong, it's a solid death metal album that will surely appeal to fans of the genre. The musicianship is top-notch and the production is fantastic. The songs are heavy, fast, and intense, with plenty of grooves to headbang to, but when you have Death Metal royalty, Cannibal Corpse, putting out albums like 2021’s Violence unimagined, you need to step your game up to keep up with the kings. The title track of the album delivers a relentless onslaught of heavy riffing and some really solid vocal work that reminds you why Obituary has been such a consistent name in the genre.
That consistency is the fundamental problem that is not Obituary's fault, but it is one they do have. This band knows itself so well, that when it strayed off the path a little in the mid 2000s, they were damned if they do and damned if they don't. When they did go a little experimental and tried something a little different the critics and fans panned it as selling out and longed for the days of "Slowly We Rot" and now that they are back to being Obituary, it's being a little panned for that.
I think because 2017 brought so much nostalgia that anything following it up whether in the box or outside of it was going to be the red headed stepchild of the discography. I woudl say though this album has its amazing moments, moments and heights that nto even Obituary had reached ever before. I mean the opening track being one of those but then you have the layered title track "Dying of Everything" followed later into the album with the amazing "Weaponize The Hate" both have these clever intros but that's not the newness factor I am talking about, rather it comes in these interesting bridges and almost held notes by John Tardy. Who by the way is so on point with his growls and even-keeled tempos, you get the sense him and his brother Donald, the drummer (who writes most of the songs) had some incredible jam sessions to come up with the pacing.Donald is one of the more underrated drummers around and he continues to prove it here. Sme of amazing kicks and spikes that really engage all your senses and push you past what often times seems very much formulaic.
Yeah Obituary is known for their brutal, straightforward style and "Dying of Everything" sticks to that formula, but for me, I was hoping for a little more variety and experimentation.
I can understand that but for a band like this, they do kind of paint by numbers because that works and in medium sized doses and maybe with a little playful rearranging for me on my playlist I can really engage with this album's strengths and kind get past its weaknesses and repetiveness. WHY CHAMPION THIS ALBUM: I have to say too, if you are feeling like the pandemic has just ran you down, the lyrics here are all based on how Donald and John viewed how the world was dealing with it, so it's a little bit of nice way to release that with this album. The songs that are really good here are instant classics, and I can't wait to experience "Buried Alive" live. I hope, no, they have to open with it and do so just as the album does. This another strength of a band that has been around a while, their live shows will win you over, maybe even with songs that don't stand up in the studio. So even if you are hesitant or feel like Adam and I do a bit, then let's go to the show and see if they win us even more over that way.
Yeah, maybe? I did feel a little let down that they kept everything so straightforward. It sort of felt like a stock death metal album. But don’t let that take away from the onslaught of metal they bring you! It’s still heavy and a fun listen.
Agreed, I guarantee that a couple songs on here will grab any fan of metal and not let them go.
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