Album Review: "Inked In Blood" by Obituary

Inked In Blood

The mighty Obituary.

When I hear the term Death Metal, there are a handful of bands that come to my mind immediately. Napalm Death, Carcass, Deicide, Morbid Angel...

And Obituary.

Back in the 90's when I was in a mood for the heaviest of the heavy, their seminal Cause of Death would be placed into my 5 Disc Changer. Oh those days.

They've been dormant for the past five years, since their Darkest Day record, but they are now unleashing their ninth studio record to the masses and embarking on a North American Tour with Carcass and Exhumed. There's a St. Louis date on 11/02 at Pop's.

The Legendary Obituary

When a band returns from an absence, there's always a good chance of a stinker of an album, 13, I'm looking at you.

Thankfully, that's not the case with today's review. Obituary's been around the block enough to know that they should do what comes naturally to them.

They made a splendid Death Metal record. They didn't try to impress anyone with over the top brutality, over the top solos, or crazy drums.

That's not to say that they remade Slowly We Rot, like a certain thrash band did after reuniting with their original drummer... This album, while retaining the elements that make them Obituary, has a flair of the modern which keeps their sound fresh and crushing.

The guitars and vocals retain the signature Obituary sound, but there's less of an reliance on double bass blastbeats, which is a welcome change. Too many death metal bands don't use dynamics... In lieu of constant blasts, there are galloping beats which lead into chord progressions.

Instead of relentlessly fast chords, this record continually changes tempos and keeps the listener on edge. There's a change in the guitar solos, and a welcome one.

Instead of consistently lightning fast sweep picked solos, there are a bevy of melodic solos..that feature dive bombs.

This album quickly announces its presence with authority. It gets its hooks in you and never lets go. With its classic sound, beautiful growls, and modern upticks, this is easily one of the best metal records of 2014.

Release: 10/28/14
Genre: Death Metal
Label: Relapse Records
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