Obituary (band)

Last updated

Obituary
Hellfest2017Obituary 03.jpg
Obituary at Hellfest 2017
Background information
Also known as
  • Executioner (1984–1986)
  • Xecutioner (1986–1988)
Origin Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Genres Death metal
Discography Obituary discography
Years active
  • 1984–1997
  • 2003–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Website obituary.cc

Obituary is an American death metal band formed in Tampa, Florida, in 1984. They were one of the fundamental acts in the development of death metal music, [1] and are one of the genre's most successful bands of all time. [2] Obituary has released eleven studio albums, and with the exception of a six-year hiatus from 1997 to 2003, they continue to perform live.

Contents

Initially called Executioner, the band changed its name to Xecutioner in 1986 to avoid confusion with the thrash metal band Executioner from Boston, and then changed its name once again to Obituary in 1988. Obituary's current lineup consists of vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, rhythm guitarist Trevor Peres, bassist Terry Butler, and lead guitarist Ken Andrews. The band has gone through several lineup changes, with the Tardy brothers and Peres being the only constant members. Their music is based around heavily groove-based riffs and drumming along with John Tardy's growling vocals, which create their own signature sound of death metal.

History

Early career (1984–1990)

Founded as Executioner in Seffner, Florida in 1984, they soon dropped the "E" from their name after discovering another band of the same name, becoming Xecutioner. The band's first lineup was composed of John Tardy (lead vocals), Donald Tardy (drums), Trevor Peres (rhythm guitar), Jerome Grable (bass) and Jerry Tidwell (lead guitar). The band was inspired by Savatage, Nasty Savage and bands in the then-burgeoning Florida death metal scene: Death, and Morbid Angel. [3] The band released demos in 1985, 1986, and 1987 (the 1985 demo as Executioner and the 1986 and 1987 demos as Xecutioner). They made their vinyl debut in 1987 with two tracks ("Find the Arise" and "Like the Dead") on the Raging Death compilation.

Not long after the release of the compilation, bassist Grable was replaced by Daniel Tucker and guitarist Tidwell was replaced by Allen West. The following year, shortly before the release of the band's first album Slowly We Rot , they changed their name to Obituary. Right after the release of Slowly We Rot, however, Tucker and West quit the band and were respectively replaced by Frank Watkins and then-Death guitarist James Murphy. This new lineup recorded the band's second album Cause of Death , which was released in September 1990, [4] and is often considered to be one of the most important death metal albums of all time. [5] [6] Obituary supported Cause of Death with its first world tour, first the US with Sacred Reich and Forced Entry, Europe with Demolition Hammer and Morgoth and then back to the US with Sepultura and Sadus. [4]

Rise to success (1991–1996)

In 1991, just prior to the writing and recording sessions of their third album, Murphy left Obituary to join Cancer and was replaced by a returning Allen West. The lineup of Peres, Watkins, West and the Tardy brothers recorded the band's next three albums, starting with The End Complete (1992). The End Complete was a moderate success for Obituary, having sold more than a hundred thousand copies, [2] and it was the band's first album to chart in the US and Europe. [7] [8] [9] [10] This success also resulted in the release of Obituary's first-ever music video "The End Complete", which received significant airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball , [11] and the band toured behind the album in over year, going from playing clubs to theaters and arenas. [4]

Obituary's fourth studio album, World Demise , was released in September 1994. [4] Although the album did not sell as well as The End Complete, it still managed to reach the top 100 in several territories, including the United States, [12] United Kingdom, [8] Germany, [9] Switzerland [13] and the Netherlands, [10] and a music video for "Don't Care" was shot. [11] In support of World Demise, the band toured North America with Napalm Death and a then-unknown Machine Head, and Europe with Pitchshifter and Eyehategod. [4]

Breakup and comeback (1997–2014)

Obituary in 2009 Obituary live in Toronto, 2009.jpg
Obituary in 2009

After the release of their fifth album Back from the Dead (1997), the band had grown tired of touring, which led to the group disbanding. During this time period, Donald Tardy played in Andrew W.K.'s touring band (during W.K.'s appearance on Saturday Night Live Tardy wore an Obituary shirt). Allen West focused on his two projects, Lowbrow and Six Feet Under. Trevor Peres formed Catastrophic in 2001, which released one album, The Cleansing, in that same year. Obituary reformed in 2003 and Catastrophic continued to exist alongside the reformed Obituary. A reunion album, Frozen in Time , was released in 2005. The band's first live DVD, Frozen Alive , was released in January 2007.

