Well, why should I introduce this band? I have no idea why I should do so, for everybody knows them, these highly influential protagonists of the worldwide Death Metal scene. So I’ll skip the unnecessary crap, and go immediately to the essence, i.e. Inked In Blood.
Inked In Blood is Obituary’s ninth album, and it clocks about fifty minutes. And believe it or not, but the Tardy-brothers and Trevor Peres (the three of them do originate from the original line-up), with newly recruited guitar player Kenny Andrews and bassist Terry Butler of Death / Massacre / Denial Fiend / Six Feet Under-fame, still groove and rock as they did almost three decades ago. Their material does not differ from the past in essence; on the contrary, Obituary once created a very distinctive approach / sound, and that is what they still do. It contains all ingredients from the past: the characteristic, deeply-guttural grunts of John, the massive rhythm section with those mostly slow-paced yet heavy-as-f*ck tempo, the crushing and sharp soloing, the hypnotic leads… Songs like Pain Inside do even sound as if they had been written twenty five years ago to appear on their first albums. Besides the slow- to mid-tempo oriented tracks, there are, evidently, some faster outburst as well, thrashing and banging all the way.
Although I do like about everything this band ever did (even when still acting under their previous moniker, Xecutioner), I wasn’t that expressively enthusiastic anymore after their reformation at the beginning of this century. And Inked In Blood might not reach the grandiose level of cult-classics like Slowly We Rot or Cause Of Death (or is this a melancholic and stubborn statement by an oldie like undersigned?), but I think, no, I pretend that this might be their best album in ten years (since resurrecting). Their latest efforts were way too over-produced, and it might have attracted a younger fanbase, but the aged audience will notice, and therefore appreciate, this grandiose back-to-the-roots sound!
In January 2015, for your information, the band will be touring in Europe (with Empire Of Evil and Dustbolt), visiting Holland, Czech Republic, France, Germany etc., as well as Belgium, dear readers…