Obituary once again show us how this death metal thing is done…
It is a commonly held belief that Obituary’s last full-length, 2017’s self-titled release, is their best work since the early ’90s. Given that they helped define the death metal genre this is high praise indeed, but well earned, holding onto their classic sound but freshening it up and making it more dynamic. As such, expectations are high for Dying Of Everything, coming after a six-year gap, though the band arguably have nothing to prove.
Let’s get it out of the way: Dying Of Everything does not match or beat its predecessor, but that is not to say that it is lacking in any department, for it is a crushing slab of the dark’n’hard stuff executed with merciless precision and delivered with a killer mix. They certainly kick things off the right way with the rampant Barely Alive, which charges headlong into the fray and shows that they are certainly not slowing down after all these years.
Speed, of course, is a big aspect of the record, and the title-track in particular has a nice thrashy feel to it that sets it apart from the other tracks, while the kick drum pummelling on Weaponize The Hate is gloriously brutal.
They do slow down, most notably on the mean and hostile War and the sludgy closer Be Warned, which is pleasingly threatening. John Tardy is in great voice throughout, once again cementing his place in the annals of the genre, but then the same could be said for the whole album. Dying can be fun.
Rating: 3/5
For fans of: Morbid Angel, Slayer, Ingested
Dying Of Everything is released on January 13 via Relapse