Obituary was signed with Candlelight Records for its next three releases, Xecutioner's Return (2007), Darkest Day (2009), and the EP Left to Die (2008). A concert DVD release was also announced for January 2010. [14] Since 2012, the band have been highly involved with the promotion of a new social networking site called Unation, as well as Donald Tardy beginning a Cat Sanctuary organization called Metal Meowlisha, an organization practicing "trap-neuter-vaccinate-return", and caring for 25 cat colonies (200 cats). [15]

In April 2010, Obituary began work on new material for their ninth studio album Inked in Blood , which was not released until 2014. [16] [17] [18] It was the first Obituary album not to be recorded with longtime bassist Frank Watkins since their 1989 debut album Slowly We Rot . [18] On August 2, 2013, the band launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of raising $10,000.00; the money raised was promised to allow Obituary to record and release their ninth album independently. The goal was met on August 3. When interviewed by metal webzine All About the Rock, John Tardy said of the Kickstarter campaign, "This campaign has been awesome and just confirms again what we already know and that is that we have the greatest fans in the world. We are using Kickstarter to raise enough money to release an album on our own. This is not a bash against record companies, it is just what we want to do. Years ago this would not even be a thought, but today we feel everything is in place for us, for better or worse, give it a shot.". [19] Though the band raised enough money to self-released, they were still signed to Relapse Records and partnered with the label for distribution of Inked In Blood, their first Relapse release. [20]

Subsequent events (2015–present)

On October 18, 2015, former and longtime Obituary bassist Frank Watkins died from cancer. [21]

On August 24, 2016, Obituary streamed a new song called "Loathe", a B-side to their then-upcoming single "Ten Thousand Ways to Die", which was released on October 21. [22] The band released their self-titled tenth studio album on March 17, 2017. [23] A month prior to its release, the band released a song called "No", which appeared on Decibel magazine's flexi disc series. [24]

In November and December 2018, Obituary embarked on a European tour as part of Slayer's farewell tour, also featuring Lamb of God and Anthrax. [25] When asked in a June 2018 interview about the next Obituary album, drummer Donald Tardy said, "We're always thinking about new songs and writing riffs and this and that. But at this time of our lives and this time of the music industry… This new album has only been out for just over a year now, so we're in no hurry to try and push another album out of us as quick as we can; there's no sense." [26] In an August 2020 interview with Australia's Riff Crew, Donald Tardy revealed that, during the pandemic, Obituary had been working on a "monster" of a new album planned for release in 2021. [27] The band had planned to tour in 2021, specifically Europe, in support of the record. [28] In a March 2021 interview with France's United Rock Nations, vocalist John Tardy reiterated his brother's comments, saying that Obituary had been working on new material during the COVID-19 pandemic, and added that their new album would be released in 2022, with a tour to follow. [29] On November 10, 2022, Obituary released "The Wrong Time" as the lead single from their then-upcoming eleventh studio album Dying of Everything , released on January 13, 2023. [30] [31] The band plans to work on their next album by early 2025.

Band members

Timeline

Obituary (band)

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kreator</span> German thrash metal band

Kreator is a German thrash metal band from Essen, formed in 1982. Their current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Miland "Mille" Petrozza, drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, lead guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö, and bassist Frédéric Leclercq. The band's lineup has changed multiple times throughout its 42-year career, most noticeably with their bassists and lead guitarists. Petrozza and Reil are the only two original members left in Kreator, although the latter took a break from the band from 1994 to 1996. Yli-Sirniö has been the lead guitarist of Kreator since 2001, while Leclercq joined in 2019 as the replacement of Christian "Speesy" Giesler, who had been a member of the band since 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death (metal band)</span> American death metal band

Death was an American death metal band formed in Altamonte Springs, Florida, in 1984 by guitarist Chuck Schuldiner, drummer/vocalist Kam Lee and guitarist Rick Rozz. Death is considered to be among the most influential bands in heavy metal music and a pioneering force in death metal. The band's 1987 debut album, Scream Bloody Gore, has been widely regarded as one of the first death metal records, alongside the first records from Possessed and Necrophagia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffocation (band)</span> American death metal band

Suffocation is an American death metal band formed in 1988 in Centereach, New York, currently consisting of lead guitarist Terrance Hobbs, bassist Derek Boyer, rhythm guitarist Charlie Errigo, drummer Eric Morotti, and vocalist Ricky Myers. The band rose to prominence with their 1991 debut album Effigy of the Forgotten, which became a blueprint for death metal in the 1990s. Since then, Suffocation has recorded eight albums. These feature growled vocals with downtuned guitars, fast and complex guitar riffs and drumming, open chord notes and occasional breakdowns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metal Church</span> American heavy metal band

