Obituary - Slowly We Rot (1989)

Obituary's debut, 'Slowly We Rot' will always have a special place in my heart and not just because its a great album, but also because it was the first death metal album I ever heard back in the day and the way I see it you just don't forget things like that.

Formed in '84 under the Executioner monicker (quickly changed to Xecutioner) and originally playing thrash metal, the band unleashed three demos and one split release between '85 and '87 before signing with Roadrunner in '88 and changing their name to Obituary. Somewhere along that time they heard Possessed and decided to make music that was, quote, "Sick as these guys," and they surely did.

'Slowly We Rot' fuses Possessed's early pioneering death/thrash metal sound with Chuck Schuldiner's more genre defining pure Floridian death metal sound and with those influences mixed with Trevor Peres & Allen West's crunchy Hellhammer-ish guitar tones, Daniel Tucker's ominous bass, Donald Tardy's pummeling drums and his brother, John Tardy's low guttural vomitous roars the listener is treated to some of the finest death metal ever committed to tape.

The album moves at varying speeds too, sometimes brutal and pulverizing, at other times absolutely headbanging and thrashy all the way and even a few places where the music slows down for some doom-ish parts. Generally though the album stays within that relentless crushing 80's death/thrash metal sound, which I've always adored. I suppose some people prefer more technical music, but with me its always just been about crazy ass face melting riffs, wild solos, visceral drum slaughtering and maniacal growls and screaming when talking about metal from the 80's. Youthful aggression, as I've said before, and these guys truly had a lot of it. And they were fairly young too, Donald being just 19 while the rest of the guys were in their early 20's.

'Slowly We Rot' probably isn't as memorable on an individual song basis for most, which is probably why people prefer early Death or Morbid Angel over this record, but seriously how can you resist songs like, 'Gates of Hell' or 'Intoxicated?' Or the title track and its memorable lyrics, "Fight them all, join me, slowly we dwell, Slowly we dwell!" I'm also quite fond of, 'Internal Bleeding,' especially with its ominous intro and the way the band just blasts into it and knocks the listener completely out by the time its over or the quick and crushing, 'Words of Evil.' In any case I may just be one of those listeners that does favor ever moment of his brutal classic.

A lot of people prefer the bands second album, 'Cause of Death' and really consider that one to be the classic, which is understandable with its cleaner production and controlled and balanced flow, but I've always preferred this one just because of its raw, chaotic and merciless nature. In any case, Obituary's first two records are musts in my opinion, classic death metal not to be missed!