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Obituary - Xecutioner's Return
Candlelight - August 28, 2007
By Jordan Knoll
It really cannot be argued against that death metal as a whole peaked in the early 90s. So many classic releases in such a short span of time across many diverse scenes—Florida, Sweden, Finland and to a lesser extent New York—all with their own unique sounds. This is anything but the case today as anyone who is fan of that era knows well enough that the contemporary death metal scene is far from matching the early scene’s impressive prowess and unrelenting originality. It just so happens that Florida’s Obituary are one of the few remaining acts from that glorified epoch long since passed who still happen to be churning out death metal in the style of the early days of the genre. This brings us to their latest release aptly entitled Xecutioner’s Return.
I am pleased to report that Obituary seem to have found a way to compose competent, evil sounding death metal encased within a thick, crushing production that allows the music to breathe organically and burrow into the mind ruthlessly; no small feat for a band who has been active for almost eighteen years. In turn, this production approach gives the aura of the music a distinct and highly potent atmosphere that was so integral to the genre in its early years and is all but absent today. For instance, the deceptively groove laden ‘Evil Ways’ manages to articulate its brooding atmosphere, while utilizing a slow almost half-thrash approach to the riffing without sounding out of place or cheesy in any manner. While most of the album seems to rest itself somewhere in that mid-paced range (for death metal) it is always pleasing to hear contrasts between pace, especially when the riffs therein are written as well as they are here. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an Asphyx album, but the occaisional pace-based contrast gives the album its ‘listenability’ and rewarding depth for future spins.
All is not well for Xecutioner’s Return, however. While the band manages to nail the production and generally succeeds in the compositional sphere the infrequent forays into shredding often detract from the music more than adds to it. For example, ‘Drop Dead’ is nearly suffocated beneath a barrage of finger-stretching guitar wankery, which is shame when the majority of the song contains good riffs. Fortunately this is a relatively minor quibble amongst a sea of good, dark dirty death metal. Xecutioner’s Return may not blow your mind, but it certainly succeeds within the confines of its well worn mechanics. Recommended to fans of the early scene, and those who think death metal begins and ends with Job for a Cowboy.
Official Obituary Webpage
Official Candlelight Webpage
Candlelight - August 28, 2007
By Jordan Knoll
It really cannot be argued against that death metal as a whole peaked in the early 90s. So many classic releases in such a short span of time across many diverse scenes—Florida, Sweden, Finland and to a lesser extent New York—all with their own unique sounds. This is anything but the case today as anyone who is fan of that era knows well enough that the contemporary death metal scene is far from matching the early scene’s impressive prowess and unrelenting originality. It just so happens that Florida’s Obituary are one of the few remaining acts from that glorified epoch long since passed who still happen to be churning out death metal in the style of the early days of the genre. This brings us to their latest release aptly entitled Xecutioner’s Return.
I am pleased to report that Obituary seem to have found a way to compose competent, evil sounding death metal encased within a thick, crushing production that allows the music to breathe organically and burrow into the mind ruthlessly; no small feat for a band who has been active for almost eighteen years. In turn, this production approach gives the aura of the music a distinct and highly potent atmosphere that was so integral to the genre in its early years and is all but absent today. For instance, the deceptively groove laden ‘Evil Ways’ manages to articulate its brooding atmosphere, while utilizing a slow almost half-thrash approach to the riffing without sounding out of place or cheesy in any manner. While most of the album seems to rest itself somewhere in that mid-paced range (for death metal) it is always pleasing to hear contrasts between pace, especially when the riffs therein are written as well as they are here. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an Asphyx album, but the occaisional pace-based contrast gives the album its ‘listenability’ and rewarding depth for future spins.
All is not well for Xecutioner’s Return, however. While the band manages to nail the production and generally succeeds in the compositional sphere the infrequent forays into shredding often detract from the music more than adds to it. For example, ‘Drop Dead’ is nearly suffocated beneath a barrage of finger-stretching guitar wankery, which is shame when the majority of the song contains good riffs. Fortunately this is a relatively minor quibble amongst a sea of good, dark dirty death metal. Xecutioner’s Return may not blow your mind, but it certainly succeeds within the confines of its well worn mechanics. Recommended to fans of the early scene, and those who think death metal begins and ends with Job for a Cowboy.
Official Obituary Webpage
Official Candlelight Webpage
