When death metal veterans Obituary first formed in the mid '80s, their original name was Xecutioner. They had that name for a few years before switching to Obituary before their debut album was released. So it's appropriate that over 20 years later they've brought back their original name as part of their new album's title.
Xecutioner's Return is the band's seventh studio release, and the second album since their reunion a few years ago (they had been apart for about 6 years). They also have a new guitarist, Ralph Santolla (Deicide). Obituary plays classic old school death metal, and this CD is pretty diverse. They play several songs that are fast and loose with a lot of great guitar riffing and solos. They also play a lot of slower, down-tuned doom flavored tracks that are simply crushing.
Xecutioner's Return is a huge improvement over 2005's Frozen In Time. The songwriting is better, the guitar work is a lot better, and overall it's probably their best album since their first few in the early '90s.
