OBITUARY
Ten Thousand Ways To Die
Relapse (2016)
Rating: 7.5/10
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A live album was probably not what the fans wanted, but Obituary rise from their murky swamp once again to bruised and batter us. Thankfully though, they’ve thrown in two new studio tracks to keep us happy alongside a collection of live tracks.
Personally, I’ve found the last few Obituary records a tad cumbersome and repetitive, but with newbie ‘Loathe’ they’ve churned out a menacing, buzzing lump of grotesque death metal that begins with some utterly doomy squelching bolstered by gloomy drum nods and almost sludgy production made all the more devastating by John Tardy’s hideous growls.
‘Loathe’ is very much a slow-motion, dragging, quicksand affair that finally kicks in with a chugging riff and rumbling segment of percussion. For me, this is where Obituary are able to progress, because rather than vomiting out a typical predictable death metal foray, they explore nastier, mosquito-infested dregs only penetrated by a lo-fi lead. Okay, so the six-minute running time is a tad too long, but there’s no denying the catchiness of this new track.
Next up comes ‘Ten Thousand Ways To Die’, although I’m not sure they can fit every way in. Even so, the track is a masterly lump of groove-based death metal that judders with its percussion and employs a dab of fine melody – never once though rearing its head beyond a deathly traipse. Of course, the lack of vocals may annoy some, but as a teaser for the next record the brace of tracks are ideal.
As for the rest of the record, well, we get all the hits presented at various locations around the United States such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Florida, San Diego and Toronto in Canada. All the big chunks are there – from the chugging gore of ‘Redneck Stomp’, the sickening strains of ‘Bloodsoaked’ and ‘Dying’ to the festering climax of ‘Chopped In Half’, ‘Turned Inside Out’ and ‘Slowly We Rot’ – all delivered with the vim and vigour we’ve come to expect over the years.
Obituary are now the elders of the death metal scene. If you’ve never seen them live, then Ten Thousand Ways To Die can only give you a glimpse into their hostile terrain of buzz-saw riffs and demonic yelps. Personally, I see this album as a rather unnecessary stop gap considering it’s already been two years since their last full-length studio outing – 2014’s Inked In Blood – but I’m sure it won’t be too long before the next chapter of atrocity is upon us.
Neil Arnold
