Obituary (USA)
In Obituary's universe, you will be crushed by the sheer simplicity. The rotten classic that surfaced with the wave of Florida-based death metal in the 1980s is not the first group of growlers in metal, but still knows the ins and outs of death metal better than anybody else.
Obituary's slow, Celtic Frost-style riff grind has the ultimate allure of straightforwardness that makes the more technical contenders turn pale with its pure Southern laid-backness. The value of this band's notes may not be measured in quasihemidemisemiquavers, but that's exactly why they last through the centuries.
Simplicity works also behind the mike stand. Hair god John Tardy's got an extremely deep voice that taught also the Finnish early teens to grunt, but a similar atmosphere of torment and fear has never been created by anyone else. It is telling that often Tardy does not even need any human-language words to back up his blast: a mere sound of his agonising growl is enough to beat your intestines into a brand new order.
Even if Obituary's days of glory mostly took place in the first half of the career that had a momentary suspension from 1997 to 2003, the last lines of their necrology are still far from finished. That is assured by so many minor classics penned by the band (such as Slowly We Rot and Body Bag) as well as their honest loyalty to the fundamentals. Their migration to a smaller record company has provided them with more freedom to make music in their own terms.
Obituary's death metal is very catchy and even surprisingly relaxed. It is not too taxing to listen to, yet is guaranteed to offer an entertaining experience that's compelling enough even when you don't know the songs that well. This is just about the most beautifully gripping instance of spew that you are going to see at Ilosaarirock Festival this summer.
www.obituary.cc
myspace.com/obituary
