Obituary, Left to Die

It’s no secret that I am a ridiculously huge fan of Obituary — always have been. That said, you know it’s easy for me to get all geeked out over a four track EP that only features two new songs, a recording of a classic and a cover of the band they emulate from time to time, not to mention a video for “Evil Ways.” Left to Die is a wonderful tease to tide you over till the next full length Obituary release.

Let’s start with the older material first. The cover of Celtic Frost’s “Dethroned Emperor” is pretty damned solid and essentially pays homage to the band that influenced Obituary through and through. The rerecording of the classic “Slowly We rot” isn’t much different than when the group first slit throats with it so many years ago. The track is extended with a little more flair, but pretty much remains unchanged.

As for the new songs, both have that Obituary sound and heaviness that only they can produce. Slow moving riffing, monolithic rhythms and plenty of solos combine for two new classic tracks from the band. The first, “Forces Realign,” has some a great groove and tremendous guitar work, especially the solos just before the two minute mark and again after the three minute point. There are plenty of tempo shifts, but overall this is classic Obituary through and through.

The title track wraps up the EP, starting off with heavier than hell riffing and drum work. This knuckle-dragger is thick and slowly tumbles through the speakers like shovelfuls of fresh earth upon your casket. It’s got a suffocating overall feel, even during the slick solo work. The bass heavy sound is, again, vintage Obituary and will certainly appeal to all levels of its fan base.

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Filling in perfectly between tours and releases, this EP should be enough to tide you over for the near future. I mean, how can you go wrong with an older, refreshed classic, a solid cover and two new tracks that sound like they crawled straight form the primordial Floridian swamps that spawned this legendary group.

Favorite Tracks:
All of them

Additional Notes:
N/A