Cause of Death | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 19, 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1990 | |||
Studio | Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida | |||
Genre | Death metal | |||
Length | 41:02 | |||
Label | Roadrunner | |||
Producer | Scott Burns, Obituary | |||
Obituary chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10 [2] |
Select | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Cause of Death is the second album by Florida death metal band Obituary, released on September 19, 1990, through Roadrunner Records.
Along with Slowly We Rot , Cause of Death is considered a landmark in the death metal genre.
The artwork was done by artist Michael Whelan. It is their first release with longtime member Frank Watkins on bass, and also their first and only album with guitarist James Murphy, previously of Death. Murphy did not contribute to the songwriting as the riffs he showed to the band would end up appearing on Disincarnate's Dreams of the Carrion Kind . [4]
The cover art of this album was used in an H. P. Lovecraft collection, Lovecraft's Nightmare A. It was intended to be used as the cover artwork of Sepultura's album Beneath the Remains which released the year before Cause of Death. However, Roadrunner Records sent the original album cover of Beneath the Remains to Obituary. Monte Conner of Roadrunner forced Sepultura to use another Michael Whelan illustration for Beneath the Remains, Nightmare in Red. The second portion of the painting, Lovecraft's Nightmare B was used by Demolition Hammer for their 1992 album Epidemic of Violence . The incident with Sepultura led to Igor Cavalera becoming upset with Monte Conner, with Cavalera notably having a tattoo of the cover on his arm. [4]
Obituary went on tour in the United States to support Cause of Death in November 1990 together with label mates Sepultura as headliner and Sadus, starting in Florida. They continued their tour activities in Europe in mid-1991. [5]
The album has been described as "gore-infested." John Tardy's vocal performance on the album has been described as "senseless gurgles." Cause of Death contains a cover of Celtic Frost's "Circle of the Tyrants". [6] [4]
Cause of Death is considered a classic album in the history of death metal. [7] Obituary played Cause of Death in its entirety at the 2019 Decibel Metal & Beer Fest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [8] Celtic Frost frontman Tom G. Warrior has endorsed the cover of "Circle of Tyrants". [4] Chris Krovatin of Kerrang! said, "On their sophomore effort, [Obituary’s] hard work and patience paid off in the form of one of the most gut-wrenching, joint-twisting albums ever written. [...] Cause Of Death is an awesome, brooding journey to the heart of death metal’s development, and one that sums up the fertile burial ground of the 1990s. Only in Florida." [9]
All lyrics are written by John Tardy, except where noted; all music is composed by Trevor Peres and Donald Tardy, except where noted
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
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1. | "Infected" | 5:34 | ||
2. | "Body Bag" | 5:49 | ||
3. | "Chopped in Half" | 3:43 | ||
4. | "Circle of the Tyrants" (Celtic Frost cover) | T. G. Warrior | T. G. Warrior | 4:25 |
5. | "Dying" | 4:29 | ||
6. | "Find the Arise" | 2:51 | ||
7. | "Cause of Death" | Allen West, Peres | 5:38 | |
8. | "Memories Remain" | 3:44 | ||
9. | "Turned Inside Out" | 4:57 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "Infected" (Demo Version) | 4:16 |
11. | "Memories Remain" (Demo Version) | 3:34 |
12. | "Chopped in Half" (Demo Version) | 3:45 |
Total length: | 52:37 |
Obituary is an American death metal band formed in Tampa, Florida, in 1984. Initially called Executioner, they were one of the fundamental acts in the development of the death metal genre, and are one of the genre's most successful bands of all time. Obituary has released eleven studio albums and, with the exception of a five-year hiatus from 1998 to 2003, they continue to perform live.
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Florida death metal is a regional scene and stylistic subdivision of death metal. Some of the most significantly pioneering and best-selling death metal acts emerged in Florida, especially in the Tampa Bay area. As a result, Tampa is unofficially known by many death metal fans as the "capital of death metal." The scene coalesced in the mid-1980s through early 1990s around the output of bands such as Death, Nasty Savage, Deicide, Monstrosity, Morbid Angel, Atheist, Obituary, and others. The producer Scott Burns and the studio Morrisound Recording were also instrumental in developing and popularizing the Florida scene. Some bands which originated outside of Florida, such as Malevolent Creation and Cannibal Corpse, relocated to the state in order to participate in this burgeoning scene. The Florida bands featured a more technical approach to the evolving death metal sound, a style which spread beyond the confines of the state, and some were instrumental in creating the progressive death metal subgenre. The death metal genre as a whole, including the Florida scene, declined in popularity in the second half of the 1990s, but many bands within the Florida scene persisted and the scene resurged in popularity in subsequent decades. Although the scene attracted more media attention, it continued to be underground due to its extreme nature.