I’ve always viewed Obituary as the Motörhead of death metal. While their peers strived to broaden their creative horizons as time went on, often times abandoning their deadly roots for metal that was more melodic, technical, or god forbid “modern” (i.e. JNCO short wearing, frosted tip headed, “jumpdafuckup” metal), Obituary have more or less stuck to the same formula from day one. Slowly We Rot (1989) and Cause of Death (1990) were total gamechangers, blending the most violent tendencies of classic thrash with the unforgiving heaviness of doom, thus forging their own unique sound within the realm of death metal.
Every album since has been a glorified continuation of this sound. I don’t say this as a knock because, quite frankly, Obituary rules. Sure, some albums are better than others. That said, I’d rather hear Obituary consistently release the same badass album over and over and over again than hear one of their peers jump the shark or some wimpy modern death metal band merely hanging onto their coattails because they couldn’t come up with an original idea if their lives depended on it. It’s this “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” ethos which steers the ship that is Obituary’s 11th studio album, Dying of Everything.
Their first album in six years, Dying of Everything opens with the maniacal “Barely Alive”, a rager that checks off all the Obituary boxes: Thrashing drums, unhinged vocals, bone crushing riffage, and a lethal dose of bloodlust. We’re off to a good start. Purists may dismiss midtempo cuts like “The Wrong Time” and “War” as “generic”. I could even see where these arguments would come from, as these songs do border on groove metal and the arrangements are slightly derivative. However, I can’t deny the retro sheen of the riffs and production. And even at their most “new school”, Obituary still kills it. “Without a Conscience” is a shoe-in for most ignorant cut of the year, leaving every other hip slam and beatdown band in the dust. If its knuckle-dragging riffs and pissed off attitude doesn’t make you want to swing your arms with rage, I don’t know what will.
If this whole album were a mix of fast and midtempo cuts (and I guess on the surface it is), I would be more than pleased. But Obituary are never ones to rest on their laurels, and they absolutely pack the heat on the second half of this outing. After we get one last blast of southern groove in the “Redneck Stomp”-esque “My Will to Live”, the trifecta of “By the Dawn”, “Weaponize the Hate”, and “Torn Apart” go for the throat, emphasizing the “death” in death metal with little regard for fragility. Call it a rehash of the Slowly We Rot/Cause of Death days and you’d be RIGHT. These songs are vicious and violent in every which way possible. The thrashy riffs tear through you like shrapnel and the slower riffs bludgeon your brains out. And of course, I’d be remiss not to mention “Be Warned”. Talk about saving the heaviest for last! This unholy cross between Sabbath and Hellhammer is the true essence of death/doom if I ever heard it.
Is Dying of Everything “just another Obituary album”? Sure, but “just another Obituary album” still manages to be one of the top death metal events of any given year, similar to “just another Autopsy album” or “just another Asphyx album”. What can I say that hasn’t been said already? If you don’t like Dying of Everything, you don’t like death metal, period. Too harsh of a sentiment? Too bad. I’m saving my sensitive thoughtful side for the eventual first AOR review of the year, not this.
7 out of 10
Label: Relapse Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Celtic Frost, Slayer, Dream Death