Obituary, one of the most influential death metal bands of all time, keeps on continuing to showcase that they will forever bring forth old school Florida death metal to snuff out the faux bands of modern heavy metal.. The band formed in 1984 and released their debut album “Slowly We Rot” on May 16, 1989 through RC Records. It was an instant underground classic that forever helped shape the fledgling death metal scene with its aggressive sound. This was followed by ‘Cause Of Death’ on September 19th, 1990, which sold over 150,000 copies worldwide and solidified Obituary’s place as a pioneering act in extreme heavy metal music.

The band’s success only grew from there, with further critically acclaimed albums such as ‘The End Complete’ (1992) ‘World Demise’ (1994) and ‘Inked In Blood’ (2014). Over the course of their influential career, Obituary toured relentlessly around Europe and North America playing to adoring crowds while supporting acts such as Black Label Society and Amon Amarth. And now the old school death metal veterans have returned to wreak havoc with their latest blood curdling effort, the ‘Dying of Everything’ LP (Relapse Records).

When first time listeners hear the ‘Dying of Everything’ spine shank opener “Barely Alive”, they’ll be immensely enthralled by its sheer energy and the magnitude of sound that’s presented. The song is a perfect blend of melancholic melodies and heavy riffs that will make you want to bang your head from start to finish. The lyrics are meaningful and resonate with me on a personal level; bringing into focus the struggles we face in life as well as how important it is for us to remain resilient and keep fighting on despite the odds.

What makes this track even more special is how well-crafted it is. All the elements from guitar solos, bass lines, drum beats and vocals come together in perfect devilish harmony to create an explosive old-school death metal soundscape throughout the whole song.

The scorching track ‘War’ might be your ordinary Obituary anthem as it starts with a piercing guitar riff, followed by pummeling drums and thundering vocals that scream out the lyrics. But the song is fast and to the point – no prisoners are taken here. You can feel the sense of urgency in every beat as they unload their anger and frustration on this intense track. The pure raw heavy metal power behind this song makes it a timeless headbanger for Obituary fans worldwide!

The title track of this album carries on from “War” with its intimidating tone and uncompromising attitude. It has more of an upbeat pace than its predecessor, but still maintains a certain heaviness throughout it all. This is definitely one of those tracks that you want to bang your head to again and again – the sheer brutality from it’s riffage will have your body screaming to mosh all night long! While the cutthroat closer ‘Be Warned’ may very well put first time listeners into a permanent heavy metal coma thanks to its rawness!

Die hard Obituary fans may have had to wait six long grueling years for the band to finally release ‘Dying of Everything’ as a follow up to their 2017 self-titled face-stomper of an LP ‘Obituary’. An abundant amount fans thought that the album would never come and were pleasantly surprised with its intense quality. It is a powerful reminder that quality also needs time to be crafted and perfected. Obituary has proven this statement true with their latest offering, as ‘Dying of Everything’ blazingly showcases an unmatched level of expertise in both composition and performance.

The five-piece from Tampa, FL has been one of death metal’s most enduring acts since they formed near the Gator infested swamps of the South in 1984. And with the epic release of ‘Dying of Everything’, Obituary continues to push boundaries and innovate within their genre with each release, blending elements of thrash and doom into their sound while still maintaining roots in traditional death metal styles. Overall, ‘Dying of Everything’ is an extraordinary LP that a wide variety of heavy metal fans we’ll be putting on blast from their home and car stereo’s on the daily!

SCORE: 9.5 Outta 10