Obituary (band)

"Obituary [...] were less musically adept than or , so they downplayed whirlwind tempos for chugging, grimy half-time rhythms that sounded like they were oozing from a sewage treatment plant."

"If death metal first came to life during the mid- to late '80s courtesy of bands like Florida's Death [...] Obituary, brought it to fruition in 1989 with Slowly We Rot. [...] These innovations don't seem so revolutionary now, given the innumerable death metal bands that arose during the '90s and beyond [...] But in 1989, Obituary were blazing a new trail, along with other Florida peers like Morbid Angel and, a bit later, Deicide, , and ."

"Tampa’s own Obituary managed to stand out among the early bands by way of a very simple, but effective songwriting strategy. Namely, while most of their contemporaries were still indebted to thrash and raging away at blazing speeds, Obituary embraced the slower tempos typical of doom metal, and fused it all together behind some of the era’s heaviest guitar tones. 1990’s gore-infested sophomore album, ‘Cause of Death,’ arguably provides the ultimate expression of this template, which also saw vocalist John Tardy vomiting senseless gurgles into his microphone, as often as not, instead of bothering to write lyrics few would comprehend anyway."

"While most death metal bands focused on being fast and angry, Obituary took their sweet time crafting eerie, humidity-drenched riffs that kept sweaty heads banging."

"Despite the fact that Tardy's widdlesome style contrasted with West's direct and brutal approach, Obituary's bludgeoning attack remained undiminished."