Obituary, Darkest Day

Being a self admitted Obituary fan-boy, I’m going to find something good in any album they release. Luckily for me, I don’t have to look far to get my fix on the band’s latest album, Darkest Day. After the speedier material found on Xecutioner’s Return, the Floridian death dealers seem to have made the conscience decision to slow things down this time around, adding slick, mid-paced grooves back into their patented sound.

Much of the material on Darkest Day feels as though it could have come from any of their last few albums. The groove of Frozen in Time, the heaviness of The End Complete and the frenzy of Xecutioner’s Return are combined masterfully into what could very well be their best material since reforming in 2005. John Tardy’s vocals are as sick and as evil as they have ever been. Brother, Donald Tardy unleashes unholy hell with thundering drum work while Frank Watkins lays down apocalyptic bass lines. Guitarists Trevor Peres and Ralph Santolla present the band’s signature riffing and hellish lead work like no other — almost as if they are battling each other for world guitar supremacy.

Aside from the album’s artwork (really??), there’s really nothing to complain about with Darkest Day. Hell the guys even tack on a couple of bonus tracks pulled from their Left to Die EP — for those of you that bought it, sorry, but for those that didn’t, enjoy. This is Obituary at the top of their game.

List Of Dead
“List of Dead” opens up the album with slightly muted, distant music for the first 8 seconds before Obituary explode from the speakers with driving drums and riffing. The first mini-lead of the song shows up shortly after. This one is unrelenting and bruising, a nice transition from the Xecutioner’s Return material. There’s another short lead at the one minute mark during a brief slow down in the pace. Man, this is one hell of a way to get an album going. The song ends with some seriously head banging mayhem.

Blood To Give
Donald Tardy’s drum work on this next one is monolithic, thundering and heavy. There is so much swampy groove throughout this song, working perfectly with John’s nasty vocal delivery. The cadence and pace after the two minute mark is freaking sweet, especially followed up by another tremendous lead. This is definitely one of the more “fun” and catchy tracks on the album.

Lost
“Lost” starts off much slower with rolling drums and slick lead work before John’s vocals come in. This one sounds like it was pulled right from Frozen in Time — it’s a slow moving, sludgy monster of a song with pretty decent groove. Man, I love the guitar tone on this one. It’s signature Obituary for sure.

Outside My Head
The opening riffs for “Outside My Head” are massive. This is another track that could have been pulled from the Frozen… album. It’s mid-to-slow tempo pace is swampy and dark, yet has plenty of head banging groove to easily get caught up in.

Payback
Another classic Obituary riff gets this next one flowing with lots of groove. The steady, marching character to this track is infectious as it crushes all in it’s path with thick guitars, groove and John’s tortured vocals. Soaring guitars sound off around 1:20 then the band settles into the muddy groove once again. The lead at 2:44 is pretty sweet, as well.

Your Darkest Day
The somewhat title track starts off quietly for the first 20 seconds or so before steady drum and thick, squealing guitars build up over the next minute and a half, eventually leading in screaming vocals at 1:45. This is a slow moving, funeral dirge showcasing some of the more methodical, thick and punishing material the band has written. The pace picks up a bit around 2:30 to a slow-paced groove full of thick riffs and thundering drums. This is easily the darkest track on the album — hence the title, I suppose.

This Life
I love the opening riff to “This Life.” It’s instantly memorable and sets the tone for one of the better tracks on the album. For a band that typically doesn’t throw too much into a song, there’s a good deal of elements at work in this one — thundering riffs, tempo shifts and groove. I love the End Complete styled slowdown just before the two minute mark. The lead at 2:15 is technical and evil.

See Me Now
Another classic, thick, apocalyptic riff gets “See Me Now” off to an evil start. The layered growls and screams on John’s part certainly don’t hurt the mood any. The rolling drum work on this song is pretty damned good as is the pummeling riff work after the 1:20 point. This song has some bruising rhythms throughout it that ebb and flow like a great tide. Man, this song has some sick grooves to it.

Fields Of Pain
“Fields of Pain” starts off with massive drums and a lighter guitar tone initially before being swallowed by the more textured riffs that we are accustomed to from these guys. Tempo changes throughout the song keep you on your toes as the band starts and stops smoothly with the vocals. The leads peppering this album are slick, but at times don’t always fit the mood of the song they accompany. The ones on this track, for instance, are much brighter and, while technically amazing, just don’t fit the swampier sound.

Violent Dreams
Coming in at just under two minutes in length, “Violent Dreams” will certainly leave you with nightmares to say the least. This bludgeoning, riff filled, pile driving track is a violent ride into Hell’s abyss. It’s got a bit of an old school feel to it with an aggression not really seen/heard on the album for the most part. I would love to hear more of this in-your-face approach from the band. It’s one of those songs that makes you want to break something.

Truth Be Told
The final song of the album (before the bonus tracks, that is) opens up with some seriously thick, sludgy riffs and building drums. The opening lead is pretty slick and works as a nice contrast to the swampier riffing. John’s vocals are pretty strong on this one, layered with a few screams for added effect. The groove throughout is catchy and contagious. This is a classic Obituary song to end the album on.

Forces Realign / Left to Die
For feedback on the bonus tracks, check out my review of the band’s Left to Die EP.

~ ~ ~

Favorite Tracks:
All of them

Additional Notes:
N/A