Metal Church is an American heavy metal band formed in 1980. Originally based in San Francisco, California, they relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly called themselves Shrapnel. Led by guitarist and songwriter Kurdt Vanderhoof, the band has released thirteen studio albums and is considered to be an integral part of the Seattle heavy metal music scene of the 1980s. They achieved considerable popularity that decade, with two of their first three albums entering the Top 100 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The band's early lyrical topics such as conflict and paranoia later expanded into philosophical, political and social commentary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark Tranquillity</span> Swedish melodic death metal band

Dark Tranquillity is a Swedish melodic death metal band from Gothenburg. They are considered one of the pioneering acts of the Gothenburg metal scene, which also includes bands such as In Flames and At the Gates - regarded as the Gothenburg fathers in the film entitled Out of Nothing: A DT Documentary released by Century Media, which was filmed in their home town in April 2009. After a nearly three-decade long collaboration of four founding members frequent lineup changes between 2016 and 2021 have left only vocalist Mikael Stanne as an original member, together with long-time keyboardist Martin Brändström.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cephalic Carnage</span> American deathgrind band

Cephalic Carnage is an American deathgrind band formed in Denver, Colorado in 1992. The band comprises vocalist Leonard Leal, guitarists Steve Goldberg and Brian Hopp, drummer John Merryman and bassist Nick Schendzielos. Cephalic Carnage has released six studio albums and toured in North America, Europe and Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorgoroth</span> Norwegian black metal band

Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. It was formed in 1992 by guitarist Infernus, who is the sole original member remaining, and has released nine studio albums. Gorgoroth are a Satanic band and have drawn controversy due to some of their concerts, which have featured impaled sheep heads and mock crucifixions. The band is named after the dead plateau of darkness in the land of Mordor from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dying Fetus</span> American death metal band

Dying Fetus is an American death metal band formed in Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland, in 1991. Various membership changes throughout the years have left John Gallagher as the sole remaining original member, as well as the band's driving force. According to Gallagher, the band name was chosen while the members were young and was intended to be offensive. To date, Dying Fetus has released nine studio albums.

<i>Slowly We Rot</i> 1989 studio album by Obituary

Slowly We Rot is the debut studio album by American death metal band Obituary, released on June 14, 1989. It is the only Obituary release to feature bassist Daniel Tucker. Lead guitarist Allen West would leave soon after but returned for the third album The End Complete (1992). It was re-released on January 27, 1997, by Roadrunner Records with remastered audio and liner notes. Despite being recorded in standard tuning and with Fender Stratocasters, it is considered to be one of the band's heavier efforts. The remainder of the band's output has been recorded in D tuning. A live version of the album, Slowly We Rot: Live & Rotting, was recorded in October 2020 and released in August 2022 by Relapse Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Santolla</span> Musical artist

Ralph Santolla was an Italian-American heavy metal guitarist. He played in many bands, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death, Millenium, Iced Earth, and the Sebastian Bach band. In 2007, he replaced Allen West in Obituary for their album Xecutioner's Return. Santolla was very proud of his Italian heritage and he played guitars by Jackson and Ibanez with the Italian flag painted on them. He most recently played Jackson Guitars, though he had also been associated with ESP Guitars, Dean Guitars and many others. He also used Randall Amplifiers. He was well known for his shred guitar playing style.

<i>Xecutioners Return</i> 2007 studio album by Obituary

Xecutioner's Return is the seventh studio album by American death metal band Obituary, released on August 28, 2007 through Candlelight Records. The title of the album is derived from the band's original band name, which was Xecutioner. The album is their first album since 1990's Cause of Death to be recorded without guitarist Allen West and the first album to feature guitarist Ralph Santolla. Though hailed as a partial return to the more speed-based style of the band's early work, it received positive reviews from critics but mixed reviews from the fanbase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Watkins (musician)</span> Musical artist (1968–2015)

Frank Watkins was an American heavy metal musician best known as a former, long-time bass player for the death metal band Obituary; he played with them from 1989 to 1997 and then from 2003 until 2010. He had been the bass player of the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth at the time of his death, where he had been known as Bøddel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devourment</span> American death metal band

Devourment is an American death metal band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1995, the band has split up and reformed three times leaving Brad Fincher as the only original member. The current lineup is Ruben Rosas, Chris Andrews, Dave Spencer and Brad Fincher. The band is currently signed to Relapse Records, and was previously signed to Brutal Bands, United Guttural and Corpse Gristle Records. Devourment has also had albums re-released by other labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fuck the Facts</span> Canadian grindcore band

Fuck the Facts is a Canadian Juno-nominated, grindcore band from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1998. They began as the solo recording project of musician Topon Das. Their earliest recording was in January 1997; they began using the name Fuck the Facts in 1998. After many early recordings, including split tapes with groups from around the world, Fuck the Facts began developing a name in the underground with fans of grind. In 2001, the first full-length CD-R, Discoing the Dead, was recorded. The same year, Das would assemble a full band to continue with the project. The band has since coined the terms "bastardized grindcore" and "mullet-core" to describe their sound.

