Album Review: Obituary – Dying of Everything (Relapse Records)

Legendary death metal band Obituary are back! Starting of 2023 with a bang as they unleash ‘Dying of Everything’, their brand-new album. Out on January 13th, via Relapse Records.

It’s very hard to say in the first few weeks of the year if an album is going to still be talked about eleven months later when it comes time for ‘best of year’ lists. With so many releases happening every single week, relevancy is just as important as quality. It takes something special to have any reviewer confidently stating that any album released in January is one of the best of the year already.

Obituary are a special band.

Of course, you already know that! They are a legendary death metal band, so much so, that even if you’re not a fan of their style of music, chances are you’re familiar with what Obituary do.

They’ve been on a strong run, in recent times, proving that their iconic status is more than deserved, and that they aren’t just going to phone it in, when they so easily could.

Inspired by the worldwide events of the past few years, Obituary are back. Back with a blistering showcase of death, thrash, and speed metal. Dying of Everything showcases a band at their very best and simply doesn’t put a foot wrong from the moment Barely Alive explodes with thrashy intent to the moment Be Warned ends the album in garishly grim fashion.

Along the way though, what a f**king journey this is.

From the guttural growls and meaty roars that emanate from within John Tardy. To the riffing and soloing from Ken Andrews and Trevor Peres. To the thick grooves and hooks that Terry Butler delivers on bass, and the bone-crunching style of Donald Tardy’s drumming. All 5 members of Obituary are on exceptional form here.

Resulting in such absolute head-bangers as The Wrong Time, War, the title track, and Weaponize the Hate. Not only that, but it’s also an album of variety. Differing tempos, differing levels of intensity, sometimes there’s more groove, sometimes it’s as wild as a starving beast, and sometimes it’s all of that combined, and some more.

The tone fits Obituary perfectly too. The last few years have been particularly hellacious for the world and the death metallers reflect that in their beloved aggressively taut and egregiously methodical way. Not so much though, that it’s a distraction from what Obituary do best. It just gives the album an overall darker theme.

The year has barely even begun, and Obituary have set the bar high already here. Not just in the world of death metal but in metal overall. Long may they continue to reign when they continue to put out quality releases like this.

Links

Facebook | Website | Twitter | Instagram