Obituary - 'Darkest Day'

Groove-infused death metal aided by a strong performance from the Tardy brothers and some of Obituary’s heaviest songs ever.

One of the pioneers of death metal, Obituary shows no signs of age with Darkest Day, their third album since they re-united after a half-decade hiatus. Not much has changed with the band’s sound since the early days; simplistic riffs, steady drum patterns, and tortured screams from vocalist John Tardy are the songwriting building blocks. Over the years, Obituary has added in groove metal elements, sticking with mid-paced material that aims for intensity and sheer heaviness over breakneck speed.

Darkest Day continues this direction, with the majority of the thirteen songs driven by razor sharp rhythm guitar work from the always-reliable Trevor Peres and the strong dynamic between the Tardy brothers. The band has perfected the art of keeping a balance between hostile restraint and outright aggression, while keeping things from getting stale by adding in powerful percussion to “Blood To Give” and an extended introduction on “Your Darkest Day.” There are a few moments where Obituary takes a trip to the past with slabs with primitive death metal, including the quick two-minute “Violent Dreams” and the blazing “Fields Of Pain.”

Lead guitarist Ralph Santolla doesn’t sound as incongruous as he did on Xecutioner's Return, adding a technical edge to Obituary’s sound, while keeping things grounded enough not to fall into over-indulgent territory. The production is also much improved over their last album. While the guitars still sound distorted and muddled at times, the mix is evenly balanced between all the instruments.

Darkest Day is another strong outing from the long-standing Florida death metal band. While a few less tracks would have made the album flow better, along with an extra speedy tune or two, Darkest Day is a forceful and potent listening experience for those that have the blood of old-school death metal flowing in their veins.