<i>Darkest Day</i> 2009 studio album by Obituary

Darkest Day is the eighth studio album by the American death metal band Obituary. It was released on June 30, 2009, through Candlelight Records. Darkest Day is the final Obituary album to feature both longtime bassist Frank Watkins, who had played in the band since Cause of Death (1990), and guitarist Ralph Santolla.

Antigama is a Polish grindcore band. The band formed in 2000. Antigama has released eight albums, four EPs, and several split records.

<i>Inked in Blood</i> 2014 studio album by Obituary

Inked in Blood is the ninth studio album by American death metal band Obituary. It was crowdfunded via Kickstarter and then released on October 28, 2014 through Gibtown Music/Relapse Records. It is the first studio album with bassist Terry Butler and lead guitarist Kenny Andrews, making this the first Obituary album not to feature Frank Watkins on bass since 1989's Slowly We Rot. A deluxe edition of the album was also released containing two bonus tracks. It is their first album to appear on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 5,200 copies in its first week and peaking at 75.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obituary discography</span> Records list of American band Obituary

The discography of Obituary, an American death metal band, consists of ten studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, two extended plays, two DVDs and seven music videos.

References

  1. ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. "Obituary | Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "It's Official: CANNIBAL CORPSE Are The Top-Selling Death Metal Band Of The SoundScan Era". Blabbermouth.net . November 17, 2003. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ Stevenson, Arielle (October 22, 2009). "The way the music died: The earliest days of Tampa Death Metal". Tampa Bay Times . Times Publishing Company. Archived from the original on October 27, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Obituary". metallipromo.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  5. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo (November 1, 2018). "11 Florida Death Metal Albums You Need". Loudwire.com . Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  6. ↑ Yardley, Miranda (August 24, 2012). "The Terrorizer Friday Death Metal Top 15". Terrorizer.com . Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Heatseekers Albums Chart". Billboard.com . Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "OBITUARY | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts". Musicline.de. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Dutch Charts". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Headbangers Ball- The Unofficial Tribute Site - Episode Database". headbangersballunofficialtributesite.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Heatseekers Albums Chart". Billboard.com . Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  14. ↑ "OBITUARY: 'Live Xecution' DVD Trailer Available - Dec. 4, 2009". Blabbermouth.net . Archived from the original on February 28, 2011. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  15. ↑ Oliveira, Victoria (September 23, 2014). "INTERVIEW: OBITUARY'". RockRevolt Magazine.
  16. ↑ "OBITUARY Begins Work On New Material - Apr. 20, 2010". Blabbermouth.net . Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  17. ↑ "OBITUARY To Perform First Three Albums During Live Pay-Per-Event - May 31, 2013". Blabbermouth.net . Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  18. 1 2 "OBITUARY: New Album Title Revealed - July 28, 2014". Blabbermouth.net . Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  19. ↑ Hogan, Craig (August 13, 2013). "Interview with Obituary frontman John Tardy". All About the Rock. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Obituary - Obituary and Relapse Records Join Forces; Band Finalizing New Album - Relapse Records". saladdaysmag.com. June 9, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Former Obituary Bassist Frank Watkins Dies At 47". Blabbermouth.net. October 18, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Obituary To Release 'Ten Thousand Ways To Die' Single In October; New Song 'Loathe' Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. August 24, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Obituary To Release Self-Titled Tenth Album In March". Blabbermouth.net. January 11, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Obituary Premieres New Track 'No'". Blabbermouth.net. February 15, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  25. ↑ "SLAYER Announces Final European Tour With LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX And OBITUARY". Blabbermouth.net. May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  26. ↑ "OBITUARY Is In No Rush To Make New Studio Album". Blabbermouth.net . June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  27. ↑ "OBITUARY Is Working On 'Monster' New Album While In Quarantine". Blabbermouth.net. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  28. ↑ "OBITUARY Is 'Knee Deep In Writing New Music', Says DONALD TARDY". Blabbermouth.net. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  29. ↑ "OBITUARY Fans Shouldn't Expect Surprises On Next Album: 'We Don't Like To Evolve Too Much'". Blabbermouth.net. March 29, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  30. ↑ Amanda Hatfield (November 10, 2022). "Obituary announce new LP 'Dying of Everything,' share "The Wrong Time" (exclusive vinyl)". BrooklynVegan . Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  31. ↑ "OBITUARY Announces 'Dying Of Everything' Album, Shares 'The Wrong Time' Music Video". Blabbermouth.net . November